The first minutes set the tone:
Requirements gathering:
- Ask clarifying questions before designing
- Confirm functional requirements (what features?)
- Confirm non-functional requirements (scale, latency?)
- State assumptions explicitly
Good opening: "Before I design, let me make sure I understand the requirements. Are we building X for Y users with Z constraints?"
Red flags: Jumping straight to database schema. Drawing boxes without explaining. Not asking any questions.
Pro tip: Write requirements on the board. Reference them throughout. Shows organization.