# Incoming Request Breakdown Template

Use this template to decode an incoming message yourself — paste the message at the top, then fill each section. Scale depth to the message: collapse or skip any empty section and mark it "none stated." Keep every bullet to 4-8 words, ASCII only; verbatim quotes from the message are exempt.

## Provenance
Adapted from `prompts/incoming-request-breakdown.md` in the `https://github.com/deanpeters/product-manager-prompts` repo. Original prompt by Dean Peters (July 8, 2026).

## Template
```markdown
## Incoming Request Breakdown

> Source message (paste verbatim; note if any part is cut off):
> [paste the Slack ping, email, mandate, escalation, or FYI here]

### 1. Classify
- [Message type and channel, one line]
- Types: meeting prep, feedback, feature request, mandate, escalation, FYI, ask for help, other

### 2. Sender Read
- [Who sent it, apparent role]
- [Relationship: upstream, peer, or downstream]
- [Power and stake where they matter]

### 3. Literal Ask
- [What they explicitly want, plain terms]

### 4. Underlying Problem Space
- [The job they are trying to get done]
- [The outcome behind the request]
- [Separate the ask from the need]

### 5. Sentiment and Subtext
- [Tone, urgency, frustration, enthusiasm, politics]
- [Quote the tell if there is one]

### 6. Must-Haves vs Nice-to-Haves
- Must-haves: [hard requirements for the deliverable]
- Nice-to-haves: [soft preferences, clearly separated]

### 7. Hard Negatives
- [What they explicitly do not want]
- "None stated" if none

### 8. Success Criteria
- [Pass/fail bar, metric, or definition of done]
- [How they will judge the result worked]
- Capture only what is stated; mark implied ones as inference
- "None stated" if none

### 9. Hard Constraints
- [Drop-dead dates, budget, non-negotiables]
- "None stated" if none

### 10. Gaps and Ambiguities
- [What is unclear or missing before committing]

### 11. Risks
- [Scope, expectation, political, timeline landmines]

### 12. Recommended Next Steps
- [Move 1]
- [Move 2]
- [2 to 4 concrete moves, ordered]

### Assumptions to Validate
- [Anything inferred rather than stated]
- [Sender read or intent guessed]
- [Success criteria or constraints implied]
```

## Next move
After the breakdown, pick one:
1. Draft a reply to the sender (usually the right first move)
2. Build a meeting agenda for this ask
3. Reframe the ask as a discovery framing
4. Draft a counter-proposal that protects the outcome