What is required to ensure stakeholders with approval authority accept requirements?

To ensure that stakeholders with approval authority accept requirements, gaining consensus is essential. Consensus means that all stakeholders involved have come to an agreement or at least a mutual understanding of the requirements. This does not necessarily mean everyone must completely agree on every detail, but it means that they acknowledge the requirements and support them to a degree that allows for approval.

Gaining consensus involves engaging stakeholders in discussions, addressing their concerns, and ensuring that their perspectives are considered. This collaborative approach helps to build trust and buy-in, which are crucial for moving forward with project requirements. When stakeholders feel that their input has been valued and integrated into the final requirements, they are more likely to approve them.

In contrast, feedback sessions may provide useful insights but do not guarantee that stakeholders will feel adequately heard or inclined to approve the requirements. Complete agreement is often unrealistic in a group setting, as stakeholders may have differing priorities or viewpoints. Formal voting might help in some contexts, but it could also lead to division and may not reflect a true consensus unless the stakeholders are fully supportive of the requirements being voted on. Therefore, gaining consensus is the most effective method to ensure that stakeholders with approval authority accept requirements.