How to ask "why?" without using "why"

In management decision-making in businesses, the question managers often dodge answering is this: why?

Why is it like this? In this article we want to answer this important question.

You have probably heard of the 5 Whys technique; using this technique has been recommended many times by different people, but it is rarely used. I remember that at the previous company I worked at, internal rules and considerations were followed strictly, and for that reason one of the senior managers asked us not to ask shareholders and other stakeholders “why?” directly. At the time I thought this strategy wasted time and energy. I believed the shortest path between two points is a straight line, and asking “why” was the same straight line that connected me to stakeholders. Today I still believe the shortest communication path is drawing a straight line, but you also have to think about all the possible consequences of this work. “Why,” when it is not asked in the right way, becomes a high-risk question.

Based on my experience, many people avoid asking “why” because they themselves do not like answering this question. Answering it may be time-consuming or tiring, and it also creates transparency and vulnerability for people. Transparency reveals things people prefer to stay hidden! Motives, beliefs, attitudes, biases, and so on. For example, they may not yet be ready to talk about that topic; or they may not be qualified to answer; or they may not even know the answer to your question.

Why should we ask “why?”

We should ask the reason for the work, especially in business analysis and product managers’ decision-making. Why are we doing this? Why hasn’t it been done before? Why does this matter? Why doesn’t that matter? Why do you need such-and-such a feature? Why has users’ purchase volume decreased? And so on. These are some of the important questions that help us discover issues, reasons, beliefs, motives, obstacles, and fundamental wants. Before addressing a problem, we have to diagnose it so the treatment is effective.

How to ask “why?” without creating tension

Now that we have specified why we should ask “why,” let’s talk about how to ask “why” without using the word why. There are different ways to do this. Using “what” and “how” is one of the widely used methods.

“What” comes from a sense of curiosity, while “why” has a tone of accusation and blame. “Why did you do this?” can put a person on the defensive and make them feel they have to justify their behavior. This tone of questioning is fine in everyday life, but when working with shareholders, stakeholders, or even your own team, it is better to ask another question.

“What” opens doors that may close with “why.” “What was your goal in doing this?” is a gentler method for understanding why someone did a particular thing. You will probably also get more useful answers.

Similarly, asking questions using the word “how” can start constructive conversations. For example, in a team meeting where those present are upset about a particular situation, “How is everyone upset! What happened?” is exactly the same question as “Why is everyone so upset?” But emotionally it is a smarter question.

Below we examine creative ways of asking “why” without using the word why.

When identifying the root cause

Organization managers, business analysts, and members of the product team and engineering team need creative methods to understand how something got this far out of control; these questions help us understand how problems came into being. These questions can be used instead of “Why did you do this?”, “Why didn’t you do this?”, or “Why is it like this?” and similar questions.

What happened that this occurred?

What were you doing?

How do you think we got here?

Doing what could have led to this situation?

What went wrong?

When identifying motive

Sometimes you need to understand the motive behind a question. This matters when prioritizing work and making decisions. Motives are personal, and people hesitate to disclose them. Or they simply cannot find words to explain. In these cases you have to discover the motives. You can use these questions instead of “Why do you want this?” Or “Why do you need this?”

What happens if we don’t do this?

How do you want to use this product/feature?

What priority do you think having this product/feature has for you?

What problems does this product/feature solve?

How does this product/feature solve your problem?

When you want to value something

Stakeholders want things that matter to them; but do these wants also matter for end users, the product, and the organization? Business analysts and project leaders are responsible for creating value, so finding ways to determine whether something is valuable without putting stress on people is important.

Instead of “Why does such-and-such matter?” use these questions:

In your view, what happens if we have to postpone this work?

What happens if we don’t do this work at all?

How does such-and-such align with our strategy?

In your view, what other ways could this problem be solved?

What else have you tried? (What else should we try?)

When making a decision or starting a process

Why did management decide to do this work in their own way? We would like to be in on the details too. Unfortunately, sometimes leaders decide and do this without any explanation. Simply put, their message is: “This is our decision. You have no choice but to accept it.”

In business analysis, understanding the reason behind a decision or process can cause us to understand or evaluate the real value of that decision or process. When we do not have a complete understanding of its reason, we may start doing something that does not improve the situation. This same issue can waste teams’ and the organization’s resources and energy.

These questions can be raised instead of “Why did you make that decision?” or “Why do we have to do this?” when facing the organization’s leaders and managers. (And similar questions.) Some of these questions are quite direct and some others are very indirect, but rest assured you will get the answer you want.

What were the reasons we used such-and-such?

How do you see the long-term effect of this decision?

Can you explain the bigger picture (Big Picture)?

What intention was behind this decision?

How can this product/feature be useful for the organization?

One extra tip

When you ask a question, with a little silence, give your audience time to answer. Ask one question at a time, and if the audience dodges answering the question, try to state your purpose for the question clearly, and until you reach an answer, do not be afraid to insist.

In the middle of talking, if you notice you are offering extra, unnecessary explanations, know that this work is only to fill the silence and has no other value. Don’t do this. The more your audience talks, the more information you will get.

Have your own method for asking “why.”

As you can see, the questions above are all ways of reaching similar answers. They can be used to ask a question on any topic. For example, maybe you need to know why particular metrics should be displayed on a dashboard. Or maybe you are asking yourself why this person should have access to the dashboard at all. Using some questions, you can understand the reason.

It does not matter what field you are active in; just know that you can and should ask questions to get to the original intent of requests, issues, and decisions. You were probably hired to help solve a problem, and solving a problem usually requires asking hard questions!

This piece was a translation of an article of the same name published by Tia Loehnert on the Medium website.