What is the term used for the process of gathering information from stakeholders in business analysis?

Elicitation is a crucial process in business analysis that involves gathering information and requirements from stakeholders. This process is essential because it helps business analysts understand the needs, expectations, and constraints of stakeholders, which are vital for defining project goals and requirements.

During the elicitation process, various techniques such as interviews, surveys, workshops, and observations may be employed to extract valuable insights from stakeholders. It is characterized by active engagement and communication, ensuring that stakeholders can express their thoughts, ideas, and concerns effectively. Success in elicitation directly affects the quality of the requirements and ultimately the project's success.

While other processes like inspection, synthesis, and validation are important in their own right, they serve different purposes. Inspection generally refers to examining existing artifacts to ensure quality or compliance, synthesis involves combining information to form a whole, and validation is the process of ensuring that the gathered requirements meet the actual needs and expectations of stakeholders after they have been elicited. Therefore, elicitation stands out as the specific term for collecting information from stakeholders in business analysis.