So What? The Definitive Guide to the Only Business Questions That Matter

Introduction: Understanding the Value of Questions

1. SO WHAT?
How to use the So what? cycle of questions
How to use the So what? question
For internal use only?
Internal So what? questions
External So what? questions
The art of inquisition
The Inquisition Equations
Learning from children
Venting your feelings
Sticking it to the man
The power of feelings
The importance of getting feelings out in the open
Directional and pointed lines of inquiry
Organizing your feelings
Who cares about other people's feelings?
Interlocking your feelings with theirs
What not to say, and when not to say it
Pointless expressions of feelings
Helpful, directional expressions of feelings
The power of pointy thinking
Getting the mix right
Conceding ground to make progress
The difference between an instruction and a true purpose
Summary of So what? thinking
So what? summary
Exercise: Expressing your feelings

2. WHY?
The power of Why?
What Why? means
Why? For what reason?
Why? For what purpose?
Why? For what cause?
Whydunnit?
Why are we here?
How to use the Why? question
Internal Why? questions
External Why? questions
"Three pipe" problems
When asking Why?, stick to the facts
The Why? chromosome
How being inquisitive leads to success and job satisfaction
If you need to ask Why?, the sooner you do it the better
Why bother?
Write a list of what you are not going to do
Why, oh why? Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells
Constructive questioning: what are your better ideas?
Taking the edge off the Why? question
Summary of Why? thinking
Why? summary
Exercise: Getting constructive questioning right

3. HOW?
Time to take stock
The power of How?
What How? means
How? In what way?
How? In what manner?
How? By what means?
Ask How? early to avoid disappointment
"There's no such thing as a bad idea."
Yes there is!
How to use the How? question
External How? questions
Establish how not to do it
Internal How? questions
The killer How? question
No room for vague
Indirect How? questions: flush out and flesh out
Qualitative How? questions
Hopeless answers to How? questions
HOW? Resistor Type No. 1: Hackneyed
Office Worker
HOW? Resistor Type No. 2: Horrible Old Ways
HOW? Resistor Type No. 3: Hunch Overcomes
Wisdom
Simple is good
Subsidiary How? lines of inquiry
How do you do? Finding out how others do it
If you can't answer the How? question, ditch the project
Firing off regular Howitzers
Summary of How? thinking
How? summary
Exercise: Moving from concept to reality

4. WHO?
What Who? means
The cult of Who?
The power of Who?
How to use the Who? question
External Who? questions
Internal Who? questions
Who? Which person?
Who me? I'm too busy
Who? Which persons?
The kids are alright
Whose responsibility?
If it's you, get your head straight
Who are you?
If it's someone else, get the people right
Spotting the wrong people
Jargon and cliché red alert
Who's next?
Who by numbers
Won't get fooled again
Summary of Who? thinking
Exercise: Who is actually going to do this?

5. WHEN?
The power of When?
What When? means
When? At what time?
When? Over what period?
Problem 1: Other stuff
Problem 2: Vagueness
How to use the When? question
External When? questions
Internal When? questions
Understanding the time spectrum
It's now or never
Understanding time
Long-, medium-, short-, and no-term
Dealing with deadlines
Introducing livelines
How long is a deadline?
If you're going to panic, learn how to panic early
Why essay crises don't work
Bite-sized chunks
Time lags and what to do about them
The false metrics of the Finance Director
Timing your run
When did this happen before?
When will I see you again?
Whenever isn't enough
Just say when
Subsidiary When? questions
Summary of When? thinking
Exercise: When to publicize the plan

6. WHERE? 9
What Where? means
The power of Where?
How to use the Where? question
In, at, or to what place, point, or position?
In, at, or to which place?
The importance of precision
Where? In your head
Where? Rough draft on paper
Where? Refined computer copy
Where? Colleagues and team exposure
Where? Office awareness
Preparation: what you have to do beforehand
Preparation: what they have to do beforehand
Rules of engagement: what you have to do on the day
Where? Town/city involvement
Where? Country (multiple centres)
Where? (In)continent
Where? Worldwide operation
Wherehousing: dealing with multinational teams
Where? Feedback
The power of context
Subsidiary Where? questions
Wherever
Wherewithal
Wherewolves and how to track them down
The whereafter
Summary of Where? thinking
Exercise: Hunt the colleague

7. DO WE REALLY NEED TO DO THIS?
Recap of all the questions so far
The power of Do we really need to do this?
What Do we really need to do this? means
How to use the Do we really need to do this? question
External Do we really need to do this? questions
Internal Do we really need to do this? questions
If it doesn't tick all the boxes, don't do it
Do we really need to do this? Today
Do we really need to do this? Tomorrow
Do we really need to do this? Next week
Do we really need to do this? Next month
Do we really need to do this? Next year
Do we really need to do this? Ever
How does this compare with everything else we are doing?
What's the point of this?
To what effect?
Remind me. What was the original idea?
Do we really need to do this? summary
Exercise: Ever or never

8. SOMETHING MUST BE WRONG IF…
The power of Something must be wrong if…
What Something must be wrong if… means
How to use the Something must be wrong if… statement
External Something must be wrong if… statements
No one wants to do it 8
Everyone claims to be too busy
There are other more pressing matters, apparently
Postponement is suggested
There isn't enough budget
The right resources aren't immediately available
Internal Something must be wrong if… statements
I don't fancy it
I've got a horrible feeling it's all going to go wrong
I never did like the idea anyway
I don't like the people I'm working with
I don't want to go to work in the morning
I can't be bothered to fill in the rest of this sentence
Little voices: the value of speaking up
The power of honesty
Something must be wrong if… summary
Exercise: Fill in the rest of this sentence

9. ARE WE THERE YET?
Learning from children
Surviving long journeys
The power of Are we there yet?
How to use the Are we there yet? question
External Are we there yet? questions
Internal Are we there yet? questions
Dealing with problems
The value of originality
The power of synectics
Other childish questions
Final roundup of questions
Ready to make the leap?
Are we there yet? summary
Exercise: Questioning everything like a child

10. WHAT? AUTHOR'S POSTSCRIPT
The What? question
What's it all for? The meaning of life, and work
Say what?
What are you doing?
If you don't know what you are doing…
Back to the beginning
Exercise: What the @!*k am I doing?!

APPENDICES
I Book Summaries
II Origin of Time Divisions
III Gottschaldt Figurine Solutions
IV Bibliography

INDEX