elicitation-methodology

What this skill does

# Elicitation Methodology

Central hub for requirements elicitation methodology, technique selection, and workflow orchestration.

## When to Use This Skill

**Keywords:** requirements gathering, elicitation, stakeholder needs, requirement discovery, user needs, feature requests, interview, requirements session

Invoke this skill when:

- Starting a new requirements elicitation effort
- Selecting appropriate elicitation techniques
- Orchestrating multi-source elicitation
- Configuring autonomy levels for AI assistance
- Understanding LLMREI interview patterns

## Quick Decision Tree

| Scenario | Recommended Approach |
|----------|---------------------|
| Have stakeholders to interview | Use `interview-conducting` skill |
| Have documents/PDFs to mine | Use `document-extraction` skill |
| Working solo, need perspectives | Use `stakeholder-simulation` skill |
| Need domain knowledge | Use `domain-research` skill |
| Checking completeness | Use `gap-analysis` skill |
| Ready for specification | Use `/export` command |

## Elicitation Techniques

### 1. Stakeholder Interviews (LLMREI Pattern)

AI-conducted interviews using research-backed prompting strategies.

**When to use:**

- Direct access to stakeholders
- Complex domains requiring exploration
- Need to capture tacit knowledge

**Technique reference:** See `references/llmrei-patterns.md`

### 2. Document Extraction

Mine requirements from existing documentation.

**When to use:**

- Existing requirements documents
- Meeting transcripts
- Regulatory documents
- Competitor analysis

**Delegate to:** `document-extraction` skill

### 3. Stakeholder Simulation

Multi-persona simulation for solo requirements work.

**When to use:**

- Working without direct stakeholder access
- Need diverse perspectives
- Validating completeness

**Delegate to:** `stakeholder-simulation` skill

### 4. Domain Research

MCP-powered research for domain knowledge.

**When to use:**

- Unfamiliar domain
- Need industry standards
- Competitive analysis
- Technology constraints

**Delegate to:** `domain-research` skill

## Autonomy Levels

### Guided Mode (Human-in-Loop)

```yaml
autonomy: guided
behavior:
  - AI suggests questions, human approves
  - Each requirement validated individually
  - Human controls interview flow
  - Maximum transparency
use_when:
  - Sensitive or regulated domains
  - Learning the elicitation process
  - High-stakes requirements
```

### Semi-Autonomous Mode

```yaml
autonomy: semi-auto
behavior:
  - AI conducts interviews with checkpoints
  - Human validates requirement batches
  - Periodic progress reviews
  - Balance of speed and control
use_when:
  - Standard elicitation projects
  - Moderate domain complexity
  - Trusted AI capabilities
```

### Fully Autonomous Mode

```yaml
autonomy: full-auto
behavior:
  - Complete end-to-end elicitation
  - Human reviews final output only
  - Maximum efficiency
  - AI handles all decisions
use_when:
  - Well-understood domains
  - Time pressure
  - Preliminary discovery
```

## Workflow Orchestration

### Standard Discovery Workflow

```text
1. CONTEXT GATHERING
   ├── Load any existing business context
   ├── Identify available sources (stakeholders, docs, etc.)
   └── Select autonomy level

2. MULTI-SOURCE ELICITATION
   ├── Interviews (if stakeholders available)
   ├── Document extraction (if docs available)
   ├── Domain research (MCP queries)
   └── Stakeholder simulation (if solo mode)

3. SYNTHESIS
   ├── Consolidate requirements from all sources
   ├── Remove duplicates
   ├── Classify by type (functional, NFR, constraint)
   └── Apply MoSCoW prioritization

4. VALIDATION
   ├── Gap analysis
   ├── Completeness checking
   ├── Conflict detection
   └── INVEST scoring

5. OUTPUT
   ├── Save to .requirements/{domain}/
   ├── Generate summary report
   └── Prepare for specification export
```

## Output Format

### Pre-Canonical Requirements

```yaml
# .requirements/{domain}/requirements.yaml
id: REQ-SET-{number}
title: "{Domain} Requirements"
domain: "{domain-name}"
elicitation_date: "{ISO-8601-date}"
autonomy_level: "{guided|semi-auto|full-auto}"

sources:
  - type: interview|document|simulation|research
    reference: "{source-identifier}"
    timestamp: "{ISO-8601-date}"

requirements:
  - id: REQ-{number}
    text: "{requirement statement}"
    source: "{source-type}"
    source_ref: "{specific-reference}"
    priority: must|should|could|wont
    category: functional|non-functional|constraint|assumption
    confidence: high|medium|low
    validation_status: pending|validated|rejected

gaps_identified:
  - category: "{requirement-category}"
    description: "{what's missing}"
    severity: critical|major|minor

metadata:
  total_sources: {number}
  total_requirements: {number}
  gap_count: {number}
  ready_for_specification: true|false
```

## Export Options

After elicitation, requirements can be exported to various specification formats:

```bash
/requirements-elicitation:export --to canonical  # Canonical spec format
/requirements-elicitation:export --to ears       # EARS pattern format
/requirements-elicitation:export --to gherkin    # Gherkin/BDD format
```

## Related Skills

- `interview-conducting` - Detailed LLMREI interview patterns
- `document-extraction` - Document mining techniques
- `stakeholder-simulation` - Persona simulation
- `gap-analysis` - Completeness checking
- `domain-research` - MCP research coordination

## References

- `references/llmrei-patterns.md` - LLMREI prompting strategies
- `references/technique-matrix.md` - Technique selection guidance
- `references/autonomy-levels.md` - Detailed autonomy configuration

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**Last Updated:** 2025-12-26