Understanding Analyst Effectiveness in Requirements Elicitation: A Gestalt Fit Perspective

Analyst effectiveness has been viewed as a critical success factor for information systems development (ISD) projects, especially for the requirements elicitation phase. Prior literature on “analyst effectiveness” has primarily focused on examining (and understanding) the specific set of capabilities an analyst needs to possess in order to be effective. We argue that such an assumption may not necessarily provide us with a comprehensive view of this critical issue, as capabilities of an analyst are necessary but not a sufficient condition leading to their effectiveness. Consistent with this view, in this paper we propose a fit perspective, and argue that analyst effectiveness is dependent on a fit between the contextual factors and the analyst’s capability. Specifically, the manuscript argues for two gestalt fit constructs: analyst-project fit and analyst process fit for understanding analyst effectiveness, and explicates on the nature of the gestalt fit. Further drawing on the two gestalt perspective, we also propose a resourcing strategy, which may be used by organization and ISD project managers in recruiting suitable analysts for their projects.