Questions to Ask During the Visit
Prepared questions — bring this list, but don't read off it. Conversational > scripted.
On Arrival / Day 1
To Host / Manager
- What's the priority you most want me to walk away with after this visit?
- Who else should I be sure to spend time with?
- What's something I won't see in the systems / docs that I should know?
About the Building / Office Layout
- Walk me through the physical space — where does what happen?
- Where are inventory and shipping handled? (if applicable)
- Where do you receive raw materials / inputs?
Production / Operations
Process
- What's the typical lifecycle of an order from start to finish?
- Where do most errors / delays happen?
- What manual steps would you most want automated?
- What decisions does the team make daily that take the most time?
Systems
- What software does each role use day-to-day?
- Which tools are loved? Which are tolerated? Which are hated?
- Where do data handoffs between systems break down?
- What integrations exist now? Which ones do you wish existed?
People
- How does work get assigned within the team?
- Who do you go to when X breaks?
- Where does communication tend to break down?
Strategic
Growth / Direction
- What does Droplet look like a year from now?
- What's the biggest risk to that vision?
- What capability would unlock the most growth?
- What would you build if you had unlimited engineering capacity?
My Role
- What's the highest-impact thing I could ship in the next 30 days?
- Where am I currently underdelivering vs your expectations?
- Where am I currently overdelivering / wasting effort?
Cultural / Personal
- What does a great work day look like at Droplet?
- What surprised you about working here?
- Outside of work — anything I should see or try while I'm here?
- Any restaurants, places, or experiences you'd recommend?
Wrap-Up (Final Day)
- What's the one thing you want me to remember from this trip?
- Are there any introductions you'd want me to make happen?
- How do we make the most of the next 90 days post-visit?
After Each Day — Capture
At end of each day, write down in 06-during-trip/daily-log.md:
- Top 3 things I learned today
- Top 3 things that surprised me
- Top 3 things I want to do differently in my work