It all starts with a provocative question. Questions have been the enablers of innovation for centuries. Questions stimulate the brain and open the innovation pipeline. Asking questions is part of the innovator’s DNA. It’s a shame questioning is a rare behavior in most organizations!

But, you have to ask questions if your goal is to challenge the status quo and expand your perspective.

“I keep six honest serving men. They taught me all I knew. Their names are What, why, when, how, where and who.” – Rudyard Kipling

To the above, I would add “what if and why not.”

With that said, here is a list of useful questions that help spark innovative ideas:

1. Why is it done this way?
2. Who started it and why?
3. What alternatives did they consider and what idea did their new idea replace?
4. What are my biggest complaints with how we do this and how can we change it to make it better?
5. How is it done in other countries, towns, cultures, or eras?
6. What different assumptions did they make or constraints did they have?
7. How can I apply any of the above to what I do?
8. What would happen if we removed or reversed this process or step?
9. What if we had unlimited resources or no constraints—how would we approach this differently?
10. What would this look like if it were designed for a completely different audience or user?
11. What are the underlying principles or goals of this process, and are there other ways to achieve them?
12. What are the most common workarounds or hacks people use, and what do they reveal about the process’s limitations?
13. How would a newcomer or outsider perceive this, and what questions might they ask?
14. What if we merged this with another process, product, or service? How could they complement each other?
15. What if this process was entirely digital or automated? What aspects could be enhanced, and what could be lost?
16. What if we borrowed ideas from a completely different industry—how do they solve similar challenges?
17. What would this look like in five, ten, or twenty years? How can we future-proof it?
18. What if we prioritized one key aspect (e.g., speed, quality, cost) above all else—how would that change the approach?
19. What unintended consequences might arise from this process, and how can we address them creatively?
20. How would this process look if it was designed with sustainability or environmental impact in mind?
21. What would be the impact of simplifying or complicating this process—what new opportunities might emerge?
22. How could technology (AI, IoT, blockchain, etc.) transform or disrupt this process?
23. What if we had to achieve the same result with half the time or resources—what shortcuts or innovations would we use?

I actively collect questions. Want more questions? Great, you can find them here, here and here.