{"id":"pm-prd-problem-section","audience":"product-managers","category":"summarizing","track":"productivity","technique":"grounding","title":"Write a PRD problem section from interview notes","free":false,"task":"You're drafting the Problem section of a PRD for a shift-scheduling app, based on 5 customer interviews. You want exactly 3 numbered problem statements, each ending with how many of the 5 customers raised it (like '(4 of 5)'), under 90 words in total, plain text. It must describe problems only, not solutions, and must leave out your own idea and the secondhand sales claim, since neither came from a customer.","materialLabel":"Your interview notes (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"Interview notes - Shiftly scheduling, Oct 2026 (5 customer calls)\n\nCall 1 - Rosa, ops lead, Greenway Grocers (14 stores)\n- Swapping shifts takes 3 texts and a manager approval; swaps get lost.\n- Managers rebuild the schedule from scratch every week.\n\nCall 2 - Dev, store manager, Pine & Pour Cafe\n- \"Half my week is chasing who can cover.\" Swaps get lost in group texts.\n- Wants to copy last week's schedule.\n\nCall 3 - Imani, HR, Bolt Fitness\n- Can't see overtime coming until payroll runs. Got hit with surprise OT twice.\n- Swaps approved verbally, nobody records them.\n\nCall 4 - Luis, GM, Harbor Hardware\n- Rebuilds the schedule every Sunday night, 2 hours.\n- Overtime surprises on payroll day.\n\nCall 5 - Tamsin, owner, Little Oak Daycare\n- Swap requests buried in texts, approved but never updated in the schedule.\n- Overtime: \"I find out when the bill comes.\"\n\nMy idea (not from calls): AI auto-scheduling that builds the week for you.\nFrom Kyle in sales: \"Every prospect asks for a payroll integration.\" (Not raised in any of these calls.)","rules":[{"type":"numberedItems","count":3},{"type":"maxWords","max":90},{"type":"plainText"}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Asking for 'a PRD section'","why":"The AI writes a long section with headings, background and sub-bullets.","fix":"Be exact: \"Exactly 3 numbered problem statements. Plain text, no headings.\"","checks":["numberedItems","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 statement instead: \"each line under 20 words.\"","checks":["maxWords"]},{"title":"Leaving out the counts","why":"The AI writes 'customers struggle with...' without saying how many, so the PRD can't show which problem is biggest.","fix":"Add: \"End each line with how many of the 5 customers raised it, like (4 of 5).\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Jumping to solutions","why":"AI loves to be helpful and slips features into a problem statement.","fix":"Add: \"Problems only. No features or solutions.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Mixing in non-customer input","why":"Your own idea and the sales claim sit right in the notes, and the AI treats them as findings.","fix":"Add: \"Use only what customers said. Ignore 'My idea' and the note from sales.\"","checks":["r2"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Sets the number of problems","patterns":["\\b(3|three)\\b.{0,20}(problem|statement|line)"]},{"label":"Asks for counts","patterns":["how many","of 5","count","\\(\\d of \\d\\)"]},{"label":"Says problems, not solutions","patterns":["no (solution|feature)","not solution","problems? only","without solution"]},{"label":"Leaves out non-customer input","patterns":["my idea","sales","kyle","only (what )?customers"]},{"label":"Sets a word limit","patterns":["\\d+\\s*words","word (limit|count)"]}],"hint":"A problem section is only useful if it is evidence. Tell the AI how many problems, to count who raised each, to stay away from solutions, and which notes aren't customer evidence.","rubricLabels":["The 3 problems are shift swaps getting lost, rebuilding the schedule every week, and overtime surprises, each with the correct count (swaps 4 of 5, rebuilding 3 of 5, overtime 3 of 5; small wording differences are fine)","Describes problems only: no proposed features or solutions (no 'add a swap button', no auto-scheduling, no integrations)","Leaves out the PM's own AI auto-scheduling idea and the payroll integration claim from sales, and adds no intro or closing line"]}