| type | skill |
| lifecycle | stable |
| inheritance | inheritable |
| name | storytelling-requirements |
| description | Guided requirements template for data storytelling projects -- walks users through audience, Big Idea, questions, data sources, and delivery target before any chart is created |
| tier | standard |
| applyTo | **/*story*,**/*requirements*,**/*brief*,**/*dashboard*,**/*report* |
| currency | 2026-05-02T00:00:00.000Z |
| lastReviewed | 2026-05-02T00:00:00.000Z |
Storytelling Requirements
Every data storytelling project starts with a brief. This plugin provides the template and guides the user through it. No chart should be created before this document is filled out.
The brief is the contract between the analyst and the audience. It answers: who is reading this, what decision does it support, and what does the data need to show?
When to Use
- Starting a new dashboard, report, or data story
- A stakeholder asks "can you build me a dashboard?" (the brief prevents building the wrong one)
- Before invoking
visual-vocabulary, data-visualization, or any delivery plugin
- When a project has data but no clear question
The Requirements Template
Copy this template to your project and fill it out with the user. Each section maps to a step in the storytelling pipeline.
Section 1: Audience and Purpose
| Field | Answer |
|---|
| Primary audience | (e.g., "CFO and finance leadership team") |
| Audience expertise | Executive / Manager / Analyst / General |
| Time budget | 30 seconds / 2 minutes / Unlimited |
| Decision this supports | (e.g., "Whether to increase Q4 marketing spend") |
| How they will consume it | Screen / Print / Presentation / Email / Mobile |
Section 2: The Big Idea
Write one sentence that captures the argument:
[Audience] should [action/decision] because [evidence from data].
Example: "The exec team should double Q4 email marketing spend because every $1 generates $3.20 in pipeline."
If you cannot write this sentence, the analysis is not done yet. Go back to exploration.
Section 3: Questions the Visuals Must Answer
List 3-5 questions, ranked by priority. Each question becomes one visual.
| # | Question | Communication Goal | Priority |
|---|
| 1 | (e.g., "How has revenue trended quarterly?") | Change Over Time | Must-have |
| 2 | (e.g., "Which regions contribute most?") |
