The 10 Basic Question Forms
When we ask people to turn assumptions and ambiguities (their uncertainties) into questions, these questions can take on any of many forms.
We want to generate as many different forms of questions as we can because more questions (quantity) leads to better questions (quality.)
Actionable: These we can answer them now through some kinds of actions like finding something out or trying something out. They are actionable because we have the resources required to answer them now.
Non-actionable: Even though they might seem important or compelling for unproductive discussions, we do not have the resources to answer them through action now. Even though they’re non-actionable now, they might become actionable at some point in the future.
New: Questions we don’t have easy, ready answers for
Old: Questions we have easy, ready, rehearsed answers for
Open-ended: These can be resolved with any variety of answers. There is no “one right answer”—there could be multiple right answers.
Closes-ended: These are resolved with single right answers.
Short-term: These have to do with what’s possible in the more immediate near-term.
Long-term: These have to do with what’s possible in the more distant, long-term.
Small scale: These focus on what’s possible on small, localized scales.
Large-scale: These focus on what possible on large, more global scales.
It doesn’t matter how many questions we initially generate together because all the actionable questions will ultimately end up on a timeline—in the order they need to be answered. Questions will continue to emerge and develop as we make progress—one iteration at a time.
If groups don’t work from questions, they are likely to get stuck in circles of discussions—rehashing over and over what they already know—that lead to the status quo and actually generate even more uncertainties. The way out of this loop is moving forward through translating the uncertainties of assumptions and ambiguities into questions, questions into actions, and actions into results. What we already know is what got us here; what we don’t yet know is what will get us somewhere else.
