A step-by-step guide to running your first analysis and getting the most out of Pacenotes

Getting Started with Pacenotes

This guide will walk you through running your first analysis with Pacenotes and help you get the most value from the platform.

What You'll Learn

How to structure your problem description
What to expect during the diagnosis phase
How to interpret your analysis report
Tips for getting better results

Step 1: Prepare Your Problem Statement

Before you start, take a few minutes to think through your challenge:

Good Problem Statements

✅ Specific and Concrete

"Should we build feature X now or wait until we have 10,000 users?"
"How do we reduce customer churn from 15% to 10% in 6 months?"
"What's the best pricing strategy for our SaaS product launch?"

✅ Include Context

Current situation
Constraints (budget, time, resources)
What you've already tried
Success criteria

Poor Problem Statements

❌ Too Vague

"How do I grow my business?"
"What should I do about marketing?"
"My product isn't working"

❌ Missing Context

No constraints or timeline
No success criteria
No information about what's been tried

Step 2: Submit Your Analysis

Navigate to /analysis/new
Paste your problem description (minimum 50 characters)
Click "Analyze Problem"

What Happens Next

Pacenotes will:

Analyze your problem (5-10 seconds)
Ask clarifying questions (optional, based on ambiguity)
Scan mental models (10-15 seconds)
Generate analysis (30-60 seconds)

Step 3: Answer Clarification Questions

If your problem description has ambiguities, Pacenotes will ask targeted questions about:

Decision Context: What are you deciding between?
Success Criteria: What does success look like?
Constraints: What are your limitations?
Assumptions: What are you taking for granted?
Missing Information: What critical details are unclear?

Tips for Clarification

Be Specific: "Reduce churn by 5%" is better than "improve retention"
Include Numbers: Quantify constraints (budget, timeline, team size)
State Assumptions: Make implicit beliefs explicit
Admit Unknowns: It's okay to say "I don't know" for missing information

Step 4: Review Your Analysis

Your analysis report includes several sections:

Executive Summary

A high-level overview designed for decision-makers. Includes:

Core tension or challenge
Primary failure mode if tension is ignored
Strategic resolution approach

When to Use: Quick briefings, stakeholder updates

Problem Statement

Clarified understanding of your challenge based on diagnosis. Shows:

Decision context
Success criteria
Constraints
Key assumptions

When to Use: Validating shared understanding with team

Model Applications

Detailed analysis from each selected mental model. For each model:

Relevance: Why this model applies
Mechanics: How the model works (with thinking steps)
Predictions: What insights the model surfaces
Failure Modes: Risks of misapplication

When to Use: Deep understanding, implementation planning

Synthesis

Integrated insights from all selected models. Includes:

Model conflicts and tensions
Combined recommendations
Blind spots to watch for
Critical unknowns

When to Use: Action planning, risk assessment

Next Actions

Prioritized recommendations with:

Action descriptions
Priority levels (immediate, short-term, ongoing)
Timeboxes (suggested durations)
Owner hints (who should do it)

When to Use: Task planning, sprint planning

Step 5: Take Action

Based on your analysis:

Share with Stakeholders: Use Executive Summary for quick briefings
Plan Implementation: Convert Next Actions to tasks
Monitor Blind Spots: Watch for risks identified in Synthesis
Revisit Assumptions: Test key assumptions as you execute

Tips for Better Results

1. Be Specific About Context

❌ Vague: "We need to improve our product" ✅ Specific: "We have 1,000 users, 15% monthly churn, and $50k budget. Should we focus on new features or improving onboarding?"

2. Include Constraints

Always mention:

Budget limitations
Timeline requirements
Team/resource constraints
Technical constraints

3. State What You've Tried

Pacenotes works better when it knows:

Previous approaches
Results from past experiments
Why previous solutions didn't work

4. Define Success Clearly

Replace "improve" with measurable outcomes:

"Increase conversion by 10%"
"Reduce load time to under 2 seconds"
"Achieve 90% customer satisfaction score"

Common Use Cases

Feature Prioritization

Problem: "Should we build feature A or B?"

Include:

User feedback/data for each feature
Implementation costs
Strategic goals
Market timing

Go-to-Market Strategy

Problem: "How should we launch our product?"

Include:

Target audience details
Competitive landscape
Budget and timeline
Success metrics

Technical Architecture

Problem: "Should we use technology X or Y?"

Include:

Current system constraints
Team expertise
Scalability requirements
Budget for migration

Interpreting Model Selection

Pacenotes selects 1-3 mental models for your analysis. Here's what each selection means:

1 Model Selected

Your problem has a clear, dominant pattern
One framework captures most of the relevant dynamics
Focus on deep understanding of that single model

2-3 Models Selected

Your problem has multiple important perspectives
Models may complement or conflict with each other
Pay attention to tensions between models in Synthesis

Rejected Alternatives

The "rejected alternatives" section shows models that were considered but not selected. This helps you understand:

What perspectives were ruled out (and why)
Confirmation that relevant models weren't overlooked

Next Steps

Run Your First Analysis: Start now →
Explore Example Analyses: View case studies →
Learn About Mental Models: Browse our library →

Need Help?

Documentation: /docs
FAQs: Frequently asked questions
Support: Contact us for help with your analysis

Ready to get started? Create your first analysis →