How simple questions helped me win my sixth Finnish Championship

And why this methodology transforms business results.

Adventure minigolf competition in Vaasa

Two days ago, I won my sixth Finnish Championship gold medal in minigolf—my first victory competing on Adventure Golf tracks. But this wasn't just another win. It was proof that

systematic quality methodology works far beyond normal organizational development.

With only 1.5 weeks to prepare against competitors with years of experience on these tracks, my husband (our strategic coach) and I had to be smarter, not just work harder.

The Challenge: Maximum Results, Minimum Time

Adventure Golf tracks were completely new territory for me. Usually we play minigolf much more starting on felt tracks where we normally start practicing in early spring, but this year we began late in June. Now, with almost no preparation time, I faced a totally new track type.

Our competitors? National team players with more Adventure Golf experience compared to my zero.

The traditional approach would have been: practice everything equally, hope for the best.

Our approach: apply proven quality methodology under pressure.

The Two-Question Framework

We built our strategy around two simple questions I use in quality/process/improvement work:

1. "Could this be done simpler?"

2. "Do we have a risk here that this could fail?"

But we added a third dimension that made all the difference:

3. "What's the real cost if this goes wrong?"

   
   

Strategic Implementation: The 1-Point vs. 6-Point Rule

Here's where most people—and most businesses—get it wrong. They treat all problems equally.

My husband calculated the risk potential of each track: How many extra shots could a mistake cost?

• 1-point mistakes: Minor technique errors on easy tracks, slightly off approach

• 6-point disasters: Wrong strategy choice, equipment failure, catastrophic misread

This changed everything. Instead of spreading practice time evenly, we:

• Invested 80% of time on tracks with highest disaster potential

• Developed fail-safe strategies that prevented 6-point mistakes

• Accepted some 1-point risks to focus on what really mattered (although at very end we started to focus to also to these quick wins)

  
  

The Results: Methodology Over Experience

I won by three shots, defeating several national team players who had extensive experience on Adventure Golf tracks in Finland and abroad.

The Business Translation

This same framework transforms organizational results:

In Business Planning:

• 1-point risks: Minor process inefficiencies, small budget overruns

• 6-point disasters: Major client losses, product launch failures, regulatory violations

In Project Management:

• 1-point risks: Meeting runs 10 minutes late, minor scope creep

• 6-point disasters: Missing critical deadlines, wrong requirements, team conflicts

In Quality Systems:

• 1-point risks: Documentation formatting, minor non-conformances

• 6-point disasters: Product recalls, safety failures, system crashes

  
  

The Methodology: Apply This Tomorrow

1. Identify all potential problems in your current project/goal

2. Calculate real impact: 1-point inconvenience or 6-point disaster?

3. Invest prevention time proportionally: 80% effort on preventing disasters

4. Simplify approaches wherever possible

5. Accept minor risks to focus on major ones

6. Then when still time, focus on quick wins.

   
   

Why This Works

Most people spend equal time worrying about typos and potential disasters. This methodology forces strategic thinking:

• Clear priorities based on real impact

• Resource allocation that maximizes protection

• Simple strategies that are easier to execute under pressure

• Systematic approach that beats experience + chaos

  
  

Your Next Challenge

What 6-point disaster (or major 4-5) are you ignoring while fixing 1-point problems?

Where could systematic thinking give you an unfair advantage over more experienced competitors?

The questions remain the same. The applications are limitless.