Interviews
A formal or informal approach to elicit information from stakeholders by talking to them directly. It is typically performed by asking prepared and spontaneous questions and recording the responses. Interviews are often conducted on an individual basis between an interviewer and an interviewee, but may involve multiple interviewers and/or multiple interviewees. Interviews should be conducted in an environment of trust and confidentiality to encourage honest and unbiased contributions.
Where Applied ?
Within the PMBOK® Guide, Interviews as one of the technique is used in the following processes:
PROCESSES | KNOWLEDGE AREA | PROCESS GROUPS |
Develop Project Charter | Project Integration Management | Initiating |
Develop Project Management Plan | Project Integration Management | Planning |
Collect Requirements | Project Scope Management | Planning |
Plan Quality Management | Project Quality Management | Planning |
Identify Risks | Project Risk Management | Planning |
Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis | Project Risk Management | Planning |
Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis | Project Risk Management | Planning |
Plan Risk Responses | Project Risk Management | Planning |
DEVELOP PROJECT CHARTER
Interviews are used to obtain information on high-level requirements, assumptions or constraints, approval criteria, and other information from stakeholders by talking directly to them.
DEVELOP PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLAN
Interviews are used to obtain specific information from stakeholders to develop the project management plan or any component plan or project document.
COLLECT REQUIREMENTS
Interviewing experienced project participants, sponsors, other executives, and subject matter experts can aid in identifying and defining the features and functions of the desired product deliverable’s. Interviews are also useful for obtaining confidential information.
PLAN QUALITY MANAGEMENT
Project and product quality needs and expectations, implicit and explicit, formal and informal, can be identified by interviewing experienced project participants, stakeholders, and subject matter experts.
In all Project risk management planning processes this technique is used. Interviews during these processes should be conducted in an environment of trust and confidentiality to encourage honest and unbiased contributions.
IDENTIFY RISKS
Individual project risks and sources of overall project risk can be identified by interviewing experienced project participants, stakeholders, and subject matter experts.
PERFORM QUALITATIVE RISK ANALYSIS
The possibility of expert views being biased should be considered in this process. Data-gathering techniques that can be used for this process include but are not limited to interviews. Structured or semi-structured interviews can be used to assess the probability and impacts of individual project risks, as well as other factors.
PERFORM QUANTITATIVE RISK ANALYSIS
Interviews may be used to generate inputs for the quantitative risk analysis, drawing on inputs that include individual project risks and other sources of uncertainty. This is particularly useful where information is required from experts.
PLAN RISK RESPONSES
Data-gathering techniques that can be used for this process include but are not limited to interviews. Development of responses to individual project risks and overall project risk may be undertaken during structured or semi-structured interviews with risk owners. Other stakeholders may also be interviewed if necessary.
References:
PMBOK® GUIDE SIXTH EDITION
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