What strategy can a business analyst employ to effectively manage scope creep during requirement elicitation?

Managing scope creep during requirement elicitation is critical to ensure that projects stay on track and aligned with business objectives. Tracing back requirements to business goals is an effective strategy for several reasons.

When requirements are directly linked to the overarching business goals, it becomes easier to assess their relevance and necessity. This alignment helps the business analyst maintain a clear focus on what is essential for the project’s success, minimizing the risk of introducing unnecessary or extraneous requirements that could lead to scope creep. Each requirement can be justified based on its contribution to achieving specific business objectives, which acts as a filter for prioritizing which requests should be considered.

Additionally, this approach fosters clear communication among stakeholders, as it aligns their expectations and clarifies the purpose of each requirement in the context of overall business aspirations. By adhering to the established business goals, it becomes less likely that the team will deviate into additional, unvetted requirements that do not serve a clear purpose.

In contrast, modifying goals to include additional requirements can dilute the focus and potentially lead to project misalignment. Including only those requirements needed by multiple stakeholders could overlook important yet singular needs that still align with business goals. Relying solely on sponsor approval for all requirements can delay the project and overwhelm decision-makers, potentially