7W2H
Updated 2026-08-09
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
7W2H extends the 5W2H questioning method by adding which and whose. Which requires the analyst to compare several candidate options rather than accept the first framing, and whose identifies who owns the benefit, the decision or the accountability. The additional questions raise the granularity of a decision so that it fits situations involving multiple parties and competing alternatives. Different versions vary in the exact wording of the extra questions, but the intent is the same: make the choice and the ownership explicit.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Add the option question: list the alternatives you could choose before committing to one. - Add the ownership question: name who gains, who decides and who is accountable. - Keep the set tight: use the extra questions only where choice and ownership genuinely matter.
Anchor fast decisions
The base questions describe a situation but leave two things implicit: which of several possible courses will be taken and whose interests are served. Making the option explicit forces a comparison, which surfaces alternatives that would otherwise be settled by default. Making ownership explicit attaches the decision to a person and reveals whose benefit the plan actually serves. Together they convert a descriptive checklist into a decision tool, at the cost of more questions to answer.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Wsverified
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