Questions worth asking early
The right question can save months of the wrong work.
These are not checklist questions. They are conversation starters designed to expose assumptions, dependencies, and decisions before they become expensive.
Leadership+
What decision are we actually trying to make?
What would success look and feel like to the people doing the work?
Which disagreements are currently hidden behind polite agreement?
People & Change+
Whose daily work will change—and have they been heard?
What are people afraid of losing?
Where is trust already weak before the project begins?
Process+
Are we improving the process or automating its existing problems?
Which exceptions drive the most effort?
What is truly required versus simply familiar?
Technology & Data+
Which system is the source of truth for each decision-driving data element?
What must integrate on day one, and what can wait?
What data quality problems are being mistaken for configuration problems?
Governance+
Who can make a decision when workstreams disagree?
How will decisions be documented and revisited?
Who owns the outcome after the consultants leave?