Interview Conducting Skill

AI-led stakeholder interviews using research-backed LLMREI patterns for effective requirements elicitation.

When to Use This Skill

Keywords: stakeholder interview, requirements interview, LLMREI, elicit requirements, talk to stakeholder, interview session, user interview, customer interview

Invoke this skill when:

• Conducting a structured requirements interview with a stakeholder

• Exploring user needs through conversation

• Gathering requirements from subject matter experts

• Clarifying and deepening understanding of requirements

Interview Modes

Real Stakeholder Interview

When interviewing an actual person through the chat interface:

mode: real_stakeholder approach:

• Use AskUserQuestion tool for structured questions
• Allow natural conversation flow
• Adapt questions based on responses
• Summarize and confirm understanding periodically

Simulated Interview (Solo Mode)

When no real stakeholder is available:

mode: simulated approach:

• Spawn persona agent via Task tool
• Conduct interview with simulated stakeholder
• Mark requirements with lower confidence
• Flag items needing real stakeholder validation

Interview Structure (LLMREI Pattern)

Phase 1: Opening (2-3 minutes)

Goals:

• Establish rapport

• Set expectations

• Explain the process

Questions:

• "Thank you for your time. Could you briefly describe your role and how you interact with this project?"

• "What outcomes would make this interview successful for you?"

Phase 2: Context Gathering (5-10 minutes)

Goals:

• Understand stakeholder perspective

• Identify key concerns

• Map relationships

Question Types:

• Role-based: "How does your team currently handle X?"

• Priority-based: "What are your top three concerns about this project?"

• Relationship-based: "Who else should we talk to about X?"

Phase 3: Requirements Exploration (15-25 minutes)

Goals:

• Elicit functional requirements

• Identify non-functional requirements

• Uncover constraints and assumptions

Question Pathways:

Start with open-ended → Follow up with specifics → Validate understanding

Example: Q1: "What should the system do when a user logs in?" Q2: "You mentioned 'quick access to dashboard' - what does quick mean to you?" Q3: "So the login should complete in under 2 seconds and show the dashboard. Is that right?"

Phase 4: Validation (5-10 minutes)

Goals:

• Summarize key requirements

• Verify understanding

• Identify gaps

Techniques:

• Read back requirements for confirmation

• Ask "What have we missed?"

• Prioritize using MoSCoW

Phase 5: Closing (2-3 minutes)

Goals:

• Thank stakeholder

• Explain next steps

• Offer follow-up

Question Types

Context-Independent Questions

General questions applicable to any interview:

Question Purpose

"What is your primary goal for this system?" High-level vision

"Who are the main users?" User identification

"What existing systems does this replace/integrate with?" Context mapping

"What would failure look like?" Risk identification

Context-Deepening Questions

Follow up on stakeholder responses to get specifics:

Pattern: [Stakeholder says X] → "When you say X, what specifically do you mean?"

Examples:

• "fast" → "What response time are you expecting? Under 1 second?"
• "secure" → "What specific security requirements apply? Authentication methods?"
• "easy to use" → "Can you describe what easy means? Any specific workflows?"

Context-Enhancing Questions

Introduce considerations the stakeholder may not have mentioned:

Pattern: Suggest possibilities based on domain knowledge

Examples:

• "Have you considered how this works on mobile devices?"
• "What happens if the user loses connectivity mid-operation?"
• "How should the system handle peak load during [known busy period]?"

Requirement Extraction

As requirements emerge, capture them in this format:

requirement: id: REQ-{number} text: "{requirement statement}" source: interview stakeholder: "{role}" timestamp: "{ISO-8601}" type: functional|non-functional|constraint priority: must|should|could|wont confidence: high|medium|low raw_quote: "{exact stakeholder words if notable}"

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake Prevention

Very long questions Keep questions concise and focused

Multiple unrelated questions One question at a time

Leading questions Use neutral language

Skipping NFRs Explicitly ask about performance, security, usability

No summary Recap periodically to verify understanding

Rushing Allow silence; stakeholders often add important details

Interview Summary Template

After each interview, generate:

interview_summary: session_id: "INT-{number}" stakeholder_role: "{role}" duration_minutes: {number} date: "{ISO-8601}" autonomy_level: "{guided|semi-auto|full-auto}"

key_themes: - "{theme-1}" - "{theme-2}"

requirements_elicited: - id: REQ-{number} text: "{requirement}" confidence: high|medium|low type: functional|non-functional|constraint priority: must|should|could

follow_up_needed: - "{question or topic needing clarification}"

stakeholder_quotes: - "{notable direct quote}"

observations: - "{interviewer observation about needs or concerns}"

next_steps: - "{recommended action}"

Delegation

For specific techniques, delegate to:

• LLMREI patterns: Load references/llmrei-patterns.md from parent skill

• Stakeholder simulation: Invoke stakeholder-simulation skill

• Domain research: Invoke domain-research skill for background

Output Location

Save interview results to:

.requirements/{domain}/interviews/INT-{number}.yaml

Related

• elicitation-methodology

• Parent hub skill

• stakeholder-simulation

• For simulated interviews

• gap-analysis

• Post-interview completeness checking