Interview Script·45 min·10 questions
Discovering why operations teams still build weekly reports manually despite automation tools
You're watching operations managers spend hours each week pulling data from Salesforce, Google Analytics, and internal dashboards to create status reports. They complain about the manual work, yet they haven't adopted any of the reporting automation tools already available in their stack.
Why standard questions fail here
Direct questions about pain points often get filtered through what people think they should want rather than what actually drives their behavior. This script reconstructs their actual reporting workflow step-by-step, anchoring in their last completed report to reveal the hidden decisions and workarounds that keep them manual despite viable alternatives.
Sample Questions
Grounded in The Mom Test and Jobs-to-be-Done.
JTBD: Understanding the job context before diving into specific tasks helps reveal competing priorities and constraints
Listen for time pressures and competing responsibilities that will influence reporting behavior
- What takes up most of your time during a typical week?
- How does reporting fit into your other responsibilities?
- Generic job descriptions instead of actual daily activities
Mom Test principle: Ask about specific past behavior rather than general processes to get accurate workflow details
Use the narrative technique - let them tell the story chronologically without interruption, then probe for details
- What was the first tool or system you opened?
- What did you do when you hit that step?
- How long did that particular part take?
- Idealized process descriptions instead of what actually happened
- Vague statements like 'I usually gather data' without specifics
JTBD struggling moment identification: Pain points are most clearly revealed when things go wrong
Use the critical incident technique - focus on a specific memorable instance rather than general frustrations
- What made it take so long that time?
- How did you eventually solve it?
- Has something similar happened since then?
- Generic complaints about reporting instead of specific incident details
Contextual inquiry principle: Observing actual tools and interfaces reveals workarounds and friction points not captured in interviews alone
Ask them to share screen or show physical process - watch for clicks, hesitations, and shortcuts they've developed
- What's that bookmark you just clicked?
- Why do you always start with that particular view?
- What's that spreadsheet you keep open?
- Describing tools instead of showing actual usage patterns
Mom Test: Specific past incidents reveal true pain intensity better than hypothetical questions about frustration
Probe for emotional impact using the feeling probe technique: 'How did that make you feel?'
- How often does this type of thing happen?
- What would have had to be different to avoid staying late?
- Who else was affected when this happened?
- General statements about working late instead of specific incidents
- Rationalized explanations instead of emotional reactions
Lead user theory: Workarounds reveal both pain points and desired solutions that users have already partially invented
Use appreciative inquiry - frame workarounds as clever solutions rather than admissions of system failure
- How did you figure out that approach?
- Do other people on your team do something similar?
- What would happen if you couldn't use that workaround anymore?
- Claims of following standard processes when most users develop workarounds
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