Aside from preventative problem solving, what-if analysis focuses on looking at variables within your process. Ask questionslike:

Question

Options

• AWhat if we extended our banking hours by two hours daily?
• BWhat if we cut food costs by 20%?
• CBoth of the Above
• DNone of the Above

• A
  4% (2)
• B
  2% (1)
• C
  94% (46)

Explanation

Option C is correct because what-if analysis examines variables across all aspects of a process - including time-based factors (like operating hours) and cost-based factors (like food expenses). Both A and B are legitimate examples of what-if questions: "What if we extended banking hours by two hours?" tests a time/service variable, while "What if we cut food costs by 20%?" tests a financial variable. Neither A nor B alone is wrong - they are both valid illustrations of what-if thinking, which is why choosing only one would be incomplete.

Memory tip: Think of what-if analysis as a "variable scanner" - it can probe any lever in your process, whether that's time, cost, staffing, or resources. When you see "both of the above" on questions about broad analytical frameworks like this, it's often the right pick because the framework applies widely, not narrowly.

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