Free guide · works with ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini
Ai prompts for project management
Turns a messy idea into a scoped, scheduled, owned and visibly tracked project with clear success measures and weekly momentum. Produces a complete, lightweight control system you can run and reuse without hiring a project manager.
Step 1, free.
Copy this, paste it into your AI, and swap the [BRACKETS] for your own details.
Setup: Capture project context
Provide: [PROJECT NAME], [BACKGROUND / WHY NOW], [PROBLEM OR OPPORTUNITY], [IN-SCOPE NOTES], [OUT-OF-SCOPE NOTES], [CONSTRAINTS], [ASSUMPTIONS], [INITIAL RISKS], [KEY DATES / DEADLINES], [SPONSOR NAME], [PROJECT LEAD], [CORE TEAM NAMES], [LOCATION(S)], [NOTES]. Act as a discovery facilitator and produce a tight Context Brief that sets up fast, aligned decisions later. Work through it like this: 1) Clarify the driver: restate the problem/opportunity in one paragraph and the “why now” in one sentence. 2) Define the boundary: draft in-scope vs out-of-scope as bullets; call out any contentious edges. 3) Capture constraints and assumptions: list time, budget, resource, technology, vendor and policy constraints; separate hard constraints from soft ones. 4) Note key dates and dependencies: identify immovable deadlines and any external dependencies that could affect timing. 5) Record people and places: name sponsor, project lead, core team, and primary locations/regions impacted. 6) Summarise risks and unknowns: top 5 initial risks and known unknowns to be tested in planning. Give me the output as: - Context Brief v1 with sections: Project Snapshot (Name, Sponsor, Lead, Locations), Why/Context, Problem/Opportunity, Scope Boundary (In / Out), Constraints (Hard / Soft), Assumptions, Key Dates & External Dependencies, Initial Risks (with simple owner), Known Unknowns, Notes. Quality bar: A single page anyone new can read in 3 minutes and explain back correctly without jargon. If any field is missing or unclear, mark it MISSING and add a short “Questions to confirm” list at the end.
How to get a good answer.
- 01Fill every [BRACKET] with real detail. Vague in, vague out.
- 02Read the answer, then reply with what's wrong or missing. The AI fixes it in seconds.
- 03Check facts, prices and anything legal or safety-related yourself before you use it.
The rest of the workflow.
Step 1 gets you started. The full Small Project Planner takes you all the way, 14 steps in order:
- 01Setup: Capture project context (free above)
- 02Setup: Define outcomes and success
- 03Setup: Map stakeholders and decision rights
- 04Planning: Write the one-page scope
- 05Planning: Build the work breakdown by workstream
- 06Planning: Estimate effort and team capacity
- 07Planning: Create the dated milestone schedule
- 08Planning: Log risks, assumptions, dependencies and issues (RAID)
- 09Planning: Outline budget and resourcing snapshot
- 10Execution Control: Set communications plan and rituals
- 11Execution Control: Baseline plan and start change control
- 12Execution Control: Run the weekly status update
- 13Delivery: Complete readiness checks and handover
- 14Maintenance & Reuse: Run closeout and package for reuse
Pay once, keep it. Delivered instantly with a copy button on every prompt.
Questions
Does this work with the free version of ChatGPT?
Yes. The prompt works in the free versions of ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini, on a phone or a computer.
What do I put in the [BRACKETS]?
Your real details: notes, numbers, names, whatever the bracket asks for. The more specific you are, the better the answer.
Is the AI's answer always right?
No. Treat it as a strong first draft: check facts, figures and anything legal or safety-related before you use it.
What's in the full Small Project Planner?
14 steps run in order, a system prompt that sets the AI up for the job, worked examples, fix-it prompts and a quality checklist. It's NZ$22 once, no subscription.
Know someone who'd use this?
Send them the free prompt: