A3: Project alignment

Use when: Kicking off a project or re-aligning one that is drifting.

What problem are we solving, and for whom?
What does success look like, and what is explicitly out of scope?
What are the biggest unknowns, and how will we test them early?
Imagine it's six months from now and this project failed: what are the most plausible reasons?
What are the key dependencies, and who owns each one?
What decisions must be made, and who is the DRI for each?
What communication cadence will keep us aligned without creating noise?
Where do you expect cross-team friction, and how should we handle it fast?
What would make you lose confidence in this plan, and what would restore it?

Question 4 is a premortem. It gives people permission to name risks they would otherwise keep to themselves.

Klein 2007; Google re:Work; Edmondson 1999; Coleman 2022

The complete PDF covers 24 situations, 153 questions, and the four listening moves (reflect, summarize, validate, clarify). Download The Questions Leaders Ask field guide.

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