Goal
Name the useful outcome. Separate confirmed facts from estimates and targets.
METHOD / A REUSABLE STRUCTURE
Make the decisions
part of the request.
A clearer brief makes goals, facts, assumptions, and checks explicit. It does not guarantee a good answer.
Audience hypothesis
Say who might benefit and why. Mark what you still need to learn.
Known facts
Include what the business can deliver and what the customer journey actually confirms.
Unresolved assumptions
Make the gaps visible. Say what needs checking before a promise or action is dependable.
Constraints
Keep time, capacity, resources, exclusions, and boundaries in the request.
Output and checks
Specify the deliverable, first investigation, measures, and findings that would change the recommendation.
START WITH THE STRUCTURE
Use it on your own work.
Replace the prompts with your context. Leave unknowns unresolved until you have evidence.
Read the reusable structure
GOAL What useful business outcome should the work support? Mark estimates and unverified targets. AUDIENCE HYPOTHESIS Who might benefit, and why? Separate evidence from assumptions. KNOWN FACTS What can the business currently deliver? Include the service and customer journey. UNRESOLVED ASSUMPTIONS What might customers expect? When will the business know it can deliver? List the facts that still need checking. CONSTRAINTS Time, capacity, resources, exclusions, and promises the work must respect. OUTPUT AND CHECKS Specify the deliverable. Ask for a first investigation, a small test where appropriate, measures tied to the goal, and what findings would change the recommendation. Do not invent unresolved facts or claim untested performance.