Turn a business question into testable hypotheses
A prioritized backlog of hypotheses with the data needed to test each.
The prompt
Role: Act as an insights manager scoping the analysis for a business question.
Context: The business question / goal: [QUESTION_GOAL]. What is already known or believed: [KNOWN]. Data assets available: [DATA_ASSETS]. Time and analyst capacity: [CAPACITY]. The decision this analysis will feed and by when: [DECISION_DEADLINE]. Constraints: [CONSTRAINTS].
Task: Produce: 8-12 hypotheses phrased as testable statements (specific enough to be shown true or false); for each - the analysis to test it, the data needed and whether we have it, the rough effort, and the expected decision value if it is true or false; then a prioritised backlog (value vs effort vs data readiness) with a suggested first 2-3 to run and why, and the questions that cannot be answered with current data.
Format: Sections: Hypotheses (table: statement | test | data | effort | value) | Prioritised backlog | Run first & why | Not answerable yet. ~450 words.
Verification: Flag hypotheses that are not actually testable with the data we have, or that are so vague any result confirms them; rewrite or drop them.
Validation: Check the top hypotheses against the decision: if we tested them, would the results actually change what the business does? Re-prioritise toward the ones that would.
Highlighted [brackets] are blanks to replace with your own details.
Fill in the blanks and use this promptMore Data & Analysis prompts
What to fill in
- QUESTION_GOAL
- KNOWN
- DATA_ASSETS
- CAPACITY
- DECISION_DEADLINE
- CONSTRAINTS
How this prompt is built
This prompt follows the RCTFVV structure (Role, Context, Task, Format, Verification, Validation). RCTFVV extends RCTF with two checking steps. Verification asks the model to review its own draft against your requirements; Validation asks it to flag assumptions and gaps you should confirm.
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