FDE Customer Discovery Questions: The 20 That Matter

How to use this list

Don't interrogate; converse. Pick 8-12 per call, follow the energy, and write answers down verbatim where possible - paraphrase loses numbers. The full skill is trainable via the interview guide's role-play section.

Process reality

1. "Walk me through what happens today, from start to finish - who touches what?"
2. "Where does this break most often?"
3. "What's the workaround when it breaks?"
4. "Who else in the company feels this? Can I watch them work for 30 minutes?"
5. "What did you try before, and why did it stop working?"

Cost and urgency

1. "When it fails, what does it cost - hours, money, customers?"
2. "Is this pain growing, flat, or shrinking? What's driving that?"
3. "What happens if nothing changes in six months?"

Data and systems

1. "Which systems hold the relevant data? Who owns each?"
2. "Can I see a (sanitized) sample of the actual data?"
3. "How often does the data change shape or arrive late?"
4. "Are there upstream processes I must not disturb?"

Constraints and boundaries

1. "What security or compliance rules apply here?"
2. "Who must approve changes, and what's the change window?"
3. "What's off-limits for this project - technically, politically, legally?"
4. "What can't we integrate with?"

Success definition

1. "If we fix this, what changes in your week - measurably?"
2. "What number tells us we succeeded in 90 days?"
3. "What would make this a failure even if it 'works'?"
4. "Who signs off that it's done?"

If you can't answer questions 9-12 with artifacts (schemas, samples), you don't have discovery - you have a vibe. Demand the data sample.

Continue: Translating requirements into scope · Writing an FDE project brief