You may get confused why it is called Elicitation when we can use the term “gathering the requirements” instead of “eliciting the requirements”. In simple terms Gathering can be done if requirements already exist and are ready for documentation or review and forwarding to developers. however real work starts when investigation begins… “Elicitation” means gathering and understanding information, digging them, analyzing them, investigating them to discover feasible requirements.

Business analysts who “gather requirements” are recording existing requirements; business analysts who elicit information are using their analytical skills to define a solution and requirements to solve the expressed business problem.

Requirement Gathering is as simple as asking Business, please give me your requirements and we’ll give you the solution”. Requirement Elicitation, is requesting Business people to walk through the current business process, and asking WHY you need improvements.

Business Analyst is also responsible for feasibility of requirements – When you record requirements, its user’s responsibility for the requirement outcome, if the system doesn’t work in some way, the Business Analyst can say “it’s your requirements”. However, elicitation may help to take responsibility for the results of implementing those requirements. That’s a bigger risk, and one that many Business Analysts are not willing to take.