12 Best Questions To Ask When Starting A New Project 2023

You’re absolutely right. Asking questions is an essential part of learning and understanding, yet many of us hesitate due to fear of judgment or appearing unintelligent. However, it’s important to remember that asking questions is not a sign of weakness, but rather a sign of curiosity and a desire to learn.

It’s also true that asking good questions takes practice, and it’s something we can improve over time. By paying close attention and actively engaging in discussions, we can better understand our roles and responsibilities and ask relevant questions with confidence.

Ultimately, it’s better to ask questions and gain clarity than to leave a meeting or situation without fully understanding what’s expected of us. Asking questions demonstrates initiative and a willingness to learn, which are valuable qualities in any setting.

Why should you ask questions how will it benefit you?

By now you have an idea how important it is to ask questions but now let’s dive into a few details of them.
Let me ask you one question first. What if you get a role in a project and you start it have doubts but do not ask them out of fear and end up making blunders and get a scold from the project manager? It won’t be pleasant to your ears and for your reputation right?

Some very good benefits of asking questions are:

• It increases the ability to widen our imagination. When we get a particular topic and think about the types of questions we can ask regarding it. It increases or imagination on that topic. It also widens our interest and we try to find more about it so that we can present it even better or make our project even better.
• It helps you make good decisions. Before starting a project if you ask the right questions to yourself it gives you a vision where your project would go and what can you get out of it.
• The ability to solve a problem increases. When you are constantly asking yourself questions at literally every step you are giving yourself the solutions to the situations ahead. Now, when you see ahead of you some kind of problem and look back and see if you have asked yourself any question like the present situation you find a solution. Or if not yourself you can ask it to a person who is more experienced than you.
• A very important thing that comes into you, a benefit that asking questions give us is the ability to prepare. The things needed in the present for the project, the things needed in the future for the project, the problems that will lie in front of us. It will help us prepare for all the things.

This question series deals with the questions needed to start a project does not matter if you are a project manager or someone being a part of the big project or someone who is starting a project individually. You will find questions similar to your situation so just keep reading. Hope it helps

1. What are the objectives or goals of this project? What is the importance of the project?

A question that should be asked before any project or an important thing you start. What will be the goal? What is the importance? It is very important to have an idea what would the goal of something that you are working towards look like. And in order to reach that goal what are the things that you need to give. Does it ask too much from you? Well every big thing does!
The next thing is what importance does it have on your life or on the life of the people you are working with or on the life of the common people or for your company. Because it is irrelevant to put your hard work into something that does not give out something important.

2. What defines success for the project?

The definition of success varies from people to people. For some people it may be just the completion of the project. For some it maybe just included in a project. But you need to decide what a project will look like for you, what the outcomes should be if you are starting it and if you are the head of it.
You should think and analyze what the success for your project will be for you. As already mentioned and will be mentioned again “The definition of success differs from people to people”.

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3. What are the key milestones?

This is the essential question anyone should ask to himself or the person in authority. It includes the dates of submission or completion i.e., the deadline.
The person you would deliver to, the place you would deliver to. Questions like these that are very basic yet very important for a project to succeed.

4. What problems you can face?

Before jumping into anything new we must know about the problems we would be facing. And we have to be extra careful if we are going to start with a project (with or without a team). The materials, time, effort and everything that we are going to give should not go in waste.
It would be hurtful for everyone so what’s better? You know the answer do not you? Start asking questions to yourself or the bigger head and get prepared from before-hand for the upcoming challenges.

5. What are the most important decisions?

If you are individual starting a project, all the decisions automatically will fall under you of course but if the decisions turn out to be wrong the loss will not be that much and there are possibilities that they can be cured.
But if you are in charge of a team the whole responsibility would be on your shoulder and you cannot afford to take risks. It is important for you to take the important decisions and for that you must ask what will be important decisions for you and your team.

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6. What are the areas that would need focus and acquire more time?

Again a basic yet important question, what are going to be the most important areas that would require more focus and more time?
It will also help in setting deadlines and important dates for the meeting related to the project.

7. What keeps you up at night about the project? How passionate are you?

It is a common human thing is not it? We would never want to do something that would not resonate with what we want. Ask yourself this very important question that how much of your time, energy, effort and sleep are you going to give into the project? Will you sacrifice your sleep if needed to continue the project or will you give up?

8. What is the backup plan IF the plan does not work?

According to me this has to be like one of THE most important question of all. What is the back-up plan? What is plan B if the project does not work? You would not want everything to go wasted would you? So you need to ask and decide.

9. Who is the team’s main point of contact?

The point of contact of the team is an essential part. By asking this you should be able to assign this place to a trust worthy person who would fulfill the duty in the best ways possible and will be able to help out your team.

10. What technical tools can be used in the project?

As this an era based on technologies therefore this becomes a new question and a necessary one. What help you can take from technologies out there? What tools you can use? If you need to mention the tools you used?

11. Who will benefit from YOUR project?

All the hard work and efforts that would be put into your project must have a benefit right? Or else what good has it done? Asking this question would help you focus on the part that who will be the ones it would benefit? Will it benefit the common people or the a few specific working people with different jobs like marketers or people making strategies or the industries or any other object?

12. Any other possible questions that come in your mind or you have forgotten to ask?

Now, when someone is in the process of making a project he or she better knows about the other basic and necessary questions that have been missed by us. You can ask any other questions related to the project you would like to ask of course we cannot cover ALL the questions you should ask.

Conclusion:

That Chinese proverb is spot on. Asking questions is a sign of intelligence and curiosity, and it’s essential for personal and professional growth. By seeking clarification and understanding, we empower ourselves to succeed in our projects and presentations.

Remembering this proverb can serve as a reminder to always seek answers and not be afraid to ask questions. Doing so not only helps us gain knowledge and insight but also demonstrates our commitment to learning and improvement.

So, whether you’re starting a new project or participating in one, don’t hesitate to ask questions. It’s the key to success and personal development.