Business Analysts · situation guide
Ask what success looks like, distinguish goals from solutions, and surface assumptions.
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A request such as 'make approval faster' can hide different meanings that need to be made explicit.
Vocabulary for this situation
Obtain the needed detail
Elicit means to draw forth or obtain information, a response, or a reaction; purpose and attempt forms do not guarantee a result.
“The follow-up questions elicited two different requirements.”
Usage note: Asking questions does not guarantee that the answers resolve every issue.
Practice “elicit” →Separate meanings in a broad request
To unpack something is to break a complex idea, decision, or set of implications into its component parts so people can examine them one at a time — more than just restating or summarizing it faster.
“Let's unpack faster approval: fewer screens or fewer reviewers?”
Usage note: Give the speaker room to explain their intended meaning.
Practice “unpack” →Check a working assumption
Use clarify to make information, meaning, expectations, or a position clearer and easier to understand, often by adding detail or removing ambiguity.
“Could you clarify whether urgent requests use the same route?”
Usage note: A working assumption is not yet a confirmed rule.
Practice “clarify” →Communication sequence
The follow-up questions elicited two different requirements.
Let's unpack faster approval: fewer screens or fewer reviewers?
Could you clarify whether urgent requests use the same route?
Common mistakes
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