Title: Discovering effective requirements elicitation techniques using a multivocal ethnographic framework

Authors: Diane Lending; Jeffrey May; Jeremy D. Ezell; Thomas Dillon

Addresses: Computer Information Systems and Business Analytics Department, College of Business, James Madison University, 800 South Main Street, Harrisonburg, VA 22807, USA ' Computer Information Systems and Business Analytics Department, College of Business, James Madison University, 800 South Main Street, Harrisonburg, VA 22807, USA ' Computer Information Systems and Business Analytics Department, College of Business, James Madison University, 800 South Main Street, Harrisonburg, VA 22807, USA ' Computer Information Systems and Business Analytics Department, College of Business, James Madison University, 800 South Main Street, Harrisonburg, VA 22807, USA

Abstract: Effective requirements elicitation (RE) interviews are vital to the success of information systems development. Unfortunately, the factors that lead to effective RE interviews are often vaguely and contentiously delineated. In this paper, we describe our development and use of a multivocal, ethnographic framework employed to discover a rich set of critical success factors for effective RE interviews. Our interpretive framework emphasises performance ethnography along with other ethnographic techniques that are rigorously described and used to yield practical results. We then discuss and elaborate on our relevant findings that include eight critical success factors and practical lessons learned. We close with a discussion of our work and its place within the larger context of RE research in the information systems field.

Keywords: requirements elicitation; multivocal interpretivism; performance ethnography; qualitative research.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIL.2022.120649

International Journal of Innovation and Learning, 2022 Vol.31 No.2, pp.236 - 263

Received: 17 Nov 2020
Accepted: 11 Feb 2021

Published online: 31 Jan 2022 *

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