# 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.

- Topic: Business Strategy & Startups
- Framework: Few-Shot
- Level: Standard
- Tags: Strategy, Brainstorm, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/turn-a-business-problem-into-the-key-strategic-question-to-answer

## Prompt

```text
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].
```

## 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

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