AI Prompts for Consultants

"Create a consulting proposal template for a strategy engagement and demonstrate it with a hypothetical project: a mid-size retail company wants help developing a direct-to-consumer (DTC) e-commerce strategy. Include: executive summary (1 page max), understanding of the client's situation and challenges (show you listened), proposed approach and methodology (phased with clear activities per phase), team composition with relevant experience, timeline with milestones and deliverables, investment section (avoid the word 'cost' — frame as investment with expected ROI), assumptions and dependencies, and terms. The proposal should feel tailored, not templated. Include tips for pricing strategy (value-based vs. time-and-materials)."

"Create a stakeholder interview guide for the discovery phase of a consulting engagement focused on operational efficiency improvement. Include: 15 questions organized by theme (current state, pain points, desired outcomes, constraints, politics), specific probing techniques for when stakeholders give surface-level answers, how to handle conflicting perspectives between stakeholders, a note-taking template that captures both what was said and what was implied, a post-interview synthesis framework for identifying themes across multiple interviews, and guidance on how to present findings back to the client without attributing sensitive comments to specific individuals."

"Create a presentation structure for a 20-minute C-suite readout at the end of a 6-week consulting engagement on digital transformation readiness. Follow the Pyramid Principle (answer first, then supporting evidence). Include: the opening slide (recommendation in one sentence), the 'so what' slide (business impact quantified), 3 supporting argument slides (each with data, insight, and implication), a risk/mitigation slide, a roadmap slide with 3 horizons (quick wins, medium-term, transformational), an investment slide, and a next steps slide. For each slide, describe the key message, the visual format (chart type, layout), and what NOT to include. Include speaker notes with timing."

"Create a market sizing analysis for a hypothetical AI-powered legal document review tool targeting mid-size law firms (50-200 attorneys) in the United States. Perform both a top-down analysis (starting from total legal services market) and a bottom-up analysis (starting from number of target firms x willingness to pay). Show all assumptions explicitly, calculate TAM, SAM, and SOM with clear definitions, identify the key assumption that most affects the estimate and show sensitivity analysis around it, and present the final estimate as a range rather than a single number. Format for inclusion in a pitch deck or strategy document."

"Design a 4-hour strategy workshop for 12 client stakeholders to align on priorities for a digital transformation initiative. Include: a detailed agenda with timing for each activity, an icebreaker that doubles as a diagnostic exercise, a 'current state' mapping activity using a specific framework (value stream mapping), a prioritization exercise (2x2 impact/effort matrix with dot voting), a breakout session structure for deep-diving into top 3 priorities, a 'commitment wall' closing activity where leaders publicly commit to next steps, materials needed (sticky notes, templates, digital tools for hybrid participants), and facilitator tips for managing dominant personalities and drawing out quiet participants."

"Create a competitive landscape analysis framework and demonstrate it for a hypothetical client entering the corporate wellness platform market. Include: a methodology for identifying competitors (direct, indirect, potential entrants), a competitive positioning map on 2 key dimensions (price vs. comprehensiveness), a feature comparison matrix for the top 5 competitors, a strengths/weaknesses assessment for each competitor based on public information (reviews, case studies, pricing pages), identification of white space opportunities, a 'right to win' assessment for the client, and strategic recommendations (where to compete, where to differentiate, where to avoid). Present in a format suitable for a board presentation."

"Create a weekly consulting engagement status report template that keeps clients informed without overwhelming them. Include: a traffic light summary (Red/Amber/Green) for overall project health, key accomplishments this week (3 bullet points max), planned activities next week, risks and issues with mitigation actions and owners, decisions needed from the client (with deadlines), budget burn rate and forecast, and a 'spotlight' section highlighting one interesting finding or insight from the week's work. The report should take less than 5 minutes to read and less than 15 minutes to write. Demonstrate with a sample report for week 3 of a process improvement engagement."

"Create a process mapping and analysis template for documenting a client's current-state business process. Demonstrate with a hypothetical accounts payable process at a manufacturing company. Include: a SIPOC diagram (Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs, Customers), a detailed step-by-step process flow with decision points, role assignments for each step (RACI matrix), cycle time estimates for each step, identification of waste using Lean categories (waiting, rework, over-processing, handoffs), pain points flagged by process owners, and a future-state recommendation with estimated time savings. Format the process flow as a text-based diagram that can be easily converted to a visual."

"Create a change management plan for implementing a new ERP system at a 500-person manufacturing company, replacing a legacy system used for 15 years. Cover: stakeholder impact assessment (who is affected and how), resistance analysis (likely sources of resistance and mitigation strategies), communication plan (what to communicate, to whom, when, and through which channel), training plan (role-based training curriculum, timeline, and delivery method), champion network (identifying and empowering change advocates in each department), success metrics (leading indicators like training completion, lagging indicators like adoption rates), and a hypercare plan for the first 90 days post-launch. Use the ADKAR framework as the underlying structure."

"Draft a Statement of Work (SOW) template for a consulting engagement and demonstrate it with a hypothetical 8-week data analytics maturity assessment. Include: project background and objectives, detailed scope (what's included AND what's explicitly excluded), deliverables with acceptance criteria for each, project timeline with phases and milestones, team structure and time commitments, client responsibilities and dependencies, change request process (how scope changes are handled, approved, and priced), assumptions that could affect the engagement, governance structure (steering committee, working team, escalation path), and commercial terms (fixed fee with payment milestones tied to deliverables). Flag the 3 most common SOW mistakes that lead to scope creep."

"Build an ROI business case template for justifying a technology investment to a CFO. Demonstrate with a hypothetical proposal to implement an AI-powered customer service chatbot that would handle 40% of tier-1 support tickets. Include: current state cost analysis (fully loaded cost per ticket, volume, handle time), projected savings with conservative, moderate, and aggressive scenarios, implementation costs (software, integration, training, change management), a 3-year NPV calculation with discount rate assumptions, non-financial benefits (customer satisfaction, employee experience, scalability), risk factors that could reduce ROI, and a sensitivity analysis showing which assumptions matter most. Present in a format a CFO would find credible — no hand-waving."

"Draft a professional email to a client CEO delivering findings they won't want to hear: your assessment has revealed that their flagship product's market share decline is primarily due to internal execution issues (slow release cycles, technical debt, talent attrition) rather than the competitive pressure they assumed. The email should: lead with empathy and shared goals, present the findings factually without blame, acknowledge what the company is doing well, frame the problems as solvable with specific recommendations, propose a follow-up meeting to discuss in detail, and maintain the consulting relationship. Tone should be direct but diplomatic — never condescending. Under 300 words."