Impact Analysis Prompt

A structured prompt for using AI to assess the downstream impact of a proposed change on systems, processes, users, and data before writing requirements.

Syntax

business-analyst-ai
Act as a senior BA performing an impact analysis.

Proposed change:
[describe the change]

Analyze impact on:
1. Upstream systems (what feeds data into this area)
2. Downstream systems (what depends on this area)
3. User roles (who is affected and how)
4. Data models (what data changes or migrates)
5. Existing integrations (APIs, reports, automations)

Example

business-analyst-ai
Proposed change: Replace the existing customer ID field (integer) with a UUID.

Analyze impact:
1. Upstream: CRM exports using integer IDs must be remapped
2. Downstream: All foreign keys in orders, invoices, sessions must be updated
3. User roles: Admins who look up users by ID need updated search behavior
4. Data: Migration script required; historical records must be backfilled
5. Integrations: Webhooks sending customer_id must be versioned or updated