{"id":"exec-issue-tree-churn-hypotheses","audience":"consultants","category":"leadership-work","track":"leadership","level":"intermediate","technique":"context","title":"Build a churn issue tree whose branches do not overlap","free":false,"task":"The client's customer churn rose from 3% to 5%. Build an issue tree in plain text with exactly 3 top-level branches labeled A, B and C that do not overlap, each with exactly 2 sub-branches (A1, A2 and so on) written as testable questions. Use only the data sources listed in the notes, and end with one line starting \"First data to pull:\".","materialLabel":"Client brief (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"Client: PackRight (fictional), B2B packaging supplier\n\nProblem: Customer churn (customers lost per quarter) rose from 3% to 5% over the last 2 quarters.\n\nData available: CRM (accounts, owner, renewal dates), support ticket system (tickets by account), invoicing (price changes by account), NPS survey (last 2 quarters), sales call notes.\n\nNot available: competitor price data, market surveys.\n\nFacts so far\n- 60% of churned accounts were in the Midwest region (Midwest is 35% of accounts).\n- Price increase of 6% went out in April.\n- A new account-management model started in May; accounts were reassigned.\n- CEO guesses a competitor is undercutting us. No evidence yet.","rules":[{"type":"maxWords","max":170},{"type":"plainText"}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Overlapping branches","why":"The AI repeats pricing under two branches.","fix":"Say: \"Branches must not overlap.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Using unavailable data","why":"The AI plans a competitor price study.","fix":"Say: \"Only data sources in the notes.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Statements instead of questions","why":"The AI writes 'Pricing is too high'.","fix":"Say: \"Write each sub-branch as a testable question.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"No data starting point","why":"The AI skips what to pull first.","fix":"Say: \"End with First data to pull: and one source.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Markdown","why":"The AI uses nested bullets and bold.","fix":"Say: \"Plain text, labeled lines.\"","checks":["plainText"]},{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands over it.","fix":"Cap each line: \"each line under 20 words.\"","checks":["maxWords"]},{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands over it.","fix":"Cap each part instead, for example: \"each line under 12 words.\"","checks":["maxWords"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Branch labels","patterns":["a1","b2","labeled"]},{"label":"MECE","patterns":["overlap","mece","distinct"]},{"label":"Questions","patterns":["question","testable"]},{"label":"Data limits","patterns":["only (the )?data","available"]},{"label":"First data","patterns":["first data to pull"]}],"hint":"Give the label scheme, ask for no overlap and testable questions, and limit it to available data.","rubricLabels":["The tree has exactly three top-level branches labeled A, B and C with exactly two sub-branches each (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2) that are phrased as testable questions","Branches are distinct and use facts from the notes (price increase, account reassignment, Midwest concentration) and none depends on competitor price data","The last line starts with \"First data to pull:\" and names one source from the available list"]}