Curiosity Toolkit: Assumption Busting

What is it?

Assumption Busting helps you surface and challenge the hidden “truths” that shape a problem or situation. These are the rules, limits, and beliefs we rarely question, yet they quietly decide what feels possible. By listing them out and asking, “What if this wasn’t true?”, you can find new options that were previously hidden.

Why it matters

Teams often get stuck not because there are no ideas, but because they’re working inside an unspoken box. Assumption Busting widens the edges of that box. It’s a fast way to spot constraints that may be outdated, overprotective, or simply wrong.

When to use it

• When a problem feels stuck or unsolvable

• When your team keeps reaching for the same fixes

• At the start of a project, to explore fresh angles

• During strategy sessions, to break legacy thinking

How to do it

1. Frame the challenge. Write a single clear sentence that sums up the problem.

2. List your assumptions. Include rules, beliefs, limits, expectations, and “that’s just how we do it” points. Aim for at least 15.

3. Mark the heavy hitters. Highlight the assumptions that, if they weren’t true, would change everything.

4. Bust them. For each one, ask:

   • What if this wasn’t true?

   • What if the opposite was true?

   • What would we do if this step didn’t exist?

   • Who would approach this differently?

5. Turn insights into ideas. Capture at least two or three practical ways to act on each busted assumption.

6. Pick one to test. Choose a low-risk idea to try this week. Define a simple measure of success.

   
   

Quick tip

Start with the most obvious assumption first - the one nobody ever questions. Those often hide the biggest breakthroughs.