Step 2: Examine a Pivotal Moment

Select Pivotal Moment: Choose one pivotal moment from the mission timeline that you would like to further examine.

Use Probing Questions: Spend 25 minutes analyzing this moment using both broadening and deepening questions.  Use only relevant questions.

Identify Insights: When you reach an “aha moment,” write it down as an insight.  Try to identify 2-3 core insights during your reflection.

Broadening Questions

• Assumptions: What assumptions shaped our approach at this moment? How could we have tested or validated them?
• Information: What information did we have during this moment? How effectively did we use it, and what was missing?
• Time Management: How well did we manage our time leading up to this moment? What strategies could have better supported our preparation or response?
• Participation: Did everyone’s voice have a chance to be heard in this moment? How did we ensure quieter voices contributed meaningfully?
• Shared Understanding: Did we maintain a shared understanding of the situation? What actions helped or hindered this during the moment?
• Disagreement: How did we respond to opposing views during this moment? In what ways did we use them to enhance our decisions or actions?
• Emotions: What emotions were present during this moment? How did they influence the team’s dynamics and decisions?

Deepening Questions

• Core Issue: What was this moment truly about? How did we identify and address the core challenge?
• Blind Spots: What held our attention during this moment, and what might we have overlooked?
• Impacts: For whom or what was this a solution? What trade-offs or costs emerged as a result?
• Prioritization: What did we prioritize during this moment, and what was set aside? How did this balance impact the outcome?
• Lessons: How did previous lessons shape our response? How did this moment challenge or confirm what we thought we knew?
• Needs: What did this moment call for more of, and why? What did it need less of to succeed?
• Adaptability: What adjustments did we make as the situation evolved? How did those changes impact our outcome or process?