There are a number of different aspects that the business analyst should consider when preparing for the elicitation session. Considering these aspects will assist the business analyst in understanding what type of business analysis information will be discovered during the elicitation and will also assist in the process of deciding which elicitation techniques to apply. 

The most important aspects to consider include the following:

• The business domain
• Overall culture and environment
• Stakeholder locations
• Stakeholders who are involved and their group dynamics
• Expected outputs the elicitation activities will contribute to
• Skills of the business analysis practitioner
• Other elicitation activities planned to complement this one
• A strategy or solution approach
• Scope of future solution 
• Possible sources of business analysis information that might contribute to the current elicitation activity

Example of understanding the scope of elicitation

An example of these aspects you need to consider could be in the insurance domain, where the culture is formal and procedural. Most insurance brokers you have to elicit requirements from are based in the head office in Sydney. They know each other and work together closely on a daily basis. As the business analyst, you are well versed in running elicitation workshops and because you have been working for some time on this insurance project you have a lot of existing business analysis process models that you can utilize during the detailed elicitation activities you are preparing for.

In this example, you can clearly identify considerations around the scope of the elicitation activity.