This page brings together the key resources shared during the webinar — so you can explore how to leverage AI as your strategic co-pilot to put ideas into action and build a plan that’s not only smart, but executable for the year ahead.

1. AI for Business
Strategy and Planning
Online Workshop | 5 December 2025
www.shifft.com.au

2. Leveraging AI
The keys:
• Lock it down
• Make it write like you
• Learn to write great
prompts
• Use it as a sounding
board, advisor. Coach
and consultant
• Don’t trust it

3. Set up your AI for
success
Watch our Video:
https://tinyurl.com/MakeTheMostofAI

4. Prompt Engineering
101

5. The Perfect Prompt Formula 1. Task - what do you want done
2. Context - limit the infinite
possibilities
3. Exemplar - give examples
4. Persona - what perspective do
you want
5. Format - how do you want it
presented
6. Tone - how do you want to
convey the information
Source:
“Master the perfect ChatGPT Prompt formula” | Jeff Su
https://youtu.be/jC4v5AS4RIM?si=piu__LpEBZnPu2CU

6. The Perfect Prompt Formula

7. 1. Task - what do you
want done
2. Context - limit the
infinite possibilities
3. Exemplar - give
examples
4. Persona - what
perspective do you
want
5. Format - how do you
want it presented
6. Tone - how do you
want to convey the
information
Develop a insight paper on avoiding stagnation when scaling your business. Make it
no longer than one page with about six key points. Draw on the Mindshop paper here:
https://www.mindshop.com/spinning-your-wheels/ for inspiration and adopt the
persona of leading business advisor. Ensure it has an introductory paragraph and
then the six key points and a summary. Write it in a style that is confident, engaging
and professional.
A good prompt structure

8. Create a
Prompt
Library
Keep the good ones
for future reference

9. Build a
Library
Copy
Copy prompts that
used frequently,
delivered great
results or are
complex to your
own Prompt Library.
Store
Use Notion,
OneNote, Google
Docs or your
favourite
Notetaking App to
store them.
Sort
Sort them into
meaningful
categories
Cut and Paste
Cut and Paste them
to your AI to use
them

10. AI Prompt Libraries
Some of the Prompts we
will use today are taken
from my AI Prompt
Libraries – others are
based on my experience
and specific use cases.

11. Exercise Planning
Challenge
In small groups:
• Introduce yourself and your
business – 30 seconds
• “What is one planning
challenge you want AI to
help you improve in 2026?”
• You will have 10 minutes so
manage your time and let
everyone have a chance to
talk.
• Note: Only share
information you are
comfortable sharing. There
is no pressure….

12. AI for better strategy and
planning
Leverage the power and resources of AI

13. A simple
planning
structure
NOW
WHER
E
HOW

15. The Prompt
Sequence
NOW
Industry Analysis
Market
Perception
Competitor
Analysis
Key Issues
WHERE
Vision Statement
Big Rocks
KPIs
HOW
SWOT Analysis
Strategic Actions
Risk Analysis
Summary Plan

16. A sequence of
powerful
prompts to
drive your
strategy and
planning
• The following sequence can be
modified for all businesses and
situations.
• The prompts can be used in
isolation or as a sequence.
• At the end, I will demonstrate how
to leverage them as a “Mega-
Prompt.”

17. Set the context
You are a leading Business Advisor
and Planner. You will be assisting me
to develop a comprehensive plan for
my business for the next year. My
business is [business name], [website]
and my LinkedIn profile is [LInkedIn
URL] and my business can be
summarised as: [provide an overview
of your business – include industry
and region]

18. The NOW
Taking stock

19. Good Prompt
List key market trends
affecting [insert industry]
businesses in [insert region]
Modified from AI Prompts for
Professional Service Firm
Partners, #141
Better Prompt
You are a leading market and
environmental analyst.
List key economic, market and
other trends affecting [insert
industry] businesses in [insert
region].
Summarise results as a PESTLE
analysis for this industry covering
Political, Economic, Social,
Technological, Legal and
Environmental factors that may
influence our strategy over the
next 12–24 months.
Summarise the Top 5 Industry
Issues.
Industry Issues and
Trends

20. Good Prompt
My business is [business name] and our website is [web url].
My LinkedIn profile is [linked in profile]. Review these inputs
and additional research you may do.
Summarise the look, feel, tone and target market of the
business. Identify our competitive advantage and why clients
buy from us. Summarise insights, challenges, opportunities
and issues including possible actions.
Market Perception:
How do you appear
in the market?

21. Good Prompt
“Create a competitor
positioning analysis prompt
using your top five
competitors’ websites and
service descriptions.”
AI for Managing Partners,
#443
Better
Prompt
What are the
Competition up to?
You are leading market analyst. My business is called
[business name] and our website is [web URL] – identify my
Top 3 competitors in [region] who are of similar scale and
scope to my business. Do not compare me to global or
national competitors.
Complete a detailed Competitor Analysis comparing the
Competition to my business in an objective and balanced
analysis. Provide a snap shot of each competitor and my
business.
Select up to 5 criteria to compare the competition with each
criteria scored out of 10 where 1 = poor and 10 = excellent.
Summarise the competitors and their strengths and
weaknesses and deliver the comparative analysis as a table
with totals.
Provide a detailed commentary on the Strengths and
Weaknesses of each Competitor.
Identify 5 key issues for my business that drop out of this
analysis.

22. Upload some data
Identify information that you
think maybe relevant to your
plan – diagnostics, previous
plans, financial reports,
surveys, strategic plans, etc
(anonymise data as
appropriate).
Upload it to your AI platform
Better Prompt
Analyse the attached
information on my business.
Give me a concise summary of
insights, trends, issues,
challenges and opportunities.
List the Top 5 Key Issues that
we need to address in the
next 1-2 years.
Key Issues:
Get a head start

23. The WHERE
Setting our destination

24. Good Prompt
“You are a strategic advisor.
Help me articulate a clear and
inspiring 3-year vision for my
business in [insert industry].”
AI for Personal Productivity,
#001
Better Prompt
You are a strategic advisor. Help
me articulate a clear and inspiring
3-year vision for my business in
[insert industry]. Use any available
information you have on my
business including [business
name] and [website URL]. Provide
a comprehensive Vision across key
areas and then provide a concise
Vision Statement.
Leverage off the following
aspirational targets and goals
[include target revenue,
service/product aspirations,
customers, operational, people
and financial goals]
Business Vision

25. Good Prompt
“Write a 3-year strategic goal-
setting prompt based on
revenue, client type, and
service mix.”
AI for Managing Partners, #082
“You are a performance
analyst. Help me define 3 KPIs
that measure execution, not
just outcomes.”
AI for Personal Productivity
#533
Better Prompt
Draw on the information you
already have on my business
and help me to develop 3-5
strategic Big Rocks for my
business for the next 12
months.
For each Big Rock, give it a
short action-oriented title and
a brief description of the
objective for this Big Rock.
Define 3x KPIs for each Big
Rock that measure execution,
not just outcomes. Each KPI
must have a measure and a
target. Present results in a
concise table.
Business Goals/Big
Rocks

26. Better Prompt
Using all the available information on this business,
create a simple SWOT Analysis detailing 5-7 elements
in each SWOT category. Keep language short, clear,
and easy to understand.
Pulling it together:
SWOT

27. The HOW
Strategy to Action

28. Better Prompt
Develop our Strategic Actions. Based on the SWOT, suggest up
to 2 practical actions per question below. Use simple, everyday
language. Focus on big-picture improvements — not daily
tasks.
How can we leverage our strengths?
How can we overcome our weaknesses?
How can take advantage of our opportunities?
How can we address our Threats?
How can protect our business where our weaknesses combine
with our threats?
Note that these actions will be grouped under our Big Rocks in
the next step
Strategic Actions

29. Better Prompt
Based on your review of our Big Rocks and our
Strategic Actions, group the Strategic Actions under
relevant Big Rocks.
Highlight any Strategic Actions that do not fit under
a specific Big Rock.
Suggest timings for the completion of the Strategic
Actions over the next year starting [month/ year].
Present the timings using the following Quarters
(Q1 = Jan to Mar, Q2 = April to June, Q3 = July to Sep,
Q4 = Oct to December) and suggest the starting and
finishing quarters for each Strategic Action
Present results as a concise table.
Group our actions

30. Good Prompt
“Write a risk assessment
prompt that includes likely
risks, impact, mitigation.”
Better Prompt
Write a risk assessment
prompt that includes likely
risks, impact, mitigation for
our business drawing on all
the information you have
available about [business
name], [website URL].
Review Industry analysis,
competitor analysis, key
issues and our plans and
strategies.
What are the Risks?

31. Better Prompt
Compile existing information into a concise plan.
THE NOW
Add the list of Top Industry Issues
Add the list of Top Business Issues
THE WHERE
Add our Vision Statement
Add the table of Big Rocks, Description, KPI, Targets
THE HOW
Add the table of Big Rocks, Strategic Actions, Timings
Add a concise summary of the Risk Analysis
Present this information in this chat with simple layout and
formatting using the NOW-WHERE-HOW structure.
Build the Plan

32. Better Prompt
Highlight the priority strategic actions that commence and/or
finish in Q1 to create our first 90 Day Plan.
90 Day Plan for Q1

33. Driving to a Plan
The Mega-Prompt

34. The Mega-
Prompt
• When we have large prompts, AI sometimes
will forget earlier instructions and will stray off
target.
• The Solution is to provide the instructions in a
“Mega-Prompt” broken down into logical steps
• Given the correct instructions your AI will run a
step and pause for comments and rework
before moving the next Step. It should also
retain all information from that Chat.
• We have given you all steps combined into a
Mega-Prompt. Open the Word version and use
“Edit/Find/Replace” to populate the Mega-
Prompt with your specific information.

35. Information you will
need to populate the
Mega Prompt
• [business name] = the public name of your
business e.g. Shifft
• [website URL] = your website address e.g.
www.shifft.com.au
• [LinkedIn URL] = link to your LinkedIn profile -
https://www.linkedin.com/in/russellcummings/

36. Information you will
need to populate the
Mega Prompt
• [overview of your business] e.g. “a
boutique business coaching business
working with family and privately owned
business owners, executives and
managers for businesses in Australia
and New Zealand who want to grow and
take their business to the next level.
Current revenue is $XXXK per annum
and the business is profitable. I employ
2 virtual assistants. I have good life
balance and are working 4 days per
week for a total of 35 hours per week.

37. Information you will
need to populate the
Mega Prompt
• [industry] = the business you are in e.g.
management consulting and business
coaching
• [region] = the area you are located in e.g.
Gold Coast, Australia
• [service area] – where you service clients e.g.
Australia and New Zealand
• [year] = the year of your plan e.g. 2026
calendar year
• [month year] – the starting month of your
plan e.g. January 2026

38. Information you will
need to populate the
Mega Prompt
Additional information:
• Identify information that you think
maybe relevant to your plan –
diagnostics, previous plans, financial
reports, surveys, strategic plans, etc
(anonymise data, as appropriate).

39. Instructions
for use of the
Mega-Prompt
1. Review the information you will require to populate the
Mega-Prompt
2. Use /Edit/Find/Replace, load the required information
for each variable in the prompt eg. [business name] and
press “Replace All” to replace every instance of [business
name] in the Mega-Prompt with your business name.
3. Repeat for all variables
4. When all variables have been added, copy and paste the
entire Mega-Prompt into your AI Platform, upload
relevant files and press go.

40. Making it happen
Using the Mega-Prompt

41. What Next?

42. What next?
Once you have finished your plan, take the time to
carefully review it in your AI Platform
Take
Go back and modify sections by requesting new analysis.
Go back
and
modify
Ask it to complete the sequence of Planning Steps once
you are happy at each level
Ask
Ask it to export your Plan to the format of your choice
(less reliable)
Export
Cut and paste the output of each Step (final version) to a
Word or OneNote, Notion document so you have a full
version.
Cut and
paste
Ask AI to provide Summary versions in specific formats
Specific
Plans

44. Set up your AI for
success
Watch our Video:
https://tinyurl.com/MakeTheMostofAI

45. 1. Modify the Mega-Prompt to meet
your specific needs
2. Remember to anonymise any data
that you provide
3. Run the Mega Prompt and query
and re-instruct until you get the
output you are looking for.
4. Review your Final Output and take
the time to reflect.
5. Update your Plan, as required
6. Make it happen
Using the
Mega-prompt

46. AI Prompt Libraries
• The biggest challenges our clients have with AI is what to ask it.
• To help Russ, created a series of AI prompt libraries that include a
range of prompts to help you navigate through a variety of
scenarios.
• Accelerate your results with our growing collection of AI Prompt
Libraries – real words tested prompts for ChatGPT, Co-pilot and
other AI Tools to streamline work, increase productivity and spark
new ideas.
• Each book contains approximately 700 prompts tailored to your
specific industry, role or situation. Simply “cut and paste”, tailor for
your situation to get amazing result.
3 Series:
1. Industries and Professions
2. Roles and Positions
3. Key Situations and Tasks

47. Focused Execution: How to go from 70 hours
per week to 30 hours on double the revenue
https://tinyurl.com/focused-
execution
https://tinyurl.com/focused-
execution-aop
https://tinyurl.com/90-day-o
ct-dec25

48. Upcoming Events
Get clear, focused and back in control. The
Focused Execution Learning Sprint is a 12-
module online program designed to help you
close the gap between knowing and doing.
LEARNING SPRINTS
The Focused Execution Mastermind Group
gives you structure, accountability, and
support to embed these habits long-term.
MASTERMIND GROUP

49. THANK YOU
Russell Cummings
Business Consultant
M: 0414 929 585
W: www.shifft.com.au
E: russell@shifft.com.au