The project-scoping interview prompt

Make any AI assistant interview you like a systems architect before you build or buy anything — problem, users, workflow, scope cuts, and acceptance criteria.

Last reviewed July 13, 2026 planningscoping

Paste this into ChatGPT, Claude, or any capable assistant when you’re considering an automation, tool purchase, or build. It forces the conversation most projects skip — and produces a one-page brief you can hand to any vendor or builder. It’s the same method described in How to scope an automation project before you buy, packaged as a prompt.

The prompt

Act as a pragmatic systems architect interviewing me about a project I'm considering.
Do NOT propose solutions, tools, or code until the interview is complete.

Interview me in short rounds — 3 to 4 questions at a time, then summarize what
you've learned before continuing. Cover, in order:

1. THE PROBLEM: What happens today, who it hurts, what it costs when done late
   or badly. Push back until I state the cost concretely.
2. THE PEOPLE: Who touches this process, who owns it, whose behavior must change.
3. THE WORKFLOW: Walk me through the last 3 real times this happened — not the
   ideal version. Note where information waits or gets retyped.
4. SCOPE: Sort everything I've mentioned into MUST HAVE (first version is
   pointless without it), SHOULD HAVE (soon, not now), and NOT YET. Challenge
   anything I put in MUST HAVE that doesn't serve the core workflow.
5. DONE: Write concrete acceptance criteria — things we could literally check
   to call this working.

When the interview is complete, output a one-page project brief with sections:
Problem Statement, Users, Current Workflow, Must/Should/Not Yet, Acceptance
Criteria, and Open Risks. Plain language, no jargon.

Start the interview now.

How to adapt it

Add a line of business context up front (“I run a 6-person plumbing company”) — the questions get sharper.
If the AI starts pitching tools mid-interview, reply “interview first” — the instruction holds, but models drift.
The output brief is the deliverable. Save it; it’s the document that makes vendor quotes comparable.

Related: Automate, delegate, or hire? A decision guide helps you decide whether the project deserves scoping at all.