Great Review Questions

I recommend the following three basic questions as a starting point to review the progress (or process) of any long-term project, goal, or dream.

1. What is working well?

This is usually the easiest question to answer and I do recommend that listing recent successes at the beginning of any status meeting, performance discussion, or personal assessment.

2. What is missing or not working?

This question is a way to cast a wide net around anything that could be seen as a constraint, including both internal and external items, such as processes, people, and products. Broken, in this context, simply means things are subpar. Creating a list of the limiting factors is the first step. Afterwards, it is necessary to find good solutions for each problem identified.

3. What could be improved?

Remember: the enemy of the great is often the good. Do not settle for average whenever it can be avoided. Look at those things that are indeed ‘working’ but could be tweaked (e.g. simply, cheaply, easily) to improve your final outcome.

Once the project is complete, these additional post-mortem questions should also be asked:

• Was the expected result the final outcome of this project?
• What system, method, or process worked well?
• What system, method, or process did not work well?
• How would you do thing differently next time?
• What was the best part of this project and why?