Elaboration workshops are a critical activity in Guidewire projects, particularly during early phases such as Inception. Proper preparation ensures that these workshops are productive, focused, and aligned with business objectives. Two key preparation best practices areidentifying the customer’s key business requirementsandcreating demonstration data.
Identifying the customer’skey business requirements(Option B) is essential so the elaboration session focuses on the most important business scenarios. Analysts must understand priority workflows, regulatory constraints, and business goals before the session begins. This allows demonstrations to be relevant and helps stakeholders validate whether Guidewire out-of-the-box functionality meets their needs.
Creatingdemonstration data(Option C) is equally important. Elaboration workshops rely heavily on showing the system in action. Preconfigured demo data—such as sample policies, accounts, or claims—ensures that workflows can be demonstrated smoothly without delays or distractions. Well-prepared data allows participants to focus on functionality rather than setup issues.
Reviewing deployment notes (Option A) is not relevant prior to elaboration workshops, as deployment concerns occur much later in the project lifecycle. Writing detailed acceptance criteria for each story card (Option D) is typically done after elaboration, once stories are refined and prioritized for development.
By focusing on requirements clarity and effective demonstrations, analysts help ensure that elaboration workshops validate scope, uncover gaps early, and contribute meaningful updates to the project backlog.
