What is the primary purpose of the requirements gathering phase?

The primary purpose of the requirements gathering phase is to understand and document stakeholders' needs. This phase involves engaging with users, clients, and other stakeholders to gather insights about what they expect from the system or project. Understanding these needs is crucial as it ensures that the end solution aligns with user expectations and addresses their core problems effectively.

This phase sets the foundation for subsequent development processes by capturing critical information that influences design, functionality, and usability. By focusing on stakeholder requirements, the project is more likely to meet its goals and deliver value, as it directly corresponds to what users are looking for in the final product.

The other options, while relevant to different aspects of project development, do not capture the essence of what requirements gathering seeks to achieve. Identifying marketing strategies, defining technical specifications, and evaluating system performance focus on different stages or components of a project, rather than the critical initial engagement with stakeholders to capture their needs.