When you start a project or search for solutions, ask these five types of questions to help you make smarter decisions.

1. Investigative. Asking “why?” and “how come?” will allow you to dig deeper and generate non-obvious information. With investigative questions, you are trying to determine your purpose, what you want to achieve, what you know, and what you need to learn to do so. 
2. Speculative. These questions help you consider a problem more broadly and come up with creative solutions. Ask “What if … ?” “What else … ?” and “How might we … ?” 
3. Productive. These questions help you assess the availability of talent, time, and other resources. Key milestones, risks, and bottlenecks can be explored through productive questions. Examples are “How can we get it done?” “How will we coordinate our actions?” and “How will we measure progress?”
4. Interpretive. These questions push you to look beneath the surface and ask, “What is the problem really about?” Examples of interpretive questions are “What happens if this trend continues?” “What opportunities can come from this idea?” “What did we learn from this?” and “How does this contribute to our mission?”
5. Subjective. These questions deal with the emotional side effects of change—personal reservations, frustrations, tensions, and hidden agendas. Leaders need to encourage team members to share doubts and concerns about proposed plans.

For more advice, read “The Art of Asking Smarter Questions.”