How Asking the Right Questions Transforms a Business Analyst’s Approach in Software Development
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By Emma Do, Business Analyst at Groove Technology
If there’s one thing I’ve learned as a Business Analyst, it’s that communication alone isn’t enough. Sure, being a good communicator is essential, but it’s asking the right questions that truly makes the difference in a project’s success. Early in my career, I thought I could rely on strong communication skills to gather requirements. But time and experience taught me that there’s an art to asking questions, and it’s a skill that can change everything about how a project unfolds.
In this blog, I’m sharing how this approach has transformed the way I work as a BA in software development. I’ll dive into why it’s not just about talking and listening—it’s about asking the questions that reveal what really matters.
01. Communication Is Important, but It’s Not Enough
When I first started as a BA, I believed that if I communicated well with stakeholders and the development team, I could keep everything on track. But over time, I realized something: good communication doesn’t guarantee you have the right information.
Even if communication is your strength, not asking the right questions means you're still missing key pieces of the puzzle. I remember early on when I’d attend meetings, take notes, and feel like I had everything I needed to move forward. Then, mid-project, issues would surface—misaligned expectations, features that didn’t quite meet the client’s needs, or missing functionality that hadn’t been discussed.
The problem wasn’t a lack of communication. It was a lack of precise, targeted questioning.
02. How Asking the Right Questions Changed My Approach
The way I work as a BA shifted dramatically when I realized that gathering requirements isn’t just about hearing what the client says—it’s about asking the right questions to uncover the details they didn’t even think to mention. Here’s how this shift in mindset transformed my approach:
2.1 Clarifying Ambiguities
Often, stakeholders may not fully understand the implications of their requests, and it’s up to me to dig deeper and clarify those ambiguities before development begins. I’ve seen projects run into trouble because a small detail was misunderstood early on.
For example, in a project where the client requested a “reporting dashboard,” it sounded simple at first. But when I asked questions like, “What specific data do you need in these reports?” and “How frequently will the data be updated?”, I discovered the client was actually looking for dynamic, real-time reporting rather than static summaries. This clarification saved us from building a system that wouldn’t have met the client’s needs.
2.2 Avoiding Unnecessary Rework
Asking the right questions also prevents costly rework. When I joined a project to add a new feature to an existing platform, the client’s initial request seemed straightforward. But by asking, “How will this feature interact with the current system?” and “What are the performance requirements?”, we uncovered technical dependencies that would have been missed otherwise. Without those questions, we could’ve ended up rebuilding the feature halfway through development.
2.3 Identifying Missing Requirements
Sometimes, what clients don’t say is as important as what they do say. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that stakeholders might not always know what they need until you start asking them detailed questions. This process often uncovers hidden requirements that would otherwise go unnoticed.
I recall a mobile app project where the client wanted a simple image upload feature. By asking questions like, “What types of images will users upload?” and “Will there be any file size restrictions?”, we found that the system needed a complex file management process to handle various image formats and sizes. This kind of questioning ensures that the final product meets the client’s full needs, not just their initial requests.
03. Why Asking the Right Questions Matters in Software Development
Beyond transforming my personal approach, asking the right questions is crucial for the entire software development lifecycle. It can make the difference between a successful project and one that runs into delays and misunderstandings. Here’s why it’s so important:
3.1 Aligning Business and Technical Goals
One of my main responsibilities as a BA is making sure the business goals are translated into technical specifications that the development team can execute. Asking the right questions helps bridge this gap.
For example, imagine the client requests a new feature: a user authentication system. If I only ask, “What kind of authentication do you want?” the client might reply, “We want password-based authentication.” This is a wrong question because it doesn't explore the full business context or future needs.
Instead, a right question would be, “What’s your long-term plan for user security, and how do you see your user base evolving?” This leads to a deeper conversation about multi-factor authentication, potential future requirements for biometric logins, or even how the system needs to scale as the user base grows.
By asking the right question, we end up designing a solution that not only meets the current needs but can easily adapt to future security demands. The wrong question would have resulted in a more basic system that might need costly revisions later.
3.2 Preventing Misunderstandings
Misunderstandings can cause project delays, and it’s the BA’s job to prevent them by clarifying everything from the start. A wrong question might be, “Do you want reports generated monthly?” The client might say “Yes,” but without diving deeper, this could lead to the assumption that reports need to be static monthly summaries.
A right question would be, “Who will be using these reports, and how often do they need access to the data?” This leads to a richer understanding that perhaps different user groups need access to the reports at different times, and some might need real-time data instead of monthly static reports.
By asking the right question, the development team builds a reporting system that’s more dynamic and aligns with user needs, instead of something that would require changes later.
3.3 Anticipating Future Needs
Another key benefit of asking the right questions is the ability to anticipate future needs. Stakeholders are often focused on the immediate problem, but a BA needs to look ahead to how those requirements will evolve.
A wrong question here would be, “Do you want to integrate the payment gateway now?” The answer might be “Yes,” but this question doesn’t dig into the full picture.
A right question would be, “How will your user base expand over the next year, and do you expect to add more payment methods or currencies?” This opens up a deeper conversation, and it helps design a system that can handle future payment methods, currencies, and scalability—saving time and money down the line.
04. Challenges of Asking the Right Questions and What I've Learned
Asking the right questions isn’t always straightforward, and it comes with its own set of challenges. Here are a few obstacles I’ve encountered and how I’ve learned to overcome them:
4.1 Overloading Stakeholders with Questions
It’s tempting to ask a million questions right away, but that can overwhelm stakeholders. Early in my career, I made the mistake of asking too many detailed questions upfront, and it caused confusion. Stakeholders don’t always have all the answers on the spot, and you don’t want to make them feel like they’re being interrogated.
Solution: I’ve learned to prioritize my questions. I start broad and then narrow down as the conversation evolves. This way, I can gradually extract the information I need without overwhelming the client. For example, I might begin with, “Can you walk me through how your users currently interact with the system?” and, based on that answer, follow up with more specific questions about technical details later.
4.2 Limited Stakeholder Knowledge
Sometimes, stakeholders simply don’t know enough about the technical side of things to answer all your questions, which can lead to gaps in the requirements.
Solution: In cases like this, I use my technical knowledge to fill in those gaps. For example, if a client doesn’t understand how data should be processed in a particular feature, I propose solutions based on my discussions with the developers. By presenting different options and walking the client through the trade-offs, I help them make informed decisions.
4.3 Dealing with Contradictory Requirements
It’s not unusual to get conflicting requirements from different stakeholders. One person may want a feature implemented one way, while another stakeholder might have a completely different perspective. These contradictions can create tension if not handled carefully.
Solution: In these situations, I bring all the stakeholders together to discuss the trade-offs. By asking targeted questions like, “If we prioritize this feature, how will it affect the timeline?” I can help them see the bigger picture and make decisions as a team. This has prevented a lot of friction and keeps the project moving forward smoothly.
05. Final Thoughts: Asking the Right Questions is a Business Analyst’s Superpower
At the end of the day, asking the right questions is what sets a great Business Analyst apart. It’s not just about listening and documenting—it’s about digging deeper, uncovering hidden requirements, and guiding the project toward success. For me, this skill has transformed the way I approach software development, and it’s something I continue to refine with every project.
Ms. Emma Do is a Business Analyst at Groove Technology. She focuses on gathering precise business requirements by asking the right questions and bridging the gap between clients and development teams in software development projects.
