Requirements gathering

The process of collecting and documenting a client's needs, constraints, and expectations for a project, typically conducted during discovery, before scope is finalized and priced.

Example

An agency conducts requirements-gathering interviews with five client stakeholders before quoting a software project, uncovering an integration requirement none of them had mentioned in the initial sales conversation.

Why it matters for agencies

Thorough requirements gathering is the best upstream defense against scope creep — most out-of-scope requests later in a project are things that could have been surfaced and priced upfront if requirements gathering had been more thorough or had reached the right stakeholders.