In 30 seconds
The questions you ask shape the answers you get. Broad questions produce the official version. Specific questions about a real case produce the actual work.
Anchor every question to a concrete example.
Why this comes up
"How does this process work?" invites a summary. Summaries are tidy, general and missing the details that make the work succeed or fail.
Better questions make the person point at something real: a document, a decision, a moment when they were unsure.
Question patterns that work
Anchor to a real case
This replaces memory with evidence and gives you both something to point at.
Slow down at compressed phrases
When someone says "I just check it" or "I know which one," ask:
Those phrases usually hide a decision or a rule.
Ask about the source, not just the answer
This surfaces sources of truth and freshness problems early.
Ask about disagreement
Variation between people points to unwritten judgment or missing rules.
Ask about the boundary
This finds the edges of the normal path.
Questions to avoid
- Leading questions that suggest your solution: "Wouldn't it be easier if the system just did this?"
- Yes or no questions when you want the reasoning.
- Purely hypothetical questions: "What should happen if...?" People answer with policy, not practice. Ask what did happen instead.
What this does not solve
Good questions cannot fix a conversation with the wrong person. If you are talking to someone who manages the work but does not perform it, you will get the official version no matter how you ask. See how to find the person who actually knows.
Good enough to move on when
- Every major question was anchored to a real example.
- You followed up on at least one compressed phrase.
- You asked where key information comes from.
- You captured the answers in the person's own words.
