When we don’t have all the information we need or are not sure of it’s validity we will elicit additional information from other sources, that is human, virtual, experimentation and so on.

Hopefully this process of investigation will yield the answers we seek in response.  Sometimes the answers are not the information we seek.  This can be because the question is wrong, and there is the rub,

Question or Answer/ Chicken or Egg

Without some information we can not be sure what the question is and without the question information is lacking.  The question answer dance is founded on what we know when we begin.

Neither the initial question or subsequent answers is the starting point, rather, what we know about what we don’t know is the best place to begin.

Assuming questions are intended to gather things we don’t know or validate information we are uncertain of the beginning is not to seek answers or formulate questions but rather understand what it is you don’t know.

Understanding Requirements

The process of seeking information using questions as the prime technique begins with understanding what you seek.  Valid quality questions begin with requirement, that is defining what you seek.

Formulating the question is often best managed as a multi-step process building on the information uncovered during the journey for answers.  Critical to the success of this journey is the starting point, the first question.

Seeking Information/creating Knowledge

Asking questions and analyzing the answers will provide you with the information you need to create knowledge.  The value of knowledge to you depends on your requirements.

Asking questions is only of value when you have a solid understanding of why you are asking them.  What is the information you are lacking and why is it of value should always be the starting point of your interrogations.