# Ambiguity and Changing Priorities — Behavioural Interview Prep

Source: https://www.skillbyai.com/en/behavioural-interviews/q-ambiguity

> Create clarity, then adapt.

## Making progress without a full spec

Questions about unclear requirements or shifting priorities test whether you can **create clarity** rather than wait for it. Strong answers show you identified what was unknown, talked to the right people (users, product, other teams), stated **assumptions** explicitly, delivered something small to learn quickly, and adjusted as information arrived. For changing priorities, show that you understood **why** priorities changed, communicated the impact on existing commitments, and wound down or parked work cleanly rather than abandoning it silently.

## Actions that signal you handle ambiguity well

Mine your stories for these.

```text
Clarify     - listed open questions and who could answer each
            - wrote down assumptions and asked others to challenge them
De-risk     - built a prototype / spike before committing
            - shipped a thin first version behind a flag
Align       - shared a one-page plan; agreed what "done" meant
Adapt       - re-planned when priorities shifted; told stakeholders
              what would slip and why
Close out   - documented parked work so it could be resumed
```

## Name the trade-off you made

Interviewers value hearing what you chose not to do: 'We skipped the admin UI in the first version so we could test the core flow with real users.'

**Quiz:** Which action best shows comfort with ambiguity?

- [ ] Waiting until every requirement is final
- [x] Writing down assumptions and shipping a small version to learn quickly
- [ ] Building every possible feature just in case
- [ ] Silently dropping work when priorities change

*Answer:* Writing down assumptions and shipping a small version to learn quickly. Clarity is something you create.