This post asks what’s Competitive Intelligence Question Storming and how to use it? It can be used in many situations and when preparing a Competitive Intelligence research project.

Competitive Intelligence Question Storming is a great tool
Question Storming is a great Competitive Intelligence tool for seeking more certainty for decisions. Especially if you not sure what to do. Why not sit with your team and look to use a tool which will give you better answers?

Great questions
Great questions are the best way to create great intelligence. Yet, it’s not a case of thinking up a smart question to catch all about a competitor or market. You guild the decision-maker to take action. Without well thought out questions, it is unlikely that you will get the correct answers.

You’ve likely used Brain-Storming as a way to find solutions. Done well; it is a handy tool. But, sometimes, to get your team to think differently, ask them to use a different tool.

Brain-Storming
Brainstorming tends to focus on finding a solution. Done without too much evaluation as it can disrupt the flow of creative juices. These tools are best used in a group environment. With no pre-evaluation of either ideas or questions offered. And “Out of the Box” thinking should be encouraged and valued.

Question Storming
Question Storming is designed to identify the problem you need to address. The rules of the game are simple. Here is an eight-step approach:

Decide what you are going to focus on. Not a question but a statement. What is the situation you are in, and what are the consequences.
Define what do you need to know to make a decision.
Devise a group of questions associated with the statement. No debate and opinions and especially no answers. Leave them until later. Set a pre-agreed goal to devise a certain amount of questions associated with the problem. 50 to 75 question is an excellent range to aim for.
Play with the questions you have defined. How can you improve these questions? To get your team thinking, even more, look for closed questions and try and make them open. Find open questions and convert them into closed questions. Can you combine or split any of the questions and so on?
Get your group together and decide on the best five questions. The definition of the best questions is entirely up to you. It may be the questions you would like to answer first. Or it may not be. It’s entirely up to you and what context you find yourself in. Which five questions do you believe help understand the situation you are in?
You now have five questions to answer. Five questions to focus any subsequent research. So now debate how you can find out the answer to these questions. Determine who is going to research each question and present it to the team.
Now take time to look back at the whole process. Understand what you have learned. Are there any questions that have brought up any required actions? Are any of the questions loaded by someone who thinks they know the answer?
Review the process and check your working out.
What’s the Competitive Intelligence Question Storming
This article asked what’s the Competitive Intelligence Question Storming and how to use it? Used in many situations and when preparing a Competitive Intelligence research project.