elicitation-and-interview-facilitation

name	elicitation-and-interview-facilitation
description	Plan and facilitate structured elicitation sessions using BABOK v3 interview and workshop techniques. Use this skill when you need to gather process knowledge from subject matter experts; when the user wants a question plan before an interview or workshop; when elicitation is incomplete and gaps need targeted follow-up; when they say "help me interview the process owner", "prepare questions for the workshop", or "what should I ask to fill in the missing steps". Produces a question plan and elicitation notes template.
license	MIT
homepage	https://github.com/overkillhill/mermaid-diagram-bpmn/tree/main/skills/elicitation-and-interview-facilitation
repository	https://github.com/overkillhill/mermaid-diagram-bpmn
metadata	{"bp_skill_version":"0.3.0","status":"core","version":"0.1.0","author":"OverKill Hill P³","project":"BP-SKILL: Business Process Agent Skill Suite","category":"process-analysis","standards_refs":["BABOK v3 §4 (Elicitation and Collaboration)","BABOK v3 §10.25 (Interviews)","BABOK v3 §10.50 (Workshops)","BABOK v3 §10.14 (Document Analysis)","BPM CBOK v4 §4.3 (Process Discovery Techniques)"],"produces":"question-plan.yaml, elicitation-notes.md","consumes":"pir.yaml, scope-statement.md","depends_on":["process-intake-and-scope"],"tags":"elicitation, interview-facilitation, question-plan, BABOK, workshop, subject-matter-expert, process-discovery","triggers":["prepare interview questions","help me run the workshop","question plan","what should I ask","elicitation session","interview the process owner","SME interview","workshop facilitation"]}

Purpose

Generate a structured elicitation question plan and facilitate evidence-based process interviews using BABOK v3 §10.25 and §10.50 techniques. The plan targets known gaps in the PIR and provides sequenced, open-ended questions mapped to each PIR section.

---

When to use this skill

• PIR exists but has completeness_score < 70 or open_questions that need targeted follow-up
• User needs to interview a subject matter expert and wants a prepared question set
• User is planning a process discovery workshop and needs a facilitator guide
• You need to fill elicitation gaps before proceeding to process-narrative-authoring

When NOT to use this skill

• PIR is already complete (score ≥ 70, no open_questions) — proceed directly to process-narrative-authoring
• User has no access to process owners — document the gap and proceed with assumptions flagged
• Do not fabricate answers from the question plan — only record what participants confirm

---

Question Plan Generation

scripts/generate-question-plan.mjs reads the PIR and generates targeted questions for each incomplete section.

Question categories

PIR section	Question type	Sample opening
trigger	Context	"What makes you realise the process needs to start today?"
actors	Role	"Who else touches this beyond the people we've named?"
inputs	Artefact	"What document or data do you need before you can begin?"
outputs	Artefact	"What does the person receiving your output actually do with it?"
steps	Sequence	"Walk me through what you do on a typical day this runs."
business_rules	Constraint	"Is there a policy or procedure that forces you to do it this way?"
exceptions	Edge case	"Tell me about the last time this went wrong. What happened?"
systems	Tool	"Which systems do you open, update, or check during this process?"
controls	Governance	"How do you know when the process has been done correctly?"

Branching logic

• If trigger.event_type is absent → lead with Stage 1 trigger questions
• If actors has no approver → probe approval chain: "Who has the authority to stop or reject this?"
• If exceptions is empty → probe with historical incident: "What was the hardest version of this you've dealt with?"
• If business_rules is empty → probe obligation: "Are there any rules you must follow that an outsider wouldn't know?"

---

Facilitation Guidelines

1. Open with context — read back the process name and one-sentence scope; confirm it is correct
2. Use the question plan in order — complete highest-gap sections first
3. Probe with "tell me more" — do not accept one-word answers for steps or rules
4. Record verbatim — capture exact wording of rules and exceptions; paraphrase only for clarity
5. Flag uncertainty — mark any answer prefaced with "I think" or "usually" as confidence: low
6. Close with open invitation — "Is there anything else you think I should know to document this correctly?"
7. Write up within 24 hours — update the PIR before memory fades

---

Elicitation Notes Template

The elicitation-notes.md output contains:

• Session metadata (date, participants, facilitator, method)
• Answers mapped to PIR sections
• Verbatim quotes for business rules
• Confidence flags for uncertain answers
• Outstanding items that need follow-up

---

Handoff Instruction

After elicitation, update pir.yaml and re-run process-intake-and-scope scoring. When score ≥ 70, pass pir.yaml to stakeholder-and-role-mapping and then process-narrative-authoring.

---

References

Load on demand:

• references/babok-elicitation-techniques.md — BABOK v3 §4, §10.14, §10.25, §10.50 technique summaries and question frameworks

Scripts

• scripts/generate-question-plan.mjs — generates elicitation question plan from PIR scope and open_questions

Assets

• assets/fixtures/question-plan-example.yaml — canonical question plan for purchase-approval intake