A business analyst (BA) is outlining who should participate in an upcoming requirements elicitation meeting. From whom should the BA obtain approval before selecting the participants?

The sponsor is the individual with ultimate accountability for the project's success and the authority to commit organizational resources. Obtaining sponsor approval before selecting elicitation participants ensures that the right stakeholders are engaged and that the sponsor's priorities and governance expectations are respected. This aligns the elicitation effort with organizational authority and avoids unauthorized or inappropriate use of stakeholder time.

End users are intended participants in elicitation activities, not approvers - they do not hold organizational authority over the selection of meeting attendees.

The project manager coordinates project activities but does not hold the organizational authority to approve who participates in BA-led elicitation efforts - that approval authority rests with the sponsor.

Subject matter experts contribute domain knowledge as participants in elicitation sessions and do not have the organizational authority to approve participant selection.