Why not "Why?"

I think it's safe to say everyone has been in a situation where a process that has existed for years is in place within an organization, and no one understands why the process runs the way it is. We have all most likely seen our fair share of unnecessary approvals/sign-offs, tasks that don't seem to have any underlying benefit, and overall curious routings that cause time delays among other dollar-wasting metrics. 

As a consultant, I think it's a very important part of our careers to ask this golden word as much as possible: "Why?" (and to do so in a non-aggressive, friendly manner).

How to Ask About a Broken Process

• Show Curiosity, Not Judgment
  • Instead of: “Why is this process so broken?”
  • Try: “Can you help me understand the history of how this process was set up?”
• Acknowledge What Works
  • People are often attached to processes they built. Show you respect their effort.
  • Example: “I can see this process helps us track requests in a consistent way. I’m curious — what was the original goal when it was designed?”
• Open the Door for Improvement
  • Instead of suggesting it’s wrong, suggest exploring if it still fits today.
  • Example: “Do you think this process is still meeting the needs we designed it for, or are there areas where it might be slowing us down?”
• Invite Collaboration
  • Example: “If there’s room for improvement, I’d love to help explore options. Is that something we could work on together?”

Sample Phrasing

• Understanding the “why”:
  “Can you walk me through why we do it this way? I’d like to understand the background.”
• Checking if it still works today:
  “Do you think this process still meets our current needs, or has the situation changed since it was first designed?”
• Exploring improvement gently:
  “Would it make sense to explore if there’s a simpler or faster way to do this?”
• Positioning yourself as a partner:
  “I’m not suggesting it’s wrong — I just wonder if we could make it easier for both the team and the requestors. Would you be open to brainstorming?”