How to Turn Fuzzy Sponsor Dreams Into Clear Project Vision in Under 10 Minutes
Here's the thing nobody tells you at your PMP certification: You're not really a project manager.
You're a dream translator.
Every app you've ever loved, every bridge you've crossed, every streaming service you've binged—all of it started as somebody's dream. Your job? Make that dream come true without burning out your people or blowing up the budget.
But somewhere between the kickoff meeting and Sprint 37, we forget about the dream. We get obsessed with the date. The budget. The feature list. The Gantt chart that nobody reads.
And that's where projects go sideways.
The Elephant in the Room
Let's talk about the fear that's keeping half of you up at
night: Will AI replace project managers?
Short answer? No.
Long answer? AI will never replace project management. But here's what I tell my consulting clients: You will absolutely be replaced by a project manager who knows how to leverage AI.
That's not a threat. That's reality.
I just read that IBM—the same IBM that said they'd stop recruiting for entry-level jobs because AI would handle it—just reversed course. They're doubling down on human hiring. Why? Because AI is effective, but human augmentation is where the real value lives.
AI can write your status report. It can't read the room when your sponsor's dream is dying and nobody wants to say it out loud.
The Value Paradox: Where Project Managers Actually Add Value
I ask my clients this all the time: What percentage of your
week do you spend looking backwards versus looking forwards?
Looking backwards is updating documents, running status meetings, writing meeting notes, chasing down timesheets. There's some value there, but not much. You're reporting on things that already happened.
Looking forwards is anticipating needs, clearing blockers, mitigating risks, framing decisions, finding efficiencies. That's where all the value is.
So here's the real question: How is AI impacting project management?
It's shifting that percentage. It's letting you spend 80% of your time looking forward instead of 20%.
That's not automation. That's amplification.
The Problem With How You're Prompting AI Right Now
Most people treat AI like an intern.
"Rewrite this." "Summarize that email." "Make this sound more professional."
Commands. Tasks. Output.
And you know what? AI will do it. It'll give you exactly what you asked for—which is usually mediocre.
But here's what I've learned after 30+ years and 150+ PMO implementations: The best project managers don't command. They coach.
And if you want AI to actually help you think—not just type—you need to treat it like a thinking partner, not a typing service.
That's where Socratic prompting comes in.
What Is Socratic Prompting? (And Why It Changes Everything)
Instead of telling AI what to do, you ask AI to ask you
questions first.
Here's the pattern:
Give AI a role (You're an expert project manager)
Ask AI to ask YOU clarifying questions (First, ask me 3
questions to understand the dream)
Tell AI to answer specific questions (Then answer: What's
the vision? What are the outcomes? What are the risks?)
Ask for reasons, options, and trade-offs (Not just a single
output)
This does two things:
You get better output because AI understands the context
You think better because the questions force you to clarify
your own thinking
So instead of "rewrite this charter," you say:
"First ask me three questions. Then answer: What's the dream story? How does it motivate the team? What business outcome does this support? What mantra will keep us aligned?"
See the difference?
One gives you a document. The other gives you clarity.
Let Me Show You: From Fuzzy Idea to First Backlog in Three Prompts
I'm going to walk you through three prompts I use all the
time. I ran these live in both ChatGPT and Claude (always use multiple
tools—you'll get different ideas).
The example? An app idea I've had in the back of my head for years called Social Wishing—where people post bucket list items and their friends help make them happen.
Vague? Yes. That's the point.
Prompt 1: Vision Clarifier (Fuzzy Idea → Clear Vision)
Here's the prompt to copy:
You are an expert project manager and business analyst. I will share a vague idea from a sponsor.
First, ask me up to 3 clarifying questions to better understand the dream behind this idea.
Then, using my answers, help me think through the idea by answering these questions:
What is the clear project vision in 2–3 sentences?
What specific, measurable outcomes would show this dream
came true?
Who are the key beneficiaries and how does this idea help
them?
What are the top 5 risks or unknowns we should explore
early?
Vague idea from the sponsor: [Paste Idea Here]
What happened when I ran it:
ChatGPT asked me:
When you picture this succeeding in 5 years, what's changed in people's lives?
Is this mission-first or venture-backed?
Who do you want to serve first?
Claude gave me a survey-style interface with options to
select. Both made me think differently about the idea.
Then they gave me measurable outcomes:
"60% of posted wishes receive at least one concrete offer within 7 days"
"40% of wishes marked complete within 6 months"
I didn't come up with those. AI did. In about 90 seconds.
That's the power of asking AI to think with you, not just for you.
Prompt 2: Charter to Dream Story (Vision → Team Motivation + Mantra)
Once I had clarity, I needed to turn that into something my
team could rally behind. Not just executives. The people actually building it.
Here's the prompt:
You are a senior project manager. I will share a project charter.
First, ask me up to 3 clarifying questions about the project and audience.
Then format the charter so that it explicitly answers these questions for executives and the team:
What is the dream story? (What are we ultimately trying to make true in the world?)
How does this dream motivate the team? (Why would they care
about building it?)
What is the business outcome this supports? (How does it
move a key metric or strategy?)
Is there a mantra or quick saying we can use to keep
everyone aligned on the goal?
Present your output as:
1 short "dream story" paragraph
3–5 bullet points on team motivation
3–5 bullet points on business outcomes
3–5 candidate mantras/slogans
Project charter: [Paste Charter Here]
What I got back:
ChatGPT gave me this dream story: "Social Wishing exists to turn idle scrolling into human progress. We're building a platform where college students and retirees use their existing social networks to bring meaningful goals to life through shared skills, time, and encouragement."
Claude gave me: "For too long, social media has trained us to watch each other's lives instead of participate in them. Social Wishing flips that script."
I would use that line. I didn't write it. AI gave it to me because I asked the right question.
Mantras?
"Dreams deserve action"
"Scroll less, live more"
"Wishes are better out loud"
Again—10 minutes in, and I've got a vision, a team
motivation story, and three mantras I can use in every standup to keep people
anchored.
Prompt 3: Dream to First Backlog (Vision → Prioritized Features)
Now I need to get my product owner and team moving. I need
an initial backlog that delivers early value and builds momentum.
Here's the prompt:
You are a product owner. I'll share a project vision.
Ask me 2–3 clarifying questions about scope, constraints, and what "first value" means to us.
Then help me think through the first backlog by answering these questions:
What are the 3–5 value themes that organize this work?
What 10–15 initial backlog items best deliver early value in
those themes?
Why did you choose these as "first" items instead
of others?
Vision statement: [Paste Vision Here]
What happened:
Both tools asked me:
What does "first value" mean? Someone posts a wish, or a wish gets fulfilled?
What's the absolute core if you had to cut everything else?
Then they gave me value themes:
Trust & Identity
Wish Clarity & Commitment
The Wish Loop
And 10-15 backlog items with rationale:
"First, completion requires clarity. Without structured wishes and a definition of 'done,' fulfillment rates will stall."
"Second, trust must precede action. If users don't
trust identity controls, they'll only post safe or shallow wishes."
That's not a feature list. That's strategic prioritization.
And I didn't have to think it all up myself. I just had to ask the right questions.
Your Non-Negotiable Experiment This Week
Here's what I want you to do:
Use the Vision Clarifier (Prompt 1) on one real, fuzzy sponsor idea this week.
Not a fake example. A real one.
Notice:
How does the sponsor react when you ask clarifying questions?
How much faster do you get to the "why" instead of
arguing about the "what"?
How much easier is it to explain the project once the dream
is clarified?
Because here's the truth: When you talk to sponsors about
their dream—not their project—the connection grows stronger, faster.
And that's where the real value of project management lives.
The Takeaway
AI won't replace you. But a project manager who knows how to
think with AI instead of just commanding it? That person is going to run
circles around you.
So stop asking AI to write.
Start asking AI to think.
And remember: You're not here to fill out forms. You're here to make dreams come true.
Want the full walkthrough with live demos? Check out Episode 1 of Season 2 of AI Driven PM on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/_Sz-GR-t9qk
Now go make a dream come true.
— Rick A. Morris