Start with the real question

A proposed solution often arrives before the problem has been described. A new tool, a revised process or a workshop may be useful, but each becomes easier to assess when the team can say what needs to change and why.

Start with a recent example. What happened, who was affected and what made the outcome difficult? Separate what you observed from what you suspect. Different accounts can reveal where the uncertainty actually sits.

Then write the question in ordinary language. A useful question is specific enough to guide a decision and open enough to allow more than one answer. Agree what evidence would help, who can supply it and which decision depends on it. This gives the work a purpose before it gives the work a format.