Flag Missing Facts First

Flag Missing Facts First (The 10/10 Information Readiness Check) (AI Skill)

Overview

When users provide incomplete data to an AI assistant ("My Python script crashes with an error, how do I fix it?"), most models begin guessing wild possibilities rather than asking for the stack trace or environment details.

The 10/10 Information Readiness Check instructs the AI to pause, identify the exact missing variables required to deliver a perfect, definitive answer, and request them in a structured intake checklist.

The Information Readiness Gate

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                 Information Readiness Gate                  │
│                                                             │
│  User Initial Prompt (Incomplete Data)                      │
│            │                                                │
│            ▼                                                │
│  [ PRE-FLIGHT AUDIT: Rate Information Completeness /10 ]    │
│            │                                                │
│            ▼                                                │
│  [ List 3-4 Missing Concrete Facts Needed for a 10/10 ]     │
│            │                                                │
│            ▼                                                │
│  User Supplies Missing Facts ──► 100% Definitive Solution   │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Master Information-Audit Prompt Templates

Pattern 1: The "10/10 Readiness" Directive

Use before launching any complex analysis, debugging, or proposal:

I want to [INSERT PROJECT / TASK: e.g. Design our database sharding strategy].

Here is what I have so far: [PASTE CURRENT NOTES / DATA].

Do NOT attempt to write the final solution yet.
1. Rate the completeness of my prompt on a scale of 1 to 10.
2. List the **top 3 missing facts or parameters** you need from me to give a 10/10 production-ready response.
3. For each missing fact, give an example of what a good answer looks like.

Wait for my response.

Pattern 2: The Bug & Diagnostic Intake Form

Use for engineering, IT support, or system troubleshooting:

I have a bug in my application: [BRIEF SUMMARY].

Act as a Principal Support Engineer:
- Generate a 4-point diagnostic intake checklist of the exact error logs, environment variables, and reproduction steps you need to pinpoint the root cause.

Real-World Case Study

Scenario: Troubleshooting a Slow React Application

Weak Prompt (Guesswork & Speculation)

User: "My React app is rendering slowly when users scroll the feed. How do I fix it?"

❌ AI guesses 10 generic optimizations: useMemo, useCallback, React.memo, virtualized lists, image lazy loading, debounce scroll, code splitting... (Leaves the user overwhelmed with trial-and-error).

10/10 Readiness Prompt & Structured Intake

User: "Before suggesting fixes, what 3 profiling facts do you need to diagnose why my React feed is lagging?"

AI Response:

To give you the exact fix rather than generic advice, please provide:

1. Component Tree Depth & State Location: Is the scroll state held in the root parent or localized?
2. DOM Node Count: How many DOM nodes are rendered simultaneously when scrolling (e.g. 50 items vs 5,000 items)?
3. React DevTools Profiler Output: Which specific component shows the highest "Render duration" flamegraph bar?

Result: The user checked the Profiler, found that a single un-memoized SVG icon component was re-rendering 2,000 times, and fixed it in 30 seconds.

The 10/10 Rule

"1 minute spent providing the missing facts saves 30 minutes of debugging generic AI hallucinations."