I’ve always liked the idea of distilling a theory down to a few compact stages and this take on the “who, what, why” or “who, what, where” type approach to problem-solving is rather interesting.
“Asking Why, What if, and How, in that order, can help one advance through three critical stages of problem-solving. “Why” questions are ideal for coming to grips with an existing challenge or problem—helping us understand why the problem exists, why it hasn’t been solved already, and why it might be worth tackling. “What if” questions can be used to explore fresh ideas for possible improvements or solutions to the problem, from a hypothetical standpoint. When it’s time to act on those ideas, the most effective types of questions are practical, action-oriented ones that focus on “how”: how to give form to ideas, how to test and refine them with the goal of transforming possibility into reality.”
— Warren Berger
You can read Warren Berger’s full article here >
Also interesting relating to this is the inspiration for the 5 ‘ws - What, Why, Where, When, Who & How
“I Keep six honest serving-men:
(They taught me all I knew)
Their names are What and Where and When
And How and Why and Who”
— "Rudyard Kipling - The Elephant's Child"