Books/resources for help with extracting useful feedback from clients?

Question

I'm a web application developer looking for a book or something similar that can help with effectively communicating with clients who have a very vague or unrealistic idea of what they'd like out of the work I'm doing.

Some fictional, though not by much, examples of situations:

• Clients who are not familiar with using the Internet, and insist on features that are not even remotely feasible (ex. time travel)

• Clients who are unable to express accurately what they're looking for (ex. "I know that's what I said and signed off on, but it's not what I meant")

• Clients who refuse to attend meetings or review sessions to answer questions or define requirements (which makes any agile development impossible)

For the most part, I'm trying to find best practices for how to handle these kinds of things on a team-building level. The best ways to effectively address serious project roadblocks without sounding like a total jerk.

Any recommendations for reading material on this topic?

Answer 1

I can sympathize...you're struggling with issues I think every software project does at some point or another. But time machine? Wow, if only. Though I don't know if having one would make things better or worse!

Karl Weigers has some good books on requirements.

Software Requirements: Practical Techniques for Gathering and Managing Requirements Throughout the Product Development Cycle.

A follow up he wrote called More About Software Requirements: Thorny Issues and Practical Advice is also good and tries to address common roadblocks.

Agilists, of course, will note that you can trigger more earnest feedback from users by showing them something earlier in the process, even a crude prototype.