Run five prompts to find unapproved tools - to rationalize, not punish

Shadow IT shows up because official tools fail someone. Find it to rationalize - not to punish.

This hack: fifteen minutes, five interview prompts, capture what people actually use.

When to use it

• You suspect unsanctioned tools in a team.
• You can interview without fear culture.
• Stack rationalization is a real goal.

When not to

• You're on a witch hunt. Stop.
• Security incident response is active. Use that process.
• You won't offer a path to approve or replace. Don't ask then.

Do this (timer on)

1. 1. Pick one teammate (willing).
2. 2. Ask the five prompts. Capture tools + jobs.
3. 3. Log into a shadow-IT list with job-to-be-done.
4. 4. Share themes with stack owner - no public shaming.

Prompts (ask live)

1. 1. What tool do you open first on a frustrating Monday task?
2. 2. Where do you paste data because the official system is slow?
3. 3. What do you use that IT might not know about - and what job does it do?
4. 4. If we removed it tomorrow, what breaks?
5. 5. What would an official tool need so you'd switch?

Capture shape

| Tool | Job | Data sensitivity guess | Could replace with? | Notes |

After you send

If shadow IT keeps blooming, the official stack isn't earning trust. Tool Stack ROI when seats and shadow tools both grow.

Start free assessment (Tool Stack ROI) at https://faisalrizvi.com/ - See where we're wasting hours. 3 minutes. Score + prioritized roadmap. Shareable report. No login.

Book a free 30-min call only if you want a walkthrough after the roadmap.