Requirements elicitation: which technique most directly helps an analyst learn a manager’s specific information needs? Pick the best primary method.

Introduction / Context:
Analysts must understand managerial information needs to design effective systems and reports. Among elicitation techniques, the one that most directly uncovers nuanced requirements is the in-depth interview, which allows probe questions, clarifications, and real-time prioritization.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Managerial needs are context-rich and often tacit, requiring dialogue.
• Follow-up and “why” questions are critical to uncover true goals and constraints.
• Other methods can complement interviews but rarely replace them.

Concept / Approach:
Interviews enable discovery of KPIs, decision thresholds, exception handling, cadence of reporting, and integration points. They also help assess pain points and the “jobs to be done” in managerial workflows.

Step-by-Step Solution:
1) Identify techniques: survey, interview, experiment, observation.2) Evaluate directness and depth: interviews allow 2-way exploration and immediate clarification.3) Select in-depth interview as the best primary method to learn needs.

Verification / Alternative check:
Successful projects routinely pair interviews with artifact analysis (existing reports, dashboards) and lightweight observation, but interviews remain the centerpiece for eliciting explicit and implicit requirements.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Mail surveys and randomized questionnaires lack depth and follow-up. Controlled experiments are rarely practical for managerial information needs. Observation is valuable but may miss decision rationales that only emerge in conversation.

Common Pitfalls:
Failing to prepare an interview guide; not validating with examples and existing reports; ignoring stakeholder conflicts.

Final Answer:
In-depth interview (structured or semi-structured).