Smart Questions

Smart Questions offers an entirely new framework for creating solutions. Drawn from the authors' many years of research and field experience, the Smart Questions Approach reveals how the leading creators of solutions in almost every profession and walk of life—including business, government, education, and even in families—think and approach their assignments. The author’s holistic thinking approach shows how to use three “foundation” questions—focusing on uniqueness, purposeful information, and systems—which must be explored for every problem. These three questions, an essential starting point for exploring problems, in turn lead to other key questions that will ultimately create effective solutions.

Preface xi 1 Introducing the Smart Questions Approach: Moving Beyond Problem Solving to Creating Solutions 1 2 SQA Phase 1: Getting People Involved 43 3 SQA Phase 2: Selecting a Focus Purpose 87 4 SQA Phase 3: Creating an Ideal Future Solution 132 5 SQA Phase 4: Building a Living Solution for Today and Tomorrow 180 6 The Power of SQA: Two Case Studies 230 7 SQA in Organizations and Society 264 References 283 Acknowledgments 285 The Authors 287 Index 289