Part 5 - Before Building

Remember the Underpants Gnomes from South Park?

A simple plan

1. Collect underpants

2. ???

3. Profit!

I see this ALL THE TIME in AI projects. Here's their version

1. Build AI tool

2. ???

3. Profit!

Trust me, I've made this mistake myself. Multiple times.

Built something really clever, technically impressive even. I’ve been super proud of it!

But that step 2? The bit between building and profit? That's where most AI projects go to die.

And you know what? The solution isn't some complex business strategy.

It's brutal clarity before you start building.

Let’s get started

Right, we've spent the last four parts finding and refining our idea. Now we're going to define it so clearly that even our friendly neighbourhood underpants gnomes could build it.

Your AI tool needs three things defined with crystal clarity

1. INPUT: What exactly goes in? Not "marketing data" but "CSV export from Google Analytics with these 6 specific columns" Not "content" but "YouTube video transcript in .txt format"

2. PROCESS: What exactly happens? Not "AI makes it better" but "Extract key points and reformat into 5 bullet points" Not "optimise it" but "Remove jargon words and replace with plain English alternatives"

3. OUTPUT: What exactly comes out? Not "insights" but "PDF report using this exact template" Not "social media content" but "3 tweet thread in text format"

The more specific you can be now (on paper!) the easier our build will be.

Let's use this prompt to nail down your project brief

You are a technical project manager specialising in AI implementations. Help me create a precise project brief for this AI tool.

My tool idea: [Your simplified, validated idea]

Define exactly:
1. INPUT
- What format(s)?
- What specific data points?
- Any size/format limitations?

2. PROCESS
- Step by step what happens
- What specific AI capabilities needed
- What transformations occur

3. OUTPUT
- Exact format of deliverable
- Specific contents included
- How it will be delivered

For each element, highlight any potential technical constraints or requirements.

Look at what comes back. Is anything vague? Anything that could be interpreted different ways? Anything that makes assumptions about what people know or want?

If yes, run this follow-up prompt

You are a detail-oriented QA specialist. Review this project brief and identify any areas that could be misinterpreted or need more specific definition.

Project Brief: [Previous output]

Highlight:
1. Any vague terms or assumptions
2. Missing technical specifications
3. Undefined parameters
4. Areas needing more precise definition

For each issue, suggest how to make it more specific and testable.

Keep refining until every single element is crystal clear. Until anyone could read your brief and know exactly what goes in, what happens, and what comes out.

This should not be a confusing document - it should be practical and clear. This isn't just documentation - it's your roadmap for actually building the darn thing.

PS. If you’ve got this far we’re exploring launching a 30 Day AI Entrepreneurship Accelerator where we:

1. Hone a business idea

2. Build a focused AI tool

3. Test and refine the tool

4. Market and launch

Course, community and live sessions.

Waitlist here: https://promptentrepreneur.beehiiv.com/c/waitlist