# requirements-gathering

Walks your agent through collecting and documenting stakeholder requirements before development starts. Useful at project kickoff and feature planning.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 655 installs · ★ 371
- Author: aj-geddes
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/aj-geddes/useful-ai-prompts/tree/HEAD/skills/requirements-gathering/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-03-04
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/requirements-gathering

## What it does

The skill gives the agent a sequence for requirements work: identify who affects the project, pull needs out of them, write everything down, and get sign-off. Five reference guides live in the `references/` directory, covering stakeholder discovery, elicitation techniques, documentation, validation and sign-off, and a traceability matrix.

\`SKILL.md` includes a Python example: a `StakeholderDiscovery` class with stakeholder categories and methods to find them. Full implementations sit in the reference guides, not in the skill file itself.

A separate practices section lists what to do and what to avoid: write measurable statements, define acceptance criteria, prioritise with MoSCoW, separate must-haves from nice-to-haves. Avoid vague words like quickly or easily, and avoid scope changes without a process. If your team already has its own spec format, the skill will push a different structure, so read the reference guides first.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add aj-geddes/useful-ai-prompts --skill requirements-gathering -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/requirements-gathering/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/requirements-gathering/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add aj-geddes/useful-ai-prompts --skill requirements-gathering -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/requirements-gathering/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add aj-geddes/useful-ai-prompts --skill requirements-gathering -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/requirements-gathering/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install aj-geddes/useful-ai-prompts requirements-gathering
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/requirements-gathering/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add aj-geddes/useful-ai-prompts --skill requirements-gathering -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/aj-geddes/useful-ai-prompts --path skills/requirements-gathering
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/requirements-gathering/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add aj-geddes/useful-ai-prompts --skill requirements-gathering -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/aj-geddes/useful-ai-prompts/tree/HEAD/skills/requirements-gathering/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- collect requirements from every stakeholder group at kickoff
- put verbal agreements into writing
- build a requirements traceability matrix
- prioritise features with MoSCoW
- write acceptance criteria for user stories

## Example prompts
- Help me gather requirements for a new project: identify stakeholders and their needs
- Build a requirements traceability matrix from this feature list
- Check my requirements for vague wording and add acceptance criteria

## Source text · SKILL.md · MIT

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BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE 992574f974bc0b6b
````text
---
name: requirements-gathering
description: >
  Systematically collect, document, and validate requirements from stakeholders.
  Ensure clarity, completeness, and agreement before development begins to
  reduce scope creep and rework.
---

# Requirements Gathering

## Table of Contents

- [Overview](#overview)
- [When to Use](#when-to-use)
- [Quick Start](#quick-start)
- [Reference Guides](#reference-guides)
- [Best Practices](#best-practices)

## Overview

Effective requirements gathering establishes a shared understanding of what will be built, preventing misalignment and expensive changes later in the project.

## When to Use

- Project kickoff and planning
- Feature development initiation
- Product roadmap planning
- System modernization projects
- Customer discovery
- Stakeholder alignment sessions
- Writing user stories and acceptance criteria

## Quick Start

Minimal working example:

```python
# Identify and analyze stakeholders

class StakeholderDiscovery:
    STAKEHOLDER_CATEGORIES = [
        'End Users',
        'Business Owners',
        'Technical Leads',
        'Operations/Support',
        'Customers',
        'Regulatory Bodies',
        'Integration Partners'
    ]

    def identify_stakeholders(self, project):
        """Map all stakeholder groups"""
        return {
            'primary': self.get_primary_stakeholders(project),
            'secondary': self.get_secondary_stakeholders(project),
            'tertiary': self.get_tertiary_stakeholders(project),
            'total_to_engage': self.calculate_engagement_strategy(project)
        }

    def analyze_stakeholder_needs(self, stakeholder):
        """Understand what each stakeholder needs"""
        return {
// ... (see reference guides for full implementation)
```

## Reference Guides

Detailed implementations in the `references/` directory:

| Guide | Contents |
|---|---|
| [Stakeholder Discovery](references/stakeholder-discovery.md) | Stakeholder Discovery |
| [Requirements Elicitation Techniques](references/requirements-elicitation-techniques.md) | Requirements Elicitation Techniques |
| [Requirements Documentation](references/requirements-documentation.md) | Requirements Documentation |
| [Requirement Validation & Sign-Off](references/requirement-validation-sign-off.md) | Requirement Validation & Sign-Off |
| [Requirements Traceability Matrix](references/requirements-traceability-matrix.md) | Requirements Traceability Matrix |

## Best Practices

### ✅ DO

- Engage all key stakeholders early
- Document requirements in writing
- Use specific, measurable language
- Define acceptance criteria
````
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