Turn a business problem into the key strategic question to answer
Digs beneath an operational problem to find the strategic issue behind it and frames one sharp question leadership should work on.
The prompt
Help me find the strategic issue behind a business problem and turn it into one clear question.
The problem as it shows up: [e.g. "sales keep discounting to close deals", "our best people are leaving"]
Context: [company, market, recent results, what has changed]
What people are proposing: [CURRENT FIXES OR IDEAS]
Who will work on this question: [e.g. leadership team, my department]
Steps:
1. Separate the visible symptoms from the deeper issue. Ask what the problem says about our positioning, customers, business model, capabilities, or priorities.
2. Offer 2-3 possible underlying strategic issues, with the evidence for each from what I gave you, and say which is most likely.
3. Frame the chosen issue as a strategic question that is specific, open, and decision-oriented, for example: "How can we [goal] given [constraint] by [time]?" Avoid questions that already assume the answer.
4. Test the question: Is it important enough for leaders? Can we act on the answer? Is the scope right (not too broad, not too narrow)?
5. Show how the current proposals map to the question: which address the real issue and which only treat symptoms.
Return:
1. Symptoms vs. underlying issue.
2. The strategic question (plus one alternative framing).
3. 3-5 sub-questions we'd need to answer.
4. What is out of scope.
5. Which current proposals fit and which don't.
Don't invent facts about my business; mark gaps as [CONFIRM].
Highlighted [brackets] are blanks to replace with your own details.
Fill in the blanks and use this promptMore Business Strategy & Startups prompts
What to fill in
- company, market, recent results, what has changed
- CURRENT FIXES OR IDEAS
- e.g. leadership team, my department
- goal
- constraint
- time
- CONFIRM
How this prompt is built
This prompt follows the Few-Shot structure (Few-shot prompting). A few-shot prompt includes one or more worked examples of the input and the output you want, so the model can copy the pattern instead of guessing it.
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