CAPM Practice: Demonstrate an understanding of business analysis (BA) roles and responsibilities

When actual end users don't exist yet (new product categories, future users), BAs use proxy methods: user personas based on market research, analogous system research, advisory boards of potential users, or domain expert input. Hypothetical requirements must be treated as assumptions requiring early validation.

**Why not B:** Skipping requirements gathering until users are available could delay the project indefinitely and waste the opportunity to build foundational understanding. Proxy methods like market research, personas, and analogous system analysis allow meaningful requirements work to begin before actual users are identified.

**Why not C:** Proceeding with only executive requirements ignores the user perspective entirely. Executives may understand strategic goals but typically lack detailed insight into end-user workflows, pain points, and usability needs. Requirements based solely on executive input risk missing critical user-facing functionality.

**Why not D:** Allowing the development team to define requirements based on technical capabilities reverses the proper requirements flow. Requirements should be driven by business and user needs, not by what is technically convenient to build. Technology-driven requirements often miss the mark on delivering actual business value.