Stakeholder needs, expectations, constraints, and interfaces are collected and translated into customer requirements.

Stakeholders (e.g., customers, end users, suppliers, testers, integrators, maintainers, operators, supplier agreement management personnel, manufacturers, and logistics support personnel) are sources of requirements. Their needs, expectations, constraints, interfaces, operational concepts, and product concepts are analyzed, harmonized, refined, and elaborated for translation into a set of customer requirements.

Frequently, stakeholder needs, expectations, constraints, and interfaces are poorly identified or conflicting. Since these needs, expectations, constraints, and interfaces must be clearly identified and understood throughout the project lifecycle, an iterative process is used throughout the life of the project to accomplish this objective. To facilitate the required interaction, relevant stakeholders are frequently involved throughout the project lifecycle to communicate their needs, expectations, and constraints, and to help resolve conflicts. Environmental, legal, and other constraints should be considered when creating and evolving the set of requirements for acquiring products or services.