Summary

Trawling is concerned with eliciting and discovering requirements. The techniques presented in this chapter are tools intended to help you do something very difficultextract precise information from another human. And this is the crux of the matteryou have to do this work yourself. No tool has yet been invented that can do it for you.

"You have two ears and one mouth. I suggest that you use them in that proportion."

Source: G. K. Chesterton

Of course, we have not covered the most critical toolsthe ones attached to either side of your head. Listening is the most important technique in requirements gathering. If you can listen to what your client, your user, and your other stakeholders are saying, and if you can understand what they mean, then the tools described in this chapter will be useful. If you do not listen, then you are highly unlikely to discover the product that the user really wants.

The trawling techniques are communication tools. They will help you open a dialog with your stakeholders and provide the feedback that is so essential to good communication. Use them well and watch your requirements come to life.