Generally, a productive work team should devote most of its time thinking about what lies ahead. Spending too much time on the past is distracting unless the results can be used to positively impact what happens in the future.

Unfortunately, the past is well known and therefore much easier to recount and discuss. The future hasn’t yet happened and is therefore difficult to talk about in measurable terms. For these reasons, you may need to take a more active role in getting people to think about making changes rather than dwelling on the past.

One way to affect this shift is to preface your focus questions with Now, followed by how? For example, Now that we know why the order was late, how do we ensure it arrives on time in the future.

Like many new processes, these takes some getting used to – especially the awkward use of Now, How. The reason it works is not clear, but it does help people to stay focused on future improvements instead of dwelling on past mistakes.

Your ultimate objective in applying this process is to gain a better understanding, awareness, and perspective of the problem and how it should be solved. Solving problems using the now-how preface question is far more practical than calling a team meeting and slogging your way through a lengthy agenda.