The Phoenix Checklist, template for Figma

The Phoenix checklist is a checklist of questions developed by the Central Intelligence Agency to encourage agents to look at a challenge from many different angles. This checklist comprises over 40 questions to help understand and solve complex problems. The questions encourage you to take multiple perspectives on the problem and span topics such as defining the problem; breaking it down; reframing; right through to solving and taking action.

How to use this checklist

• Write your challenge. Isolate the challenge you want to think about and commit yourself to an answer, if not the answer, by a certain date.
  

• Ask the questions. Use the Phoenix checklist to dissect the challenge in as many different ways as you can.

  

• Record your answers. Information requests, solution, and ideas for evaluation and analysis.

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