# Turn a vague stakeholder request into a clear problem statement

A one-page problem brief that separates the ask from the underlying need, before anyone commits to a solution.

- Topic: Product & UX Design
- Framework: RTF
- Level: Standard
- Tags: Leadership, Rewrite & Edit, Fill-in Template, Interactive
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/turn-a-vague-stakeholder-request-into-a-clear-problem-statement

## Prompt

```text
Help me turn a stakeholder request into a clear problem statement before we discuss solutions.

**The request as I received it:** [PASTE OR PARAPHRASE - e.g. "We need a bulk export button"]
**Who asked and their role:** [NAME/ROLE, TEAM]
**What I know about why they want it:** [CONTEXT, COMPLAINTS, DEALS, INCIDENTS]
**Who would be affected:** [USER TYPES, SEGMENTS]
**Evidence I have:** [TICKETS, DATA, QUOTES - or "none yet"]

Steps:
1. Restate the request as a solution, then work backward to the problem it is trying to solve. Offer 2-3 possible underlying problems if it is ambiguous.
2. Ask me the 5-8 questions I should put to the requester to confirm which problem is real (who, how often, what they do today, what it costs them).
3. Draft the problem brief.

Problem brief format:
- Problem statement (one sentence: [user] struggles to [job] because [obstacle], which causes [consequence]).
- Who has this problem and how often.
- Current workaround and its cost.
- Evidence so far, and the evidence still missing.
- Why now.
- What success would look like (an outcome, not a feature).
- Out of scope.

Rules: do not propose a solution in the brief. Do not invent numbers; mark gaps as [ADD DATA] or [CONFIRM WITH REQUESTER]. Keep the brief under 300 words.
```

## What to fill in

- PASTE OR PARAPHRASE - e.g. "We need a bulk export button"
- NAME/ROLE, TEAM
- CONTEXT, COMPLAINTS, DEALS, INCIDENTS
- USER TYPES, SEGMENTS
- TICKETS, DATA, QUOTES - or "none yet"
- user
- job
- obstacle
- consequence
- ADD DATA
- CONFIRM WITH REQUESTER

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