Functional Interview Framework
Purpose
Functional interviews are the core input to the sprint.
They translate day-to-day reality into structured signal that can be:
- Compared across functions
- Scored objectively
- Rolled into themes and a roadmap
Interviews are not demos, status updates, or tool pitches.
Format
| Item | Standard |
|---|---|
| Duration | 60 minutes |
| Attendees | Functional leader + 1-2 close operators |
| Prep | Intake form completed in advance |
| Style | Conversational, but structured |
| Output | Notes, opportunities, scoring inputs |
Interview Dynamics
Fewer people is better.
The ideal interview is one-on-one: one interviewer, one interviewee.
| Guideline | Why |
|---|---|
| Don't team up | Two interviewers feels like an interrogation |
| Don't outnumber | Creates power imbalance, reduces candor |
| One voice asking questions | Keeps flow natural |
| Second person only if critical | Note-taker at most; silent |
People speak more honestly when they're not outnumbered.
If the interviewee wants to bring someone (a direct report, a peer), that is fine. But the sprint team should default to a single interviewer.
Interviews Are Different From the Kickoff
The kickoff meeting is large by design; it is about credibility, alignment, and socialization.
Interviews are small, private, and focused on listening.
The kickoff introduces the sprint team and puts stakeholders at ease. The interviews extract signal.
Interview Structure (Always the Same)
1. Role & Accountability
Goal: establish ownership and context.
| Question | What We're Listening For |
|---|---|
| What is your role and what are you accountable for? | Decision rights, incentives |
| What decisions do you personally make? | AI leverage points |
| What decisions are hardest today? | Friction and uncertainty |
2. Workflows & Time Spend
Goal: surface repetitive, manual, or fragile work.
| Question | What We're Listening For |
|---|---|
| What consumes the most time each week? | Automation candidates |
| What work feels mechanical or redundant? | Quick wins |
| What requires manual reconciliation or judgment calls? | Data issues |
3. Pain Points & Friction
Goal: capture root causes.
| Question | What We're Listening For |
|---|---|
| What's most frustrating today? | Root causes |
| Where do things break under load? | Scalability issues |
| What slows decisions down? | Latency and trust gaps |
4. Systems & Data
Goal: understand how things actually work.
| Question | What We're Listening For |
|---|---|
| What systems do you rely on? | System inventory |
| Which is the system of record versus system of analysis? | SoR and SoT gaps |
| How does data move between systems? | Automation maturity |
| Where does data quality break down? | Upstream blockers |
5. Reporting & Decision Making
Goal: link data to outcomes.
| Question | What We're Listening For |
|---|---|
| How are reports produced today? | Manual vs automated |
| How fresh is the data when used? | Latency sensitivity |
| Where do numbers not match? | Trust and governance |
6. Constraints & Guardrails
Goal: avoid unrealistic recommendations.
| Question | What We're Listening For |
|---|---|
| What data cannot be exposed or automated? | Security limits |
| Any policies blocking automation today? | Governance |
| What risks are unacceptable? | Red lines |
7. "Better Future" Test
Goal: define success in human terms.
| Question | What We're Listening For |
|---|---|
| If this worked perfectly, what changes? | Value framing |
| What decisions would improve first? | Priority signals |
| What would you stop doing? | ROI clarity |
8. Maturity Self-Assessment
Goal: calibrate readiness.
Ask for directional ratings (1-5):
- Data integration
- Data quality
- Automation today
- Security posture
- Reporting maturity
Use this as signal.
9. Wrap-Up
| Question | Outcome |
|---|---|
| Who else should we speak with? | Interview expansion |
| Any artifacts we should review? | Evidence |
| Anything we didn't ask that matters? | Hidden risks |
Note Capture Standard
Each interview produces:
| Artifact | Description |
|---|---|
| Structured notes | By question category |
| Observations | Interpreted signals |
| Opportunity candidates | Problem to outcome framing |
| Constraints | Must-not-break items |
| Follow-ups | People, data, artifacts |
Free-text notes are normalized immediately after the call.
Anti-Patterns to Avoid
| Anti-Pattern | Why |
|---|---|
| Tool debates | Premature |
| Deep solutioning | Out of scope |
| Defensiveness | Blocks truth |
| "We already tried AI" | Probe for specifics |
Success Signal
A functional interview is successful if:
- The leader feels heard
- Pain points are concrete
- Data and system reality is clear
- Opportunities emerge naturally
If you leave with only opinions, rerun the interview.