A Prompt to Find Gaps and Unanswered Questions

You can spend a lot of time developing a plan and still miss something important.

I have run into this myself. When you have been working on something for a while, you know what you meant. You understand the background, the assumptions you made, and the things you have already considered. That can make it difficult to recognize what you haven’t explained—or what you may have overlooked.

It is one reason I have created specialized GPTs in the past—to give me another set of eyes.

But you don’t need to create a GPT to get that benefit.

Sometimes a simple prompt is enough:

“What important questions have I not answered?”

The goal is not for AI to fill in the missing information. It is to help you recognize what may still need your attention.

Sample Prompt

Remember: the information inside square brackets [ ] is for you to replace with information specific to your situation.

<prompt>
Review the following [plan, document, idea, or proposal].
Identify important questions I may not have answered.
Look for:
- Information that is unclear or missing
- Assumptions I may be making
- Decisions that have not been made
- People or groups that may be affected
- Constraints or dependencies I may have overlooked
- Exceptions or situations I may not have considered
Organize the questions by category.
For each question:
1. Explain briefly why it matters.
2. Identify the relevant section or statement, if available.
3. Indicate whether the information is missing, unclear, or based on an assumption.
Do not answer the questions by making assumptions.
If the information is already provided, point me to it rather than identifying it as a gap.
Do not invent problems or treat every possible question as equally important.
I will decide which questions require further investigation or action.
Material to review:
[Paste your plan, document, idea, or proposal here]
</prompt>

Why This Works

This prompt asks AI to look for what may be missing, rather than simply summarizing what is already there.

It can help you:

• See assumptions that may not be obvious to someone else.
• Identify decisions or information that are still missing.
• Recognize people, constraints, or situations you may have overlooked.
• Turn potential gaps into questions you can investigate.

Most importantly, the prompt tells AI not to fill in the gaps by making assumptions.

Organizing the questions by category can also make the results easier to evaluate, particularly when reviewing a lengthy document or complex proposal.

Before You Use the Results

Review each question and decide whether it is actually relevant.

AI may identify something that you have already considered, something that does not apply to your situation, or something that simply is not important.

If a question does reveal a real gap, determine what information you need and verify the answer using appropriate source material or an expert.

AI can help identify questions you may have missed. You remain responsible for deciding which questions matter and how they should be answered.

Next in This Series

A Prompt to Challenge Your Thinking

Return to the Practical and Responsible AI Series Index