---
name: decision-questionnaire-builder
description: "Turns a question nobody can settle into a short questionnaire one person can answer in five minutes, with a default for every item. Use when a decision is stuck and one person needs a quick, structured set of questions to settle it. Do not use for running a long interview or surveying many respondents. Related topics: product, communication."
---

# Decision Questionnaire Builder

Turns a question nobody can settle into a short questionnaire one person can answer in five minutes, with a default for every item.

## When to use

Use this skill when a decision is stuck and one person needs a quick, structured set of questions to settle it. Do not use it for running a long interview or surveying many respondents.

## Workflow

1. Ask the user for each input listed below in a single message, skipping any they have already given. Where options are listed, offer them, but accept other answers too.
2. Break the question into the smaller decisions that actually change the outcome.
3. Order the questions so earlier answers narrow the later ones.
4. Write each as one plain question with two to four options, a recommended default and the cost of each option.
5. Trim to about eight items that fit five minutes and add an introduction with the deadline and the no-reply default.
6. Add a mapping from answers to the final decision.

## Inputs

- **The undecided question** (longer free text)
- **Who will answer** (free text, e.g. "Name or role of the decider")
- **Why it is stuck** (longer free text)
- **Options on the table** (longer free text)
- **Deadline** (free text, e.g. "When the answer is needed")
- **Answer style** (choose one: Multiple choice, Short answers, Mixed)

## Output

A short introduction, up to eight questions each with options, a recommended default and cost notes, and an answer-to-decision mapping.

## Prompt template

Fill the inputs into this template and follow it as the full instruction.

### Decision Questionnaire Builder

Turn this stuck decision into a questionnaire.

- The undecided question: {{The undecided question}}
- Who will answer: {{Who will answer}}
- Why it is stuck: {{Why it is stuck}}
- Options on the table: {{Options on the table}}
- Deadline: {{Deadline}}
- Answer style: {{Answer style}}

Break the big question into the smaller decisions it depends on, and keep only those that change the outcome. Order them so earlier answers narrow later ones. Write each as a single clear question using plain words, with two to four options when multiple choice, a recommended default, and a one-line note on what the option costs. Add a free text line only where options cannot cover it. Keep the whole questionnaire answerable in about five minutes, so cap it at around eight items. Add a short introduction stating the decision, the deadline and what happens if there is no reply. Finish with a note that explains how each answer maps to a final decision, so the result is clear the moment it comes back.

## Pitfalls

- Asking about every detail, which makes the form too long to finish.
- Options with no stated cost, so the decider cannot compare them.
- No default on a no-reply, so the decision stays stuck.