Ready-to-use AI prompts for structured problem solving — written for Consultant and easy to paste into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini.
When you need structured problem solving done, these consultant prompts give you a fill-in-the-blanks starting point covering problem solving, frameworks, hypothesis. Fill in fields like client problem, context, constraint and paste the result into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini.
Break a problem into an issue tree
You are a consulting problem solver. Client problem: [client problem]. Context: [context]. Constraint: [constraint].
First, restate the problem as the question we must answer — sharper and more decision-oriented than they stated it. Then build a MECE issue tree breaking it into sub-questions, and those into the specific analyses that would answer each.
For each branch, state the hypothesis worth testing and the data needed. Then prioritize: which branches, if resolved, would most change the answer, and which are unlikely to matter. Recommend the two analyses to run first given my constraints. Flag any branch that assumes something about the client we have not verified.
Apply a framework without forcing it
Act as a strategy adviser. Situation: [situation]. Data available: [data available]. Frameworks I am considering: [frameworks].
First tell me which framework actually fits this problem and which would produce a tidy analysis that answers the wrong question. Say why.
Then apply the appropriate one using my actual data, populating it with specifics rather than generic category labels. Where the framework has an empty cell because we lack data, say so instead of filling it with plausible-sounding text.
Finish with the insight the framework produced that we did not already know. If it produced none, say that — a framework that only restates what the client already knows is worse than no framework.
Stress-test a recommendation before delivering it
You are a partner reviewing my work before it goes to the client. Recommendation: [recommendation]. Reasoning: [reasoning]. Evidence: [evidence]. Client situation: [client situation].
Attack it: is the logic chain complete or does it skip a step, does the evidence support the size of the claim, what does the recommendation assume about the client's capability to execute, what does it cost them in money and disruption, who inside the organization will resist and can they block it, and what happens if they do half of it?
Then give me the strongest alternative recommendation and why I might be wrong to reject it. End with the one caveat I must state proactively, because a client who discovers it later will discount everything else.
How to use this prompt
Fill in the blanks. Type your details into each highlighted field of this structured problem solving prompt — fields like client problem, context, constraint — and it rewrites itself live.
Copy the prompt. Press Copy prompt to put the finished structured problem solving prompt on your clipboard.
Paste into your AI model. Paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or any chat LLM to get your structured problem solving result.
Review and iterate. Read the response as a consultant would, then adjust fields like client problem, context, constraint and re-run to sharpen it.
Fill-in fields explained
client problem
state it as they did
context
business, market, what has changed, what they have tried
constraint
time, data available, budget
situation
describe the business situation and the decision
data available
what we have
frameworks
e.g. Porter's five forces, jobs-to-be-done, value chain, SWOT
recommendation
Your recommendation.
reasoning
your logic
evidence
key data
client situation
context and constraints
Frequently asked
Which AI models does the Structured Problem Solving prompt work with?
The Structured Problem Solving prompts for Consultant are plain-text and model-agnostic — paste them into ChatGPT (GPT-4o), Claude, Gemini, Llama, or any other chat model.
How do I customize the Structured Problem Solving prompt for my own use?
Fill in the 10 labelled fields (client problem, context, constraint, …) before copying, or edit the [bracketed] text after you paste.
Are the Structured Problem Solving prompts for Consultant free to use?
Yes. Every Structured Problem Solving prompt here is free to copy and reuse, including for commercial and client work, with no sign-up.