Walkthroughs
Walkthroughs and Requirements Walkthroughs are specific types of peer reviews focused on facilitating a common understanding among stakeholders regarding the requirements, analysis models, or user stories. These reviews aim to validate that the documented requirements accurately represent what stakeholders expect the solution to achieve. The business analyst often leads these sessions, and they can serve as vital mechanisms for aligning stakeholder expectations and ensuring clarity before formal approvals are sought.
Walkthroughs involve the convening of stakeholders for group meetings where requirements are reviewed collectively. Before the walkthrough, stakeholders usually receive the requirements for individual review. This pre-review helps to ensure that all participants come to the meeting with a foundational understanding of what will be discussed. Walkthroughs can be applied to a variety of artifacts, including but not limited to requirements, analysis models, and user stories.
Requirements Walkthroughs
Requirements Walkthroughs are a subtype of Walkthroughs with a singular focus on the review of requirements. During these sessions, stakeholders are given the opportunity to confirm the validity of the requirements. The business analyst schedules these walkthroughs well in advance, allowing stakeholders sufficient time to prepare by reviewing the materials beforehand. The preparation confers several benefits:
- Stakeholders can ponder the solutions proposed, thereby arriving at the session with well-considered feedback.
- It minimizes emotional, spur-of-the-moment reactions during the session.
- Stakeholders have the opportunity to discuss the materials with their organizational units and peers, ensuring that the feedback provided is more broadly representative.
During the walkthrough session, the flow of information should be driven by the reviewers, not just the business analyst. This is a critical stage where stakeholders can raise questions, seek clarifications, and express concerns. The business analyst utilizes this forum to resolve any remaining open issues related to the requirements, aiming to move towards final approval.
The Requirements Walkthrough serves as an important validation step, enabling stakeholders to scrutinize and affirm that the requirements are accurate, complete, and representative of what the solution is intended to accomplish. This is an essential process for ensuring alignment among stakeholders and mitigating the risks associated with misunderstood or incomplete requirements.