From your initial conversation with Alex, you noted that she’s looking for a new way for staff to book vacation time and review schedules outside of the office.

The correct answer is "Do you have any specific hardware requirements?" because understanding hardware needs is crucial for designing an effective mobile solution. If staff need to access vacation booking and schedules outside the office, they will likely use mobile devices. Knowing if they have existing devices, or if new ones are needed, directly impacts the solution's scope and deployment. "How many departments are stakeholders in this project?" is less relevant at this initial stage. While important later for change management, it doesn't directly address the technical feasibility or user experience of the mobile solution itself. "Would an automated deployment mode be something that would be useful to you?" is too technical for an initial conversation. Alex is looking for a solution to a business problem, not to discuss deployment methodologies. This question would be more appropriate once the basic requirements and device strategy are established.