Ten questions to ask if you're writing a scrutiny report #2: What questions did we ask?

'Our initial scoping document included aims to "Identify gaps in current services, making recommendations as appropriate". This was the most successful element of the review, as a gap analysis led directly to several recommendations.'

Dean Gillon - Scrutiny Officer, North Lincolnshire Council

Scrutineers emphasise again and again the value of asking powerful questions.  If you don’t ask the right questions – and if you fail to brief council members to ask them – you may never get the evidence you need to support your arguments.

 

 

 

Having a clear hypothesis, of course, makes it much easier to find the appropriate questions.  Among all the questions you could ask, these four are perhaps the most important in most scrutinies.

 

 

 

 ■   Where are the gaps?  Are they measurable?

■   What should be done?

■   Is existing policy effective?

■   What is possible?

'Looking at the scope questions I would say the most successful was identifying [the] services/

activities/initiatives in Warwickshire that could contribute in reducing childhood obesity [as the]

panel were not at first aware of all the services available in Warwickshire.'

Alwin McGibbon - Health Scrutiny Officer, Warwickshire County Council

 

At a more detailed level, questions like these will help you elicit the concrete evidence you need to support or refute your hypothesis.

■   What factors influence the issue locally?

■   What is currently being done to tackle the issue at the national, regional, and local level?

■   Are there any gaps in information relating to the issue in our authority?

■   How well does our authority fare in relation to neighbouring authorities in terms of statistics, trends and local initiatives to tackle the problem?

■   What partners, services or initiatives are best placed to be able to contribute in tackling the issue?

■   How well are existing partnerships and other structures functioning?

■   What needs to be done to ensure local authority commitments relating to the issue?

■   What is being done, or should be done, to educate stakeholders about the issue?

■   What is being done, or should be done, to promote public awareness or action to address the issue?

■   How can we consult stakeholders – or consult them more effectively – about the issue?

 

Hot tip

Think about all the different things questions can do.

Questions are not just for seeking information.  They can also help us think creatively.  They can help direct the course of a conversation.  They can encourage someone to offer more information.  The power of your investigation lies in the quality of the questions you ask.

 

The CfPS booklet,   Putting it into practice – the questioning technique, has lots of useful guidance about effective questioning. 

In the next posting, I'll ask the question: 'What are our recommendations?'

If you like what you see here, you might like to contact me to discuss working with you.  I am currently working with one of the scrutiny team of a major local assembly in the UK.  I run training courses, and coach individual writers.  I can even give you some feedback on the reports your team is producing, if you want nothing more.  Go to my website to take a look at a sample training programme.