Ask GenAI for the following info based on this course.

https://balancing-fm-and-pm.blogspot.com/2025/02/use-genai-tools-for-project-management.html

Course: Creating a Project Management & Business Analysis Planning playbook using GenAI

Personas

Act as persona senior project manager

Be conversational

I will converse with you as if I am a junior project manager and you will provide everything I need to be successful

Questions

When i ask a question recommend a better version of the question to use instead

Also, after you respond and ask me questions to drill down to uncover details of the topic

Alternative approaches

For anything that I ask you as the senior project manager, determine the underlying Project Management problem statement that I am trying to solve and how I am trying to solve it. List at least three alternative Project Management approaches to solve the problem and compare / contrast the approach with the original approach implied by my request as the  junior project manager to you 

Verify and combine

Combine your output to the the questions so that I receive a complete answer to the intent of the overarching question and problem statement

Provide evidence

I want to make sure the responses and out are correct. list facts that support your answers.

When you provide answers and output not only provide facts but indicate the reasoning, constraints and assumptions for your answer and output

Visualize the output

at the end of your response generate a diagram to visualize the text

Utilize the the full power of GenAI with advanced prompts

I want this to be like a brainstorming session, where we use previous discussion and information to to break down complicated items into intermediate or detailed basic steps to accomplish the overarching goal.

Example:

PROMPT:

•  Hi I am a junior project manager and I have been given and assignment to work with a new client. The client wants to perform business analysis planning. I need to get a business analysis playbook from you, the senior project manager. Can you have a conversation with me and through the discussion develop a business analysis planning playbook?

• ANSWER: 

Absolutely! Let’s work through this together.

1. Clarifying the Objective:

• To start, let’s define what the client is hoping to achieve with business analysis planning. Is this for a specific project, an entire business unit, or a company-wide initiative?

• What are the client’s key pain points or drivers that led them to seek business analysis planning? Understanding this will shape the playbook’s focus.

2. Stakeholder Identification:

• Who are the key stakeholders? Internal (executives, project sponsors, SMEs) and external (customers, regulatory bodies)?

• What level of engagement and communication will each stakeholder require?

3. Scope Definition:

• What areas of the business are in scope for analysis? Processes, systems, people, and data?

• Are there any constraints (time, budget, technology) that might limit the depth of the analysis?

4. Methodology & Tools:

• What frameworks or methodologies does the client prefer or currently use? (BABOK, Agile, Waterfall, Lean, Six Sigma?)

• Will you use specific tools for requirements gathering, process mapping, and gap analysis (e.g., JIRA, Confluence, Visio)?

5. Deliverables:

• Typical business analysis deliverables include a business requirements document (BRD), functional specifications, process flow diagrams, and a gap analysis report.

• What format and level of detail will the client expect?

6. Timeline & Milestones:

• What is the timeline for the business analysis effort?

• Key milestones might include stakeholder interviews, draft documentation, feedback sessions, and final deliverable handoff.

7. Risk Management:

• Identify potential risks (e.g., unavailability of SMEs, shifting priorities, incomplete information) and mitigation strategies.

8. Communication Plan:

• Frequency and format of status updates.

• Escalation paths for issues and decisions.

9. Success Criteria:

• What will success look like for this business analysis effort? Clearly defining this ensures alignment with client expectations.

10. Continuous Improvement:

• How will lessons learned during this effort be captured and applied to future business analysis activities?

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As we build this out, I’ll ask clarifying questions to help you think critically about the client’s environment and how to tailor this playbook to their needs. Let me know if we need to dive deeper into any of these sections!

PROMPT: 

• let's discuss bullet point 1.

• ANSWER: 

•  I’ve added some comments to help clarify the client’s objective and ensure we capture the right focus for the playbook. What insights do you already have about their motivations and scope? We can refine this section together!

• PROMPT: 

• this is for a specific project

• ANSWER: 

•  I adjusted the objective section to reflect that this is for a specific project! Now, let’s unpack what you know about that project — its goals, deliverables, and any success criteria the client’s already mentioned. That’ll help us fine-tune the next steps.

• PROMPT: 

• the goal is to elicit requirements for a laboratory informatics management system. deliverables are documents to relay functional requirements to developers. the biggest issue is that the BA (business analyst) and developer have not worked together and the BA has little experience with the specific laboratory informatics management system. the BA has experience this other laboratory informatics management systems and has excellent knowledge of the business domain.

• ANSWER: 

• I’ve incorporated the project goal, deliverables, and the challenge of the BA’s limited experience with this specific LIMS while highlighting their domain strength. Let’s think through how we might mitigate that gap — would a knowledge transfer session, shadowing with an experienced LIMS user, or pairing with the developer early on be viable strategies here? I’m happy to add some risk mitigation ideas to the playbook!

• PROMPT: 

• This is what I currently know I need. Can you provide details in one paragraph for each bullet point. bullet points are designated by this character -

• -BA Planning

• -Scope (inputs from PM)

• -Approach

• -Elicitation

• -Requirements Analysis

• -BA information mgt (requirements mgt)

• -Stakeholder engagement & mgt

• -Prepare stakeholders for elicitation

• -Communicate & confirm elicitation

• -Speak to your audience, business, developers,

• -Elicitation / Gap Analysis

• -Analysis

• -Document, process & business rules

• -Shadowing (observation)

• -Interviews

• -Workshops

• -Focus groups

• -Process modeling

• -Swimlanes, etc.

• -Prototyping/Feedback

• -Brainstorming, questionnaires & surveys

• -Artifacts

• -Notes, etc

• -Requirements Analysis

• -Progressive elaboration / iterative approach

• -Requirement attributes (Source, complexity, rationale, and status)

• -Prioritize

• -Requirements mgt & communication (trace, maintain & prioritize)

• -Modeling

• -Process: As Is / To Be Workflows

• -Narrative

• -Epics / User Stories

• -URS/FS

• -Use case 

• ANSWER: 

Absolutely! Let’s work through this together.

1. Clarifying the Objective:

• To start, let’s define what the client is hoping to achieve with business analysis planning. Since this is for a specific project, understanding the project’s goals, deliverables, and success criteria will shape the playbook’s focus.

• The goal is to elicit requirements for a laboratory informatics management system (LIMS). Deliverables will include documents to relay functional requirements to developers.

• The biggest challenge is that the business analyst (BA) and developer have not worked together before, and the BA has little experience with this specific LIMS. However, the BA has experience with other laboratory informatics systems and excellent knowledge of the business domain, which will help bridge the gap.

2. BA Planning:

• BA planning involves defining the activities, timelines, resources, and techniques that will be used to elicit, analyze, and manage requirements. A clear plan ensures alignment with project goals and stakeholder expectations while mitigating risks of scope creep or missed requirements.

3. Scope (Inputs from PM):

• Inputs from the project manager (PM) help define the boundaries of the analysis effort. This includes understanding project constraints, assumptions, dependencies, and critical success factors that shape the scope of the business analysis.

4. Approach:

• The approach defines how the business analysis activities will be carried out—whether Agile, Waterfall, or a hybrid methodology. This impacts how requirements are gathered, validated, and delivered, with an emphasis on collaboration and adaptability.

5. Elicitation:

• Elicitation is the process of gathering information from stakeholders through techniques like interviews, workshops, observation, and document analysis. Successful elicitation focuses on uncovering both stated and unstated needs.

6. Requirements Analysis:

• This phase involves validating, prioritizing, and refining the gathered requirements to ensure they are clear, complete, and aligned with business objectives. Techniques include gap analysis, process modeling, and swimlane diagrams.

7. BA Information Management (Requirements Management):

• Managing requirements involves maintaining traceability, version control, and prioritization throughout the project lifecycle. This ensures that changes are handled systematically and that the solution meets business needs.

8. Stakeholder Engagement & Management:

• Building strong relationships with stakeholders is critical for successful business analysis. This includes identifying stakeholders, understanding their needs and concerns, and fostering collaboration.

9. Prepare Stakeholders for Elicitation:

• Before elicitation, it’s essential to set expectations, share the agenda, and ensure that participants understand their role in providing insights and feedback.

10. Communicate & Confirm Elicitation:

• After elicitation sessions, promptly documenting and validating the findings with stakeholders helps confirm accuracy and completeness.

11. Speak to Your Audience (Business, Developers):

• Tailoring communication styles to suit different audiences ensures that business stakeholders understand the value and impact of requirements while developers receive the technical clarity they need.

12. Elicitation / Gap Analysis:

• Gap analysis helps identify discrepancies between current and desired states, providing insights that drive requirement refinement and solution design.

13. Analysis:

• Analytical techniques such as process modeling, root cause analysis, and decision analysis are used to evaluate and structure requirements.

14. Document, Process & Business Rules:

• Capturing business rules, process flows, and data requirements in clear documentation supports accurate development and testing.

15. Shadowing (Observation):

• Observing end-users in their environment provides contextual insights that may not surface in interviews or workshops.

16. Interviews:

• One-on-one interviews are effective for gathering detailed information and building rapport with stakeholders.

17. Workshops:

• Collaborative workshops bring stakeholders together to identify, prioritize, and validate requirements, fostering alignment and buy-in.

18. Focus Groups:

• Focus groups gather feedback from multiple stakeholders simultaneously, providing diverse perspectives on requirements and priorities.

19. Process Modeling:

• Creating visual representations of business processes helps identify inefficiencies, dependencies, and opportunities for improvement.

20. Swimlanes, etc.:

• Swimlane diagrams clarify roles and responsibilities within processes, improving communication and accountability.

21. Prototyping/Feedback:

• Prototyping provides a tangible representation of the solution, helping stakeholders provide more actionable feedback.

22. Brainstorming, Questionnaires & Surveys:

• These techniques encourage creative idea generation and help gather input from a larger audience.

23. Artifacts:

• Key artifacts include meeting notes, requirement specifications, process flows, and traceability matrices, ensuring thorough documentation.

24. Requirements Analysis:

• Progressive elaboration and iterative approaches help refine requirements over time, accommodating evolving needs.

25. Requirement Attributes (Source, Complexity, Rationale, and Status):

• Tracking attributes like source, complexity, and status ensures that requirements are well-managed and transparent.

26. Prioritize:

• Prioritizing requirements helps manage scope and ensure that the most critical needs are addressed first.

27. Requirements Management & Communication (Trace, Maintain & Prioritize):

• Effective requirements management ensures that requirements remain aligned with business goals and project constraints.

28. Modeling:

• Techniques like As-Is and To-Be workflows, use cases, and narrative modeling help visualize requirements and identify gaps.

29. Process: As-Is / To-Be Workflows:

• Understanding the current state (As-Is) and desired future state (To-Be) is foundational for identifying gaps and opportunities.

30. Narrative:

• Narrative descriptions provide context and rationale for requirements, helping developers and testers understand the business need.

31. Epics / User Stories:

• In Agile projects, epics and user stories help break down requirements into manageable, testable units.

32. URS/FS:

• The User Requirements Specification (URS) and Functional Specification (FS) documents formalize the requirements for validation and development.

33. Use Case:

• Use cases describe interactions between users and the system, identifying functional requirements and potential exceptions.

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As we build this out, I’ll ask clarifying questions to help you think critically about the client’s environment and how to tailor this playbook to their needs. Let me know if we need to dive deeper into any of these sections! 

References

Course: How to automate the creation of Project Management artifacts using GenAI, H L Ragsdale, Blogger (Google)

GenAI overview for PMs (PMI) 2023, PMI

ChatGPT Prompt Engineering Guide - (genai overview pmi course), PMI

Practical Application of Generative AI for Project Managers, PMI

Suggested GenAI Tools for Project Work, PMI

Prompt Engineering for ChatGPT, Coursera, Vanderbuilt U

Chat GPT for project management: execution, tracking, success , Coursera