Prompts that get you a better answer

Tips for a better answer

• Answer its questions honestly, then ask it to sum up what your answers suggest.
• For decisions about money, the law or your health, use this to get your thoughts in order, then talk to a qualified adviser.

An example, filled in

Help me think through a decision. I’m choosing between staying in my job or taking a new one with a longer commute and £3,000 more a year. What matters most to me: time with my children, learning new skills, a steady income. My situation: the new job is 50 minutes each way by train; my current job is a 15-minute walk. For each option, give me the pros, the cons and the biggest risk, in a table. Then ask me three questions that would help me decide. Be kind but honest. Don’t make the decision for me, and don’t assume anything about my situation that I haven’t told you.

Tips for a better answer

• Ask what usually goes wrong in projects like yours, and add those to your risks.
• Put the plan where everyone can see it, and update it every week.

An example, filled in

Plan this project: moving our small office to a new building without losing a working day. Deadline: 31 August. People and budget: four staff and a removals firm; a budget of £6,000. Already done: the new lease is signed. Give me: the stages in order; the tasks in each stage, each with an owner (by role) and a rough time; the milestones; the three biggest risks, each with a way to reduce it; and what must happen this week. Show the timeline as a table, week by week. Be straightforward, and point out anything in my plan that looks unrealistic.

Tips for a better answer

• Do it with your team: people find it easier to raise worries about an imaginary failure.
• Pick the three biggest risks and give each one an owner today.

An example, filled in

Let’s run a pre-mortem. Imagine it’s January 2028, and this project has failed badly: launching our online shop in time for Christmas 2027; two staff will run it, using an online shop builder, with products photographed in house. List the ten most likely reasons it failed, covering people, money, time, technology, suppliers and outside events. For each, rate how likely and how serious it is (low, medium or high), give the early warning sign to watch for, and one thing to do now to prevent it. Put them in a table, most serious first. Be blunt and specific to my project, not generic.