Strategy · Guide
Interview staff without selling them an AI answer
Discover operational friction without steering every answer toward automation.
Ask about a recent instance
A useful workflow interview begins with a concrete event. Ask what arrived, what information was missing, who acted next, and when the task was considered complete. Resist asking whether an AI assistant would be helpful. People can agree with an attractive concept while describing a workflow that lacks the data or authority needed to implement it responsibly.
Separate observations from opinions
Use two columns in the notes: observed steps and the interviewee’s interpretation. A complaint that reporting takes forever may mean slow source collection, difficult reconciliation, or repeated management edits. Each calls for a different intervention. NIST mapping guidance provides context for understanding an AI system’s setting; our interview worksheet applies that idea before deciding that an AI system is necessary.
Workflow at a glance
Invite contradictions
Ask when the current process works well and which customers require unusual handling. An illustrative property team might discover that routine requests are straightforward but urgent access arrangements need judgment. Preserve those differences. Interview the reviewer as well as the person producing the draft, because a local time saving can shift additional work downstream without improving the whole process.
End with evidence to collect
Close by agreeing which examples can be shared, who can authorize access, and what still needs confirmation. Do not request confidential customer records merely to make the workshop vivid. Redacted or synthetic cases can support early exploration. Turn the interview into a small evidence plan, then return to the participant with a process map for correction before proposing a pilot.
A neutral interview opening
Try this opening: show me the last request that was harder than expected. Follow with what happened next, what you checked, and who needed the result. Save solution ideas for the end. Ask permission before observing any work surface, and let the participant correct your notes. The interviewer’s task is to uncover the process, not win agreement with a preferred automation concept.
Sources and further reading
- AI RMF CoreAI RMF CoreNIST · Documentation ·
- SME AI Readiness ToolSME AI Readiness ToolOECD · Research source ·
Editorial approach
AI-assisted original writing, checked against linked public sources. Practical recommendations and illustrative scenarios are editorial analysis, not reported client results. Source dates and product details may differ from this collection’s preparation date.