Interviewing as a technique is used by all business analysts at various stages of the requirements life cycle. There are two main types of interviews:
- Structured interviews: This is when the interviewer has a predefined set of questions that they ask the interviewee.
- Unstructured interviews: This is when the interviewer doesn't have a predefined set of questions and the conversation is based on the responses the interviewee provides.
In most cases, the business analyst will use a combination of structured and unstructured interview techniques.
You will notice that the interview technique is applied to all of the business analysis BABOK® v3 guide tasks and often, this is done in a very general way. For the exam, keep in mind that interviews are flexible and applicable to almost every context.
Every interview should have a clear goal, potential interviewees, interview questions, planned logistics, and a formal interview flow. These aspects are based on common meeting practices that should be adhered to when applying this technique.