Prompts:

Tools:

Prompts for Problem-Solving

Credit: http://www.mindstream.news

Fishbone Diagram

Visualise contributing factors to problems

Example prompt: Hospital wait times have spiked. Create a fishbone diagram identifying causes (staffing, tech, processes). Convert this into an interactive Mermaid table for team review.

SWOT Analysis

Evaluate strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats

Example prompt: I’m expanding my coffee shop chain into Japan. Conduct a SWOT analysis considering local competitors, cultural preferences, and supply chain logistics. Highlight risks and mitigation strategies.

MECE Principle

Ensure Mutually Exclusive, Collectively Exhaustive solutions

Example prompt: Segment our customer base into MECE categories for targeted marketing. Avoid overlap between segments like ‘small businesses’ and ‘startups’. Output as a nested list.

Force Field Analysis

Identify driving/restraining forces for change

Example prompt: We’re transitioning to a 4-day workweek. List driving forces (employee morale) vs restraints (client coverage). Score each factor’s strength and propose interventions.

Decision Matrix

Compare options using weighted criteria

Example prompt: I need to choose between three CRM platforms. Create a decision matrix comparing pricing, scalability, integration ease (70% weight), and user reviews (30% weight).

First Principles Thinking

Break problems into fundamental truths

Example prompt: Redesign urban waste management for a 2M-person city. Start from first principles: What’s essential for efficiency? Ignore existing systems and propose radical solutions.

Analogous Reasoning

Apply solutions from unrelated domains

Example prompt: How would Netflix’s recommendation algorithm approach personalised learning paths for high school math? Adapt its core principles to education.

Inversion Technique

Solve problems by reversing assumptions

Example prompt: Instead of increasing gym memberships, explore how to discourage sign-ups. Use inverted insights to identify pain points and improve retention.

SCAMPER Method

Modify ideas via Substitute/Combine/Adapt/etc

Example prompt: Apply SCAMPER to redesign a traditional library: Substitute physical books with AR experiences. Combine it with coworking spaces. Propose 5 innovations.

Cost-Benefit Analysis

Quantify trade-offs between solutions

Example prompt: Should our startup build an in-house AI team or outsource? Compare 5-year costs, IP control, and speed-to-market. Include sensitivity analysis for funding changes.

Hypothesis Testing

Validate assumptions with data-driven insights

Example prompt: Our SaaS team believes adding a chatbot will reduce support tickets by 40%. Design an A/B test framework, including success metrics and methods to isolate variables.

Pre-Mortem Analysis

Anticipate failure points pre-implementation

Example prompt: Imagine our new TV streaming app failed catastrophically in 2025. List 10 reasons why, then create a risk mitigation plan with timelines and ownership.

Lateral Thinking

Solve problems through unconventional approaches

Example prompt: How could a grocery store reduce plastic use by 90%? Use lateral thinking: Explore edible packaging, incentivised returns, or partnerships with local farmers.

TRIZ Method

Leverage patterns from past innovations

Example prompt: Apply TRIZ Principle 35 (parameter changes) to improve solar panel efficiency. Suggest material modifications and novel energy storage configurations.

OODA Loop

Observe-Orient-Decide-Act for dynamic problems

Example prompt: Crisis PR scenario: Our product caused a safety incident. Run an OODA Loop response plan for the first 72 hours, including social listening and stakeholder comms.

Prototyping

Build rapid models to test concepts

Example prompt: Design a low-fidelity prototype for a mental health app. Outline key user flows in text, then generate a wireframe sketch using DALL-E integration for visual reference.

Blue Ocean Strategy

Create uncontested market space and make competition irrelevant

Example prompt: Our fitness wearables company is entering an oversaturated market. Apply the Blue Ocean strategy to identify an unserved segment. Use the Eliminate-Reduce-Raise-Create (ERRC) Grid to propose innovative features that could differentiate us. Focus on opportunities beyond tracking trends in remote work, digital health, and personalised wellness.

Root Cause Analysis

Identify underlying causes of recurring problems

Example prompt: My e-commerce platform’s checkout abandonment rate increased by 35% last month despite stable traffic. Analyse user paths, payment logs, and customer feedback to identify root causes. Provide actionable recommendations.

Counterfactual Reasoning

Explore “what if” historical scenarios

Example prompt: What if Blockbuster had acquired Netflix in 2000? Simulate the streaming market’s evolution, including impacts on current production and global internet infrastructure.

Six Thinking Hats

Analyse problems from multiple perspectives

Example prompt: Evaluate launching a subscription model for our software using Six Hats: White (data), Red (emotions), Black (risks), summarise insights in a comparison table.

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Experimentation

Credit: http://www.precoil.com

Step 1 – Product strategy canvas:

Refer to Shardul Mehta

You are a product manager.

Using the following product strategy canvas categories, please answer the associated questions for each category based on the following value proposition statement:

• For [target customers], who has [problem], [product] provides [benefit] unlike [alternatives] because [competitive advantage].
• We will know it’s true when [demonstration of achieving outcome].

Customer Segment

• For whom are we solving a problem?
• For whom are we creating value?
• Who is a potential early user of the solution?

Problem

• What is the top problem faced by our target Customer Segment?

Existing Alternatives

• What are the existing alternatives?
• Who are they offered by?
• How are they solving the problem today?

Unique Value Proposition

• How are we uniquely going to solve our customer’s problems or satisfy their needs?
• A single, clear, compelling message that states why you are different and worth buying.
• State the value proposition as an analogy, example, the AirBnB of garage space

Channels

• How will we get (acquire), keep (retain) and grow (sell more to existing) customers?
• Get/Acquire: How will we drive awareness, interest, activation, usage?
• Keep/Retain: How will we keep customers coming back?
• Grow: How will we up-sell/cross-sell customers, encourage referrals?

Solution

• What are the primary ways we are going to solve the problem faced by our Customer Segment?

Unfair Advantage

• What makes us uniquely different?
• What is it about our product or business that can’t be easily copied or bought?

Key Success Factors

• How will we measure success?
• What key metrics are we trying to move?

Key Resources & Partners

• What are the critical internal and external resources we need to deliver the solution to the customer?

Revenue/Business Value

• What is the business value of delivering the product/service/capability? (E.g., drive revenue, save money, increase CSAT, competitive differentiator, market positioning, etc.)

Cost Structure

• What are most important costs inherent in our product model?
• Which Key Resources are most expensive?
• Which key activities are most expensive – product development, marketing, customer support?

Step 2 – Generating a list of the riskiest assumptions:

Source – http://www.precoil.com

Using the output from the product strategy canvas, please do the following:

Generate a list of risky assumptions that would have to be true for the idea to work. The assumptions should be categorised into three groups: Desirable, Viable, and Feasible.

Desirable: Do they want this? What evidence exists that illustrates customers are interested? Desirability risks include (but are not limited to) the market being too small, too few customers wanting the value proposition, or the inability to reach, acquire, and retain targeted customers.

Viable: Should we do this? What evidence exists that this is a viable business? Viability risks include  (but are not limited to) the inability to generate enough revenue, customers being unwilling to pay, or costs being too high to make a sustainable profit.

Feasible: Can we do this?What evidence exists that shows we can build and deliver? Feasibility risks include  (but are not limited to) not being able to access key resources (technology, IP, brand, etc.), develop necessary capabilities, or find key partners to build and scale.

Structure the assumptions in a table with the following columns: Category (Desirable, Viable, Feasible)

Assumption (starting with “I believe…”)

Provide 5 to 8 assumptions for each category. Each category should be in its own table.

Step 3 – Prioritisation assumptions:

Rank this table of assumptions by importance:

High: These are the riskiest assumptions. If proven false, they could cause the business to fail.

Medium: Less important than high-risk assumptions but still crucial for success.

Low: Not important to the immediate success of the business.

Step 4 – Prioritizing Assumptions by Evidence

Rank this table of assumptions by how much recent evidence you can find that exists for each assumption:

Light Evidence: Includes surveys, opinions, and what people say.

Medium Evidence: Covers actions like email submissions.

Strong Evidence: Involves definitive actions such as pre-payments.

Filter the list of assumptions to the riskiest assumptions with high importance and light evidence. Order the list with high importance + light evidence first.

Step 5 – Creating an Experiment Plan

Create a draft experiment plan for the next 90 days based on these riskiest assumptions.

The plan should include: Summary of the idea.

Table of riskiest assumptions (high importance + light evidence) with category, assumption, importance and evidence strength.

Experiments categorized by purpose:
Discovery Experiments: To gather initial insights and evidence.
Validation Experiments: To confirm the assumptions with stronger evidence. For each experiment, include:

Assumption Experiment Measurements Acceptance criteria

Generate a timeline for conducting the experiments, starting with discovery and light evidence, followed by validation and stronger evidence.