Use these questions when you need to understand the business and discover possibilities, including when nobody has a project in mind. Choose the question that fits what you've just heard, ask it, and listen before moving on. Record observations and unknowns in the map as the conversation develops.
- Where do capable people spend time compensating for the system?
- What regularly waits for one person?
- What is copied, reconciled, or rewritten?
- What do customers have to chase?
- Where do errors become visible only after they are expensive?
- Which decisions depend on knowledge that is difficult to find?
- Where has the team created an unofficial workaround?
Turn the different concerns into friction statements, then examine their importance before selecting one.