The quest for the magic questions

One of the difficulties with coming up with a list of magic questions is that the questions often need to be put into the context of a specific business domain. Many of the specific questions an analyst may need to ask would obviously be somewhat different if one was gathering requirements for software to support a space shuttle mission versus gathering requirements for an informational website for customers.

In my experience there are lots of questions that may be applicable and important to ask independent of the specific business or application domain. I've prepared a list of more than 50 questions that I have used in my own work. They are not all the possible questions that could be asked nor need all the questions always be asked. I have tried to word them in the most context-free way possible so that they are easy to reuse. As you read through them you might find it useful to tailor the wording to your specific project or business domain. It is likely you will also come up with questions of your own. The order in which the questions are listed is not necessarily the order in which they would be asked.

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Questions to help understand processes & requirements

• Who is the client?
• Who are the users?
• Who else is impacted by the system?
• Who is definitely not impacted by the system?
• What problem(s) is the system expected to help solve?
• Can you help me understand which problem(s) that feature would solve?
• Who else has had this problem before?
• Has someone already solved this problem?
• What problem(s) could the system create?
• What is the intended environment for the system?
• Is this the only environment you envision the system being used in?
• Who should be allowed to use the system?
• Who should not be allowed to use the system?
• Can you describe each step in the current process for me?
• Who is responsible for _____ in the current process?
• What event starts the process?
• What event ends the process?
• Why does/must that occur?
• When does/must _____ occur?
• What must occur before _____ occurs?
• What happens if _____ does not occur?
• How often does/must _____ occur?
• How long does/must _____ take?
• How much does _____ vary?
• Does _____ differ based on time/location/type...etc?
• Who receives _____ ?
• Who supplies _____ ?
• Who needs to know/have/supply _____ ?
• Where is _____ located?
• How is _____ calculated?
• Do any organizational policies apply to _____ ?
• Do any regulatory constraints apply to _____ ?
• Do any legal constraints apply to _____ ?
• Are there any rules associated with how _____ is done/calculated?
• What other information is necessary in order to complete _____ ?
• What other information is necessary before _____ can begin/proceed?
• Can I see the environment in which you plan to use the system?
• Can I see the environment in which the current system is being used?
• How much does _____ cost?
• What is the value if _____ is solved? (usually stated in cost/time) In other words, what's the solution worth?
• Is the order in which _____ are done important?
• What is the cost/impact if _____ is done incorrectly?
• What is the cost/impact if _____ happens?
• What is the cost/impact if _____ doesn't happen?
• What does/must happen if _____ happens?
• What does/must happen if _____ doesn't happen?
• What does/must happen if _____ is done incorrectly?
• Why is _____ necessary?
• Why does _____ happen?
• What could cause _____ to happen?
• What could cause _____ not to happen?
• Would _____ be an acceptable way of doing that/solving that?
• What do we know about _____ ?
• What do we need/want to know about _____ ?
• What don’t we know about _____ ?
• Who/what might help us understand more about _____ ?
• Could there be more explanations for _____?
• What might we be overlooking?
• What would be another way of describing that problem?
• Are there other solutions that might work?
• What assumptions are being made?
• How is ____ currently used?
• How will _____ be used?
• What's a _____?
• Can you give me an overview of what you are trying to accomplish?
• Can you give me an overview of how _____ works?

General questions for interviews

• I may need to talk with you again if we run out of time or if I need additional information. Is it okay to contact/meet with you again if necessary?
• Do you understand what my role is on this project?
• Do you understand what your role is on this project? Sometimes, it is better to explain your understanding of their role & ask for confirmation
• Do you understand the steps/phases we will be following in this project?
• Do my questions seem relevant?
• Is there anything else I should be asking you?
• Is there anything you want to ask me?
• Could you give me some examples of that?
• Who else should I be talking to?
• Who would be the best person to tell me about _____ ?
• Is there anyone I need to get approval from to use _____ ?
• Is it okay for me to talk to _____ (usually a subordinate) if I need to?

Whew...I'm exhausted. I hope you find this information useful.