Start with the decision
"Can you analyze activation?" is a topic, not a scoped request. Start with the decision the analysis should inform, the people making it, and the deadline. Then provide the relevant metric definitions and known datasets.
Ask Nema to identify missing choices before an analyst writes a query.
Build the brief
Nema can turn the conversation into a brief with the business question, population, period, metric, comparison, assumptions, and desired output. It can list available datasets without claiming they contain every needed field.
The requester confirms the question. The analyst confirms feasibility and method.
Name the desired deliverable. A one-time answer, a monitored metric, and a reusable dashboard require different work. Nema can expose that choice before the analyst starts.
Resolve ambiguity in Slack
The request thread is a useful place to settle terms. Product may mean account activation while growth means user activation. Nema can place both definitions side by side and ask the owner to choose.
This prevents an analyst from delivering a careful answer to the wrong question.
A practical example
A product manager asks whether an onboarding experiment worked. Nema finds two activation definitions, no agreed cohort window, and a decision deadline missing from the request. It drafts a brief that compares treatment and control for new accounts within fourteen days.
The requester confirms the window and explains that the decision is whether to extend the experiment. The analyst then chooses the statistical method.
Hand off to analysis
Once approved, the brief becomes the contract for the work. Nema can prepare it from supplied records without claiming to execute SQL or validate the result. If an authorized analysis connection exists, keep analyst review at the output boundary.
Link the completed analysis back to the brief. If the method or population changed, record that change so the requester understands which question the result answers.
Close the request by stating the decision made and any follow-up analysis. This gives future requesters context without turning one result into a permanent metric definition.
Common questions
Can Nema choose the metric?
It can present documented options. The requester and analyst should agree on the metric tied to the decision.
Does scoping require warehouse access?
No. A metric dictionary, dataset catalog, and business context can be enough to define the request.
Who approves the brief?
The requester confirms the business question and deadline. The analyst confirms data availability and method.