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Help me prepare and run the exercise below. First ask for my participant count, time, setting, access needs and intended result. Check these against the stated limits. Use the supplied rules and materials. Explain any proposed changes before using them, and label them as adaptations. Do not invent source claims or require personal disclosure. Give me one step at a time when I say start. I manage the people, physical activity and clock; do not claim to observe the room. Ask me what happened before choosing a next step.

Reference revision: 26e9f3e7499a05f46d03846feaae4bf6e5db9bfb475fbf74f900be5acf7384d5

# The Nine Questions Technique

Working teams draft responses to nine structured project planning questions on individual worksheets, compile them onto wall posters, and cross-check their plans for gaps or inconsistencies.

**Time:** 60 minutes. Source recommends 60 to 90 minutes. This 60-minute schedule accommodates working teams of 3 to 5.
**People:** 4 to 24. Small teams of 3 to 5 participants working at tables, followed by a shared room review.

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Draft a unified, nine-part project outline covering rationale, audience, methods, schedule, and resources.
**Use it when:** Use when a team or community group has an initial project idea and needs to map out operational details together before drafting a full proposal or implementation plan.
**Skip it when:** Skip when the core problem is still unknown and exploratory problem-finding is needed, or when detailed line-item budgets and formal contracts already exist.

## Materials and tools

- 9 large poster sheets or flipchart papers per group of 3 to 5 (each labeled with one of the nine questions)
- 1 nine-question worksheet per participant
- 1 pad of sticky notes per participant
- 1 marker and 1 fine pen per participant
- 1 roll of wall-safe masking tape per table
- 1 digital countdown timer visible to the room

## Before participants arrive

1. Label nine wall stations or table posters per team with the nine questions: 1. What? 2. Why? 3. What for? 4. For whom? 5. Where? 6. How? 7. When? 8. With what? 9. How much?
2. Place markers, sticky notes, and paper worksheets at each table.
3. Post a clearly written example on a shared wall or board so participants can see a completed set.

## Say this to open

Today we are structuring an action plan using nine core questions: What, Why, What for, For whom, Where, How, When, With what, and How much. Each question tackles one practical requirement of our project. First, take a few minutes alone to note your thoughts on your worksheet. Then your table will combine and refine your answers on poster sheets.

## How to run it

### 1. Introduce scope and questions (5 minutes)

State the project context and read the opening script. Review the nine questions and point out the neutral reference example on the board. Answer clarifying questions about terminology.

### 2. Draft individual answers (10 minutes)

Participants work silently on their individual worksheets, jotting short answers or sticky notes for each of the nine questions. Anyone who wishes to pass on a specific question leaves that line blank.

### 3. Consolidate at tables (25 minutes)

Form teams of 3 to 5. Teams compare their individual notes and post agreed-upon bullet points onto their set of nine poster sheets. If teams cannot agree on an item, they record alternative options side by side.

### 4. Gallery walk and cross-check (10 minutes)

Participants walk around the room to read other teams' posters or inspect their own full sequence. Participants post sticky notes with clarifying questions or missing items directly onto the posters.

### 5. Debrief and prioritize gaps (10 minutes)

Bring the room together. Review sticky-note feedback and identify the top two or three unresolved gaps across the plans. Up to 4 participants share observations.


## Debrief questions

- Which of the nine questions revealed the largest disagreement or gap in our current plan?
- How does our answer to 'Why' match the concrete actions listed under 'How'?
- What is the first missing detail we must resolve before starting work?

**Finished output:** A set of completed nine-question posters detailing the project's scope, rationale, beneficiaries, location, methods, schedule, resources, and budget estimate.

## Remote

Set up a shared digital whiteboard with nine labeled columns per team. In Step 2, participants write notes privately. In Step 3, breakout rooms of 3 to 5 compile sticky notes into their team's nine columns. In Step 4, all return to the main room to view other teams' columns and leave comment notes. Step 5 occurs in the main plenary.

## Hybrid

In-person teams work at physical poster stations while remote participants work in a mirrored digital whiteboard space. A designated in-person scribe transcribes sticky notes between physical posters and the board during the gallery walk so all participants can read and annotate both sets.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants may sketch simple diagrams or write text on sticky notes.
- Any participant may choose to observe silently or leave specific questions blank without explanation.

## If the session gets stuck

**Participants confuse 'Why' (justification) with 'What for' (objectives).**

Explain that 'Why' explains the existing problem or need, while 'What for' defines the desired future outcome.

**Groups spend all their time debating the first two questions and run out of time for budget and schedule.**

Prompt teams to work through the questions in round-robin fashion with a five-minute warning for questions 7 through 9.


## Terms used here

- What for?: The intended goals, objectives, or direct results of the initiative.
- With what?: The non-financial inputs required, including tools, equipment, materials, and staff time.

## Participant material: Nine Questions Project Worksheet

Project Name:
Date:

1. What? (Nature of the project - What are we doing?):
____________________________________________________

2. Why? (Justification - Why is it needed? What problem does it address?):
____________________________________________________

3. What for? (Objectives - What specific goals will it achieve?):
____________________________________________________

4. For whom? (Target group - Who benefits directly?):
____________________________________________________

5. Where? (Location - Where will the work take place?):
____________________________________________________

6. How? (Methodology - What activities and evaluation methods will we use?):
____________________________________________________

7. When? (Timeline - When does it start, key milestones, and end date?):
____________________________________________________

8. With what? (Resources - What materials, equipment, and human resources are required?):
____________________________________________________

9. How much? (Budget - What is the estimated total cost and major expense categories?):
____________________________________________________

## Participant material: Reference Example: Community Tool Library

1. What?: Create a shared neighborhood lending library for household and yard tools.
2. Why?: Many residents lack space or funds to buy specialized tools for home repair.
3. What for?: Reduce repair costs for 100 households and divert repairable goods from landfills.
4. For whom?: Local tenants, homeowners, and community groups in Ward 4.
5. Where?: The basement storage space of the local community center.
6. How?: Collect tool donations, catalog inventory online, host check-out hours twice weekly, and track loans via sign-out log.
7. When?: Collect tools in October, launch lending in November, review usage at 6 months.
8. With what?: Storage shelves, donated hand and power tools, cataloging software, volunteer librarians.
9. How much?: $350 for safety inspections, shelving anchors, and barcode tags.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in Participatory Methods (2025), which outlines the Nine Questions Technique for participatory project planning and evaluation.

Retained the exact nine questions, their intended functions, and the small-group consolidation approach from the Participatory Methods source material. Added explicit time limits summing to 60 minutes, individual reflection before small-group posting, a structured gallery walk, and hybrid participation mechanics.

[Participatory Methods](https://participatorymethods.com/activities/the-nine-questions-technique/)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/the-nine-questions-technique/