Years ago I had the good fortune to work at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. I had been hired by John Porretto, the executive vice president for finance and administration, to support and further the university’s continuous improvement efforts.

John was one of the most enlightened and visionary executives with whom I’ve worked and I still value my time there. It was a time of experimentation and success, and I credit John with creating the environment where such a learning laboratory could exist. John had built an exceptional team within administration and finance, and it was a great honor to join with them in our efforts to better support the university’s core mission.

Two people in particular, Brian Yeoman and Rick Miller, were completely different in their experiences and personae, but were both deeply committed to the institution and the people within their organizations. Whenever we considered a new initiative, I knew I could count on them to ask the same questions. From Brian it was, “What's the goal?” and from Rick a trifecta of, “So what?”, “Who cares?”, and “Why?” Hence, the Yeoman-Miller Interrogatory.

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