# Map the inputs, decisions, actions, and outputs of a workflow

Breaks a messy workflow into a clear step map of inputs, decisions, actions, and outputs, ready to improve or automate.

- Topic: Projects & Operations
- Framework: Chain-of-Thought
- Level: Advanced
- Tags: Fill-in Template, Interactive, Step-by-step
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/map-the-inputs-decisions-actions-and-outputs-of-a-workflow

## Prompt

```text
Help me map a workflow so I can see exactly how it works before I improve or automate it.

**The workflow, in my words:** [DESCRIBE IT step by step, or PASTE notes, an SOP, or an email thread that shows how it runs]
**Who is involved:** [ROLES or teams]
**Tools and systems used:** [e.g. Excel, email, CRM, Teams or Slack, shared drive]
**How often it runs and how long it takes:** [DETAILS]
**What triggers it and what "done" looks like:** [DETAILS]

Steps:
1. Restate the workflow as a numbered sequence of steps, from trigger to final output.
2. For every step, identify the **input** (what arrives, from where, in what format), the **decision** (if any judgment or rule is applied), the **action** (what is actually done), and the **output** (what is produced and who receives it).
3. Label each decision as rule-based (could be written as an if/then) or judgment-based (needs context, experience, or negotiation).
4. Flag handoffs, waiting time, rework loops, and steps where information is retyped or copied between systems.
5. List anything I left vague, and ask me about it rather than guessing.

Return:
1. A table: Step | Owner | Input | Decision (rule / judgment / none) | Action | Output | Tool | Time.
2. A plain-text flow (Step 1 -> Step 2 -> ...) showing branches and loops.
3. The top 3 friction points, with why each matters.
4. Open questions I need to answer before anyone automates this.

Do not recommend tools or AI yet; this is the map, not the redesign.
```

## What to fill in

- ROLES or teams
- e.g. Excel, email, CRM, Teams or Slack, shared drive
- DETAILS

Free to copy and use. From ThinkWithPrompt (https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/), a library of 2,663 curated AI prompts.