As you may know, I am a big fan of asking questions that will not limit the answers you generate or the results you can get. So I was very pleased to see this blog post from Scott Anthony, Managing Director of Innosight Ventures, regarding how much time you should spend crafting your questions versus attempting to answer them.  (6 to 1.).

There were some nuggets of value in the comments section also (note I said “nuggets”), including, basically: “How do we know when to stop crafting the question?” I would suggest that you should stop defining the question when you feel you’ve wrung the most value you can from the process.  When input or perspectives have puttered out…move on.  But make sure you’ve included a good variety of input and perspectives!

At an advanced executive program I attended at Northwestern University, a professor told a story of the evolution of personal water craft—more commonly known as Jet Skis—although of course that’s Kawasaki’s brand.  Kawasaki owned the market from the early 70′s to the mid-80′s.  They were constantly improving their product.  What they’d heard most from their customers in focus groups was that it would be really nice if it were more comfortable to ride the craft in the kneeling position.  So, Kawasaki made thicker knee pads, extended the pads, and so on, to protect those knees.

Yamaha entered the market with a model on which you could actually sit down.

Ouch.

That’s the difference between asking a limited question (“How could we make you more comfortable riding this thing?”) and an unlimited question (“If we could modify this product in any way we wanted to deliver the safest and most comfortable ride, how would we do it?”).

6 to 1 on forming the question versus defining the answer. I like it.  Do you?  Comment below and let me know!