How do I handle stakeholders who provide conflicting requirements during elicitation?

All answers to this question.

Conflict is a natural part of requirement elicitation! I recommend using a MoSCoW prioritization workshop. Get both stakeholders in the same room and have them defend their "Must-haves." For the CRM UI vs. Data Tracking issue, suggest a progressive disclosure design—keep the main UI clean but use collapsible sections for the detailed finance data. This way, Sales gets their speed and Finance gets their data. Always document the trade-offs in your Requirement Traceability Matrix.

   Answered 2024-05-23 by Kimberly Watson

Have you tried performing a Gap Analysis to show them the technical impact of both requests? Sometimes seeing the cost of "doing it all" helps them compromise.

   Answered 2024-05-24 by Robert Taylor

• Robert, I haven't done a formal Gap Analysis yet, but that's a great idea. Showing the increased development time for the 15 mandatory fields might make the Finance Lead realize it's not a "quick win." Thanks for the tip!

     Commented 2024-05-25 by Jennifer Brooks

Use data to settle it. Look at the current CRM logs—how many of those "mandatory" fields are actually used for reporting today? Facts often beat opinions.

   Answered 2024-05-26 by Michael Stevens

• Spot on, Michael. Bringing historical data to a requirement meeting completely changes the dynamic from a "pissing contest" to a logical business decision.

     Commented 2024-05-27 by Kimberly Watson