When you’re conducting a current state interview, one of the most important risks to keep in mind is the bias or incomplete information that can arise from stakeholders’ perspectives. Understanding this risk is crucial if you want to accurately assess how a process or system truly operates.
🧭 What Is a Current State Interview?
A current state interview is a discussion conducted during business analysis or process improvement to understand the “as-is” situation — how things actually work today.
You gather information from stakeholders, employees, or users about their daily workflows, challenges, and system interactions.
⚠️ The Most Important Risk: Biased or Incomplete Information
When interviewing stakeholders, they may:
- Describe how processes should work instead of how they really work.
- Hide inefficiencies or issues to protect themselves or their team.
- Provide a narrow view limited to their own department.
💡 How to Mitigate This Risk
Here are practical ways to reduce the impact of stakeholder bias:
- Interview multiple roles — talk to managers, end users, and technical staff.
- Observe processes directly — don’t rely only on what people say.
- Ask for proof — such as reports, screenshots, or workflow examples.
- Validate findings with multiple sources before finalizing.
These steps ensure you get a balanced and accurate picture of the current situation.
🧠 Why This Risk Matters
If the information collected is biased or incomplete:
- The root causes of issues remain hidden.
- Future state designs may fail to solve real problems.
- You risk wasting time and resources on incorrect priorities.
An accurate understanding of the current state is the foundation of successful transformation projects.
The important risk to keep in mind when conducting a current state interview is bias — whether intentional or unintentional.
By approaching interviews objectively, validating facts, and engaging multiple viewpoints, you can build a clear, trustworthy understanding of how things really work.
