Stop 02 · Requirements ElicitationTopics · 6/10

Observation & Job Shadowing

In short

People forget to mention the sticky note on their monitor or the extra spreadsheet they keep 'just in case'. You only see those workarounds when you sit beside them and watch.

Watching how a process or system is actually used in real conditions — surfacing workarounds and friction that stakeholders often don't think to mention because it's become routine to them.

The purple blob holds a notebook beside a chai stall, watching a kettle boil.

Think of it like this

Learning chai from the chaiwala

Ask the chaiwala his recipe and he says 'water, tea, milk, sugar'. Stand beside him for ten minutes and you see the crushed ginger, the second boil and the way he pours from a height. The real recipe is in what he does.

Watch it happen

Spotting a workaround while shadowing

Clerk

Order system

Open order #5821

1/6The clerk opens an order like she does fifty times a day.

The big ideas

What you need to know

See real behaviour

Observation shows shortcuts, delays and workarounds people have stopped noticing because they do them every day.

Get permission first

Tell the person and their manager why you're there. Make it clear you're studying the process, not judging them.

Time and count things

Note how long steps take and how often they repeat. Numbers make your findings hard to argue with.

Ask after, not during

Let them work normally, then ask about what you saw. Interrupting changes how they work.

Save yourself the pain

Common mistakes

Oops

Watching for 20 minutes on a quiet morning and calling it done.

Do this instead

Observe during busy periods too, like month-end or lunch rush. Problems show up under pressure.

Oops

Correcting someone's process while you're shadowing them.

Do this instead

Stay a quiet observer. People who feel judged start doing it 'by the book' and hide the real process.

Your mission

Shadow a shop for 15 minutes

~30 min

Quick check

Why do BAs observe work even after doing interviews?

Go deeper

1Watch someone perform a real task (even informally) and note any workarounds they use.
2Learn why this technique is especially powerful for complex, workflow-heavy processes.
3Compare what you observe to what the same person reports when asked directly.