Write the problem brief before the solution brief

Buyer principle

A professional can evaluate a real workflow more honestly than a vague request to add AI.

You know work is slow or frustrating, but the proposed AI project is still a list of features.

Use it in the buying process

Start with these decisions

1. Name the recurring work, the person who owns it, and the event that starts it.
2. Describe the current handoffs, source information, review, and final destination.
3. State the visible problem without prescribing a product or automation.
4. Define what must remain human-owned even if the workflow improves.

Pause point

Do not let an impressive proposal replace accountable buyer judgment

Do not send customer, employee, financial, legal, health, credential, or other sensitive information in an exploratory brief. Use redacted or fictional examples until an approved information boundary exists.