In "Thinkertoys," Michael Michalko describes "The Phoenix Checklist" as a rich set of questions developed by the CIA designed to help agents look at a challenge from many different angles. Michael Machalko introduces the "Phoenix Checklist" in Chapter 14 (entitled "Phoenix") of his book Thinkertoys. It's a book well worth reading for renewing your creative juices; it offers a rich set of techniques to pick and choose from for creative problem framing and solving.<p>This post includes the checklists for "Framing the Problem" and "Defining the Plan/Solution" along with additional thoughts for how entrepreneurs can apply it to challenges they may be facing in their startup.