The Why–What If–How Inquiry Method
Turn curiosity into innovation by moving from problems to possibilities to action
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 6
- Confidence
- 96%
The Why–What If–How Inquiry Method structures curiosity into three successive modes. First, asking why reveals the underlying problem, unmet need, or assumption embedded in the current state. Second, asking what if opens a divergent phase in which people imagine alternatives without immediately constraining them to existing practices. Third, asking how turns the strongest possibility into an implementable path, experiment, or solution. The sequence matters: beginning with how can lock a team into solving the wrong problem, while stopping at what if produces ideas without execution. Used repeatedly, the method connects observation to imagination and then to action. Its output is not merely a list of questions but a better-understood problem, a wider set of options, and a concrete route toward testing the most promising answer.
Origin
Discussed on Masters in Business through Jaime Magyera's description of Warren Berger's book A More Beautiful Question and its approach to inquiry-driven innovation.
Core principles
- 01Better solutions begin with better questions
- 02Why questions expose unmet needs and assumptions
- 03What-if questions expand the range of possibilities
- 04How questions convert possibilities into practical action
- 05Inquiry improves understanding before commitment
How to run it
- 1
Observe the Current State
Describe the situation, product, or process as it currently exists without immediately prescribing a fix. Identify who is affected and what appears unsatisfactory.
Pro tip Use direct observations and user experiences rather than internal assumptions.
Watch out Do not disguise a preferred solution as the problem statement.
- 2
Ask Why
Question why the current condition exists and why it matters. Continue until the underlying need, constraint, or assumption becomes visible.
Pro tip Separate explanations supported by evidence from organizational folklore.
Watch out Avoid using why as an accusation; the purpose is understanding.
- 3
Ask What If
Generate multiple alternative futures, approaches, or capabilities that could address the underlying need. Suspend premature evaluation during this divergent phase.
Pro tip Include possibilities that challenge the default business model or operating constraint.
Watch out Do not reject an option solely because the organization has never tried it.
- 4
Choose a Possibility
Evaluate the alternatives against user value, feasibility, strategic fit, and potential impact. Select one or more promising ideas for practical development.
Pro tip Prefer an idea that can produce useful evidence quickly.
Watch out Do not confuse novelty with value.
- 5
Ask How
Translate the selected possibility into concrete requirements, partnerships, resources, and experiments. Define the smallest credible action that can test whether it works.
Pro tip Frame the first implementation as a learning experiment rather than a finished solution.
Watch out Do not let implementation detail erase the original user need.
- 6
Learn and Repeat
Review the result, update your understanding, and restart the inquiry where necessary. New evidence may produce a better why, a stronger what-if option, or a revised implementation.
Pro tip Document what the experiment changed about your assumptions.
Watch out Do not treat a failed test as proof that the underlying problem is unimportant.
In the wild
A wealth-management team asks why ordinary investors struggle to use private-market products and identifies operational complexity, fragmented accounts, and limited liquidity as barriers. It asks what if public and private assets could sit in one professionally managed account, then asks how technology, trading, and product partners could support allocation and automatic rebalancing.
→ The inquiry produces a testable integrated-portfolio concept rather than another isolated investment product.
A retirement provider asks why savers lose confidence after leaving work and identifies uncertainty about monthly spending. It asks what if guaranteed income could be embedded within a familiar target-date structure, then asks how participants could retain the choice to activate that income near retirement.
→ The process yields a solution concept that connects accumulation with optional guaranteed income.
Common mistakes
Starting With How
Jumping directly into implementation can optimize an existing approach before the team understands whether it is solving the right problem.
Stopping at Possibilities
What-if questions generate ideas, but innovation requires converting at least one promising idea into an experiment or practical path.
Using Questions to Confirm a Favorite Answer
Inquiry loses its value when questions are designed to justify a predetermined solution rather than expose assumptions and alternatives.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for innovators, leaders, and teams addressing poorly defined problems or searching for new products and services.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal for routine situations where the problem and proven operating procedure are already clear.
From the transcript
“Why does the world not have this? What if the world did have this? How do we get the world to have this?”
“it really talks about the art of inquiry as a way to better understand, to fuel curiosity, and to innovate and create better solutions.”
From the episode
BlackRock's Jaime Magyera on Wealth Management and Retirement
Jaime Magyera