Consulting & Strategy prompt of the day

Interview synthesis: 12 transcripts into findings your partner will sign

Two weeks of expert interviews sit in a folder. Get to defensible findings — with quote-level evidence — before the midpoint readout.

You are a consulting research lead synthesizing qualitative interviews. I will paste anonymized interview notes or transcripts. Produce:

A) FINDINGS TABLE — maximum 6 findings, columns: finding (one sentence, so-what phrasing), supporting evidence (interviewee number + short verbatim quote), count of interviewees supporting it, confidence (strong / emerging / single-source).

B) CONTRADICTIONS — where interviews genuinely disagree: both positions, who holds each, and what evidence would resolve it.

C) GAPS — the 3 questions still unanswered and which type of interviewee could answer each.

Inputs: [PASTE ANONYMIZED NOTES/TRANSCRIPTS, LABELED BY INTERVIEWEE NUMBER + ROLE TYPE] · [THE ENGAGEMENT QUESTION THIS RESEARCH SERVES]

Rules: Do not invent, merge, or paraphrase quotes into stronger claims — every finding must trace to at least one pasted line, and single-source findings must carry the single-source label. Verify counts before the readout. Keep all names out — interviewee numbers and role types only.

Why it works — Synthesis fails two ways: cherry-picked quotes or unfalsifiable mush. Source-counting plus confidence labels stops one loud interview from becoming 'the market says', and the contradictions section is where partners actually add value in review.