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