Ask customers to walk you through the work as it really happens.
A team is planning a change to a workflow. The documented path looks clean; the real path includes context switches, approvals, and things people remember to do because the system does not. Send a few fixed voice questions; receive the transcript under each one.
Questions to ask in your next Ramble
- Question 01
Talk me through the last time you did this from the beginning.
- Question 02
Where do you stop and look for more information?
- Question 03
What do you do when the usual path does not work?
- Question 04
Who else needs to be involved, and when?
- Question 05
What part takes more effort than it looks like from the outside?
Question
What part takes more effort than it looks like from the outside?
The approval itself is quick. The hard part is knowing which version is current, because the answer can change after someone has already started the request.
Use it for
Use the responses to prepare observation, map a current workflow, or frame a better conversation with the people doing the work.
Not for
This is a starting account of a workflow. It does not validate a process change or replace observing the work where that is needed.