Case Study · Knowledge Design

The BA
Prompt
Pack

A practical, AI-powered guide for people who have been handed complex analytical work with no formal training — and need to deliver it anyway.

Read the case study
Type Knowledge Product
Chapters 12
Artefacts 12 Templates
Audience Non-BA Practitioners
Artefact Interlink Map — Preview
① Before
You Start
Ch.1
Reverse Brief
Clarify what you've been asked
Ch.2
Straw Man
Provoke feedback with a draft
② Under-
stand
Ch.3
Personas & Scenarios
Know who you're working for
Ch.4
Stakeholder Map
Who matters and how
③ Define
Ch.5
Requirements
What must the solution do?
Ch.6
Business Case
Justify the investment
④ Plan
Ch.7
Project Plan
Tasks, owners, timelines
Ch.8
Process Maps
As-Is and To-Be flows
⑤ Design
Ch.9
Use Cases
Step-by-step interactions
Ch.10
Journey Maps
End-to-end experience
⑥ Deliver
(ongoing)
Ch.11
Risk Register
Live from day one
Ch.12
Status Reports
Stakeholder updates
12 Artefact Chapters
40+ Ready-to-Use Prompts
6 Project Phases Covered
0 BA Experience Required
The Challenge

People are doing BA work without knowing it

In most organisations, formal Business Analysts are a scarce resource. The gap is filled by project managers, subject matter experts, team leads, and administrators — people who are handed a task and expected to produce structured deliverables without any training in how to do it.

The result is wasted effort, misaligned expectations, and documents that don't hold up when scrutinised. Not because the people are incapable — but because nobody gave them a framework to work from.

"You don't need a job title to do great work. You need to know what you're trying to produce, why it matters, and how to get useful feedback on it."

The BA Prompt Pack was conceived as a practical field guide — not a textbook. Something you reach for when you've been handed a task and the blank page is staring back at you.

🎯

Starts where the reader actually is

The first two chapters tackle the most common real-world scenario: being given a vague brief. Before any artefact is built, the guide helps readers get clarity on what they've actually been asked to do.

🔗

Artefacts shown as a connected system

A visual interlink map shows how each of the 12 artefacts feeds into the next — making the relationships between personas, requirements, use cases, and business cases explicit and navigable.

💡

Prompts as the primary mechanism

Rather than explaining what to produce, every chapter provides AI prompts that produce a usable first draft immediately — with follow-up prompts to refine, expand, and adapt it.

📐

Sequenced in delivery order

Chapters are ordered to reflect how a project actually unfolds — from clarifying the brief through to ongoing status reporting — not alphabetically or by convention.

The Structure

Six phases. Twelve artefacts. One guide.

Phase 1
Before You Start
Ch.1 Reverse Brief
Ch.2 Straw Man
Phase 2
Understand
Ch.3 Personas
Ch.4 Stakeholders
Phase 3
Define
Ch.5 Requirements
Ch.6 Business Case
Phase 4
Plan
Ch.7 Project Plan
Ch.8 Process Maps
Phase 5
Design
Ch.9 Use Cases
Ch.10 Journey Maps
Ongoing
Deliver
Ch.11 Risk Register
Ch.12 Status Reports
A Key Insight

Scenarios justify.
Requirements scope.
Use Cases specify.

One of the most common points of confusion on a project team is the phrase "what's the use case?" — which usually means something quite different from the formal artefact. The guide names and resolves this, showing how three distinct concepts form one connected chain.

Scenario
Why does
this need to exist?

"A manager is travelling and needs to approve an expense claim on their phone — but right now they can only do it at their desk."

→ Personas & Scenarios · Ch.3
justifies
Requirement
What must
the solution do?

"The system must allow expense claims to be approved via a mobile device."

→ Requirements & Scope · Ch.5
scopes
Use Case
How exactly
will a user do it?

"Actor: Line Manager. Step 1: opens app. Step 2: reviews claim. Step 3: selects Approve or Reject. Exception: session timeout…"

→ Use Cases · Ch.9
Outcomes & Deliverables
🗺️
Interactive Artefact Map
A standalone HTML visual showing all 12 artefacts across 6 project phases, with cross-phase dependency links, the Scenario→Requirement→Use Case chain, and hover interactions.
🔢
40+ Structured Prompts
Every chapter contains a starter prompt and multiple follow-up prompts — all designed to produce usable output on the first attempt when given real project context.
📖
Plain-English Glossary
25+ BA terms defined in accessible language — not definitions from a textbook, but explanations written for someone encountering these terms mid-project for the first time.
🧭
Quick-Reference Decision Table
A "what am I actually trying to do?" table that maps common project situations to the right chapter — so readers can find their starting point without reading sequentially.
🪞
Reverse Brief Framework
A reusable approach for turning a vague brief into a structured document — with prompts for the covering note, open questions list, and objective sharpening. Applicable to any project, any organisation.
Sample Prompts

What a prompt actually looks like

Each prompt is structured to give an AI tool maximum context — and minimum ambiguity. Brackets show exactly where the reader fills in their own situation.

Reverse Brief
Straw Man
Requirements
Business Case
💡 Prompt — Create a Reverse Brief
I have been given a task or project to work on but the brief I received
is incomplete or vague. I want to write a reverse brief — a document
that captures my current understanding and asks for confirmation.

Here is what I have been told or given so far:
[Paste or describe the original brief, email, conversation, or
 instruction here — even if it is just a few lines]

Here is any additional context I have:
[Describe what you know about the team, the problem, or background]

Please write a reverse brief that:
1. Opens with a short statement of purpose — why this document exists
2. Captures my current understanding of the background and context
3. States what I believe the objective is (the outcome, not the output)
4. Outlines a draft scope — what I think is in and out
5. Lists the key stakeholders I am aware of
6. States the constraints and assumptions I am working with
7. Describes what success would look like
8. Ends with a clear list of open questions that need answers

Use plain, professional language. Where I have not given you enough
information, use [placeholder] text so I can fill it in.
💡 Prompt — Create a Straw Man Requirements List
I need to run a requirements-gathering session but I do not have
formal requirements yet. I want to create a straw man — a draft
list of requirements I believe are likely to be true, which I will
share with stakeholders to provoke their feedback and corrections.

Here is what I know about the project or initiative:
Project name: [name]
What it is about: [describe the problem or change being considered]
Who the users or affected people are: [describe them]
Any requirements already mentioned: [list anything you have heard]
Any constraints: [budget, technology, policy, etc.]

Please create a straw man requirements list of 15 to 20 requirements.
Include a mix of:
  — things that are almost certainly right
  — things that are plausible but may be wrong
  — one or two things that will provoke debate

Add a short introduction reminding the reader this is a straw man
for discussion — not a final list.
💡 Prompt — Create a Requirements Document
I need to write a requirements document for the following:

Project / initiative name: [name]
Problem being solved: [describe the problem or opportunity]
Users / people affected: [who will use or be impacted by this?]
What we know is needed: [any requirements already discussed or agreed]
What we know is NOT included: [any exclusions already agreed]
Key constraints: [budget, timeline, technology, policy, etc.]

Please create a requirements document that includes:
1. Background and purpose
2. Scope — In scope and Out of scope sections
3. Assumptions and constraints
4. Functional requirements (as a numbered list)
5. Non-functional requirements
6. Open questions that still need to be resolved
💡 Prompt — Create a Business Case
I need to write a business case for the following:

Initiative name: [name]
The problem or opportunity: [describe the situation]
Why now: [why does this need to happen now?]
Who is affected: [which users, teams, or customers?]
Options being considered: [list any options you are aware of]
Expected costs: [rough budget or resource estimates if known]
Expected benefits: [what value will this deliver?]
Key risks: [what could go wrong?]

Please write a structured business case covering all standard sections.
Use clear, professional language suitable for a senior leadership
audience. Where I have not provided specific data, use placeholder
text in [brackets] so I can fill it in.