Which aspect of business analysis focuses on identifying stakeholder needs and requirements?

The aspect of business analysis that focuses on identifying stakeholder needs and requirements is the elicitation phase. During this phase, business analysts engage with stakeholders through various techniques, such as interviews, surveys, workshops, and observation, to gather detailed information about their needs, objectives, and expectations. This is crucial for ensuring that the final product or solution aligns with stakeholder requirements.

The elicitation phase is essential because it helps to clarify and document what stakeholders want and need from a project. This process is iterative and may involve refining and revisiting gathered information to ensure accuracy and completeness. By effectively conducting stakeholder engagement during this phase, business analysts can develop a comprehensive understanding of the requirements that will guide the development process and ultimately lead to successful project outcomes.

In contrast, the other phases mentioned, such as implementation, approval, and final evaluation, are focused on different aspects of project management and analysis. Implementation deals with executing the project plan, approval involves getting stakeholder validation on the requirements or deliverables, and final evaluation assesses the project outcomes against the expectations set during the earlier phases. Each of these phases is important, but they do not primarily focus on the initial identification of stakeholder needs and requirements as the elicitation phase does.