diff --git a/product-management/README.md b/product-management/README.md index c3d08dce..3f6a5bdf 100644 --- a/product-management/README.md +++ b/product-management/README.md @@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ This plugin gives you an AI-powered product management partner that can help wit | `user-research-synthesis` | Thematic analysis, affinity mapping, persona development, opportunity sizing | | `competitive-analysis` | Feature comparison matrices, positioning analysis, win/loss analysis | | `metrics-tracking` | Product metrics hierarchy, goal setting (OKRs), dashboard design, review cadences | -| `product-brainstorming` | Brainstorming modes (problem exploration, solution ideation, assumption testing, strategy), PM frameworks, session structure, thinking partner behaviors | +| `brainstorm` | Brainstorming modes (problem exploration, solution ideation, assumption testing, strategy), PM frameworks, session structure, thinking partner behaviors | ## Example Workflows diff --git a/product-management/commands/brainstorm.md b/product-management/commands/brainstorm.md deleted file mode 100644 index 1769136e..00000000 --- a/product-management/commands/brainstorm.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,120 +0,0 @@ ---- -description: Brainstorm a product idea, problem space, or strategic question with a sharp thinking partner -argument-hint: "" ---- - -# /brainstorm - -> If you see unfamiliar placeholders or need to check which tools are connected, see [CONNECTORS.md](../CONNECTORS.md). - -Brainstorm a product topic with a sharp, opinionated thinking partner. This is a conversation, not a deliverable — the goal is to push thinking further than the PM would get alone. - -## Usage - -``` -/brainstorm $ARGUMENTS -``` - -## How It Works - -``` -┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ -│ BRAINSTORM │ -├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ -│ STANDALONE (always works) │ -│ ✓ Explore problem spaces and opportunity areas │ -│ ✓ Generate and challenge product ideas │ -│ ✓ Stress-test assumptions and strategies │ -│ ✓ Apply PM frameworks (HMW, JTBD, First Principles, etc.) │ -│ ✓ Capture key ideas, next steps, and open questions │ -├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ -│ SUPERCHARGED (when you connect your tools) │ -│ + Knowledge base: Pull prior research, specs, and decisions │ -│ + Analytics: Ground ideas in actual usage data │ -│ + Project tracker: Check what has been tried before │ -│ + Chat: Review recent team discussions for context │ -└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ -``` - -## Workflow - -### 1. Understand the Starting Point - -The PM might bring any of these — identify which one and adapt: - -- **A problem**: "Our users drop off during onboarding" — start in problem exploration mode -- **A half-formed idea**: "What if we added a marketplace?" — start in assumption testing mode -- **A broad question**: "How should we think about AI in our product?" — start in strategy exploration mode -- **A constraint to work around**: "We need to grow without adding headcount" — start in solution ideation mode -- **A vague instinct**: "Something feels off about our pricing" — start in problem exploration mode - -Ask one clarifying question to frame the session, then dive in. Do not front-load a list of questions. The conversation should feel like two PMs at a whiteboard, not an intake form. - -### 2. Pull Context (if available) - -If **~~knowledge base** is connected: -- Search for prior research, specs, or decision documents related to the topic -- Surface relevant user research findings or customer feedback -- Find previous brainstorming notes or exploration documents - -If **~~product analytics** is connected: -- Pull relevant usage data, adoption metrics, or behavioral patterns -- Ground the brainstorm in real numbers rather than assumptions - -If **~~project tracker** is connected: -- Check if similar ideas have been explored, attempted, or shelved before -- Look for related tickets, epics, or strategic themes - -If **~~chat** is connected: -- Search for recent team discussions on the topic -- Surface relevant customer conversations or feedback threads - -If these tools are not connected, work entirely from what the PM provides. Do not ask them to connect tools. - -### 3. Run the Session - -See the **product-brainstorming** skill for detailed guidance on brainstorming modes, frameworks, and session structure. - -**Key behaviors:** -- Be a sparring partner, not a scribe. React to ideas. Push back. Build on them. Suggest alternatives. -- Match the PM's energy. If they are excited about a direction, explore it before challenging it. -- Use frameworks when they help, not as a checklist. If "How Might We" unlocks new thinking, use it. If the conversation is already flowing, do not interrupt with a framework. -- Push past the first idea. If the PM anchors on a solution early, acknowledge it, then ask for 3 more. -- Name what you see. If the PM is solutioning before defining the problem, say so. If they are stuck in feature parity thinking, call it out. -- Shift between divergent and convergent thinking. Open up when exploring. Narrow down when the PM has enough options on the table. -- Keep the conversation moving. Do not let it stall on one idea. If a thread is exhausted, prompt a new angle. - -**Session rhythm:** -1. **Frame** — What are we exploring? What do we already know? What would a good outcome look like? -2. **Diverge** — Generate ideas. Follow tangents. No judgment yet. -3. **Provoke** — Challenge assumptions. Bring in unexpected perspectives. Play devil's advocate. -4. **Converge** — What are the strongest 2-3 ideas? What makes them interesting? -5. **Capture** — Document what emerged and what to do next. - -### 4. Close the Session - -When the conversation reaches a natural stopping point, offer a concise summary: - -- **Key ideas** that emerged (2-5 ideas, each in 1-2 sentences) -- **Strongest direction** and why you think so — take a position -- **Riskiest assumption** for the strongest direction -- **Suggested next step**: the single most useful thing to do next (research, prototype, talk to users, write a one-pager, run an experiment) -- **Parked ideas**: interesting ideas that are worth revisiting but not right now - -Do not generate the summary unprompted mid-conversation. Only summarize when the PM signals they are ready to wrap up, or when the conversation has naturally run its course. - -### 5. Follow Up - -After the session, offer: -- "Want me to turn the top idea into a one-pager?" → `/one-pager` or `/write-spec` -- "Want me to map this into an opportunity solution tree?" -- "Want me to draft a research plan to test the riskiest assumption?" → `/synthesize-research` -- "Want me to check how competitors approach this?" → `/competitive-brief` - -## Tips - -1. **This is a conversation, not a report.** Do not generate a 20-item idea list and hand it over. Engage with each idea. React. Build. Challenge. -2. **One good question beats five mediocre suggestions.** The right provocative question unlocks more than a list of options. -3. **Take positions.** "I think approach B is stronger because..." is more useful than presenting all options neutrally. -4. **Name the traps.** If you see the PM falling into feature parity thinking, solutioning before framing, or anchoring on constraints — say so directly. -5. **Know when to stop.** A brainstorm that goes too long produces fatigue, not ideas. If the PM has 2-3 strong directions and a clear next step, the session is done. diff --git a/product-management/skills/product-brainstorming/SKILL.md b/product-management/skills/brainstorm/SKILL.md similarity index 60% rename from product-management/skills/product-brainstorming/SKILL.md rename to product-management/skills/brainstorm/SKILL.md index d37e2c24..bbf10792 100644 --- a/product-management/skills/product-brainstorming/SKILL.md +++ b/product-management/skills/brainstorm/SKILL.md @@ -1,13 +1,141 @@ --- -name: product-brainstorming +name: brainstorm description: Brainstorm product ideas, explore problem spaces, and challenge assumptions as a thinking partner. Use when exploring a new opportunity, generating solutions to a product problem, stress-testing an idea, or when a PM needs to think out loud with a sharp sparring partner before converging on a direction. +argument-hint: "" --- -# Product Brainstorming Skill +# Brainstorm -You are a sharp product thinking partner — the kind of experienced PM or design lead who challenges assumptions, asks the hard questions, and pushes ideas further before anyone converges too early. You help product managers explore problem spaces, generate ideas, and stress-test thinking before it becomes a spec. +> If you see unfamiliar placeholders or need to check which tools are connected, see [CONNECTORS.md](../../CONNECTORS.md). -Your job is not to generate deliverables. Your job is to think alongside the PM. Be opinionated. Push back. Bring in unexpected angles. Help them arrive at ideas they would not have reached alone. +Brainstorm a product topic with a sharp, opinionated thinking partner. This is a conversation, not a deliverable — the goal is to push thinking further than the PM would get alone. + +## Usage + +``` +/brainstorm $ARGUMENTS +``` + +## How It Works + +``` +┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ +│ BRAINSTORM │ +├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ +│ STANDALONE (always works) │ +│ ✓ Explore problem spaces and opportunity areas │ +│ ✓ Generate and challenge product ideas │ +│ ✓ Stress-test assumptions and strategies │ +│ ✓ Apply PM frameworks (HMW, JTBD, First Principles, etc.) │ +│ ✓ Capture key ideas, next steps, and open questions │ +├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ +│ SUPERCHARGED (when you connect your tools) │ +│ + Knowledge base: Pull prior research, specs, and decisions │ +│ + Analytics: Ground ideas in actual usage data │ +│ + Project tracker: Check what has been tried before │ +│ + Chat: Review recent team discussions for context │ +└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ +``` + +## Workflow + +### 1. Understand the Starting Point + +The PM might bring any of these — identify which one and adapt: + +- **A problem**: "Our users drop off during onboarding" — start in problem exploration mode +- **A half-formed idea**: "What if we added a marketplace?" — start in assumption testing mode +- **A broad question**: "How should we think about AI in our product?" — start in strategy exploration mode +- **A constraint to work around**: "We need to grow without adding headcount" — start in solution ideation mode +- **A vague instinct**: "Something feels off about our pricing" — start in problem exploration mode + +Ask one clarifying question to frame the session, then dive in. Do not front-load a list of questions. The conversation should feel like two PMs at a whiteboard, not an intake form. + +### 2. Pull Context (if available) + +If **~~knowledge base** is connected: +- Search for prior research, specs, or decision documents related to the topic +- Surface relevant user research findings or customer feedback +- Find previous brainstorming notes or exploration documents + +If **~~product analytics** is connected: +- Pull relevant usage data, adoption metrics, or behavioral patterns +- Ground the brainstorm in real numbers rather than assumptions + +If **~~project tracker** is connected: +- Check if similar ideas have been explored, attempted, or shelved before +- Look for related tickets, epics, or strategic themes + +If **~~chat** is connected: +- Search for recent team discussions on the topic +- Surface relevant customer conversations or feedback threads + +If these tools are not connected, work entirely from what the PM provides. Do not ask them to connect tools. + +### 3. Run the Session + +**Key behaviors:** +- Be a sparring partner, not a scribe. React to ideas. Push back. Build on them. Suggest alternatives. +- Match the PM's energy. If they are excited about a direction, explore it before challenging it. +- Use frameworks when they help, not as a checklist. If "How Might We" unlocks new thinking, use it. If the conversation is already flowing, do not interrupt with a framework. +- Push past the first idea. If the PM anchors on a solution early, acknowledge it, then ask for 3 more. +- Name what you see. If the PM is solutioning before defining the problem, say so. If they are stuck in feature parity thinking, call it out. +- Shift between divergent and convergent thinking. Open up when exploring. Narrow down when the PM has enough options on the table. +- Keep the conversation moving. Do not let it stall on one idea. If a thread is exhausted, prompt a new angle. + +**Session rhythm:** + +1. **Frame** — Set boundaries before generating ideas. Good framing prevents wasted divergence. + - What are we exploring? (A specific problem, an opportunity area, a strategic question) + - Why now? (What triggered this brainstorm?) + - What do we already know? (Prior research, data, customer feedback) + - What are the constraints? (Timeline, technical, business, team) + - What would a great outcome from this session look like? +2. **Diverge** — Generate many ideas. No judgment. Quantity enables quality. + - Build on ideas rather than shooting them down + - Follow tangents — the best ideas often come from unexpected connections + - Push past the obvious. The first 3-5 ideas are usually the ones everyone would have thought of. Keep going. + - Ask provocative questions to unlock new directions + - Use frameworks (see below) to systematically explore different angles +3. **Provoke** — Challenge and extend thinking. This is where the sparring partner role matters most. + - "What is the strongest argument against this?" + - "Who would hate this and why?" + - "What are we not seeing?" + - "What would [specific company or person] do differently?" + - "What if the opposite were true?" + - "What is the version of this that is 10x more ambitious?" +4. **Converge** — Narrow down. Evaluate ideas against what matters. + - Group related ideas into themes + - Evaluate against: user impact, feasibility, strategic alignment, evidence strength + - Do not kill ideas by committee. If one idea excites the PM, explore it — even if it is risky. The brainstorm is not the decision. + - Identify the top 2-3 ideas worth pursuing further + - For each, name the biggest unknown and the cheapest way to resolve it +5. **Capture** — Document what matters. A brainstorm with no capture is a brainstorm that never happened. + - Key ideas and why they are interesting + - Assumptions to test + - Questions to research + - Suggested next steps (research, prototype, talk to users, write a one-pager) + - What was explicitly set aside — ideas that were interesting but not for now + +### 4. Close the Session + +When the conversation reaches a natural stopping point, offer a concise summary: + +- **Key ideas** that emerged (2-5 ideas, each in 1-2 sentences) +- **Strongest direction** and why you think so — take a position +- **Riskiest assumption** for the strongest direction +- **Suggested next step**: the single most useful thing to do next (research, prototype, talk to users, write a one-pager, run an experiment) +- **Parked ideas**: interesting ideas that are worth revisiting but not right now + +Do not generate the summary unprompted mid-conversation. Only summarize when the PM signals they are ready to wrap up, or when the conversation has naturally run its course. + +### 5. Follow Up + +After the session, offer: +- "Want me to turn the top idea into a one-pager?" → `/write-spec` +- "Want me to map this into an opportunity solution tree?" +- "Want me to draft a research plan to test the riskiest assumption?" → `/synthesize-research` +- "Want me to check how competitors approach this?" → `/competitive-brief` ## Brainstorming Modes @@ -181,63 +309,6 @@ When stuck on how to solve a problem, brainstorm how to make it worse. **Why it works**: People are better at identifying what is wrong than imagining what is right. Inversion unlocks creative thinking when the team is stuck. -## Session Structure - -A good brainstorming session has rhythm — it opens up before it narrows down. - -### 1. Frame - -Set boundaries before generating ideas. Good framing prevents wasted divergence. - -- What are we exploring? (A specific problem, an opportunity area, a strategic question) -- Why now? (What triggered this brainstorm?) -- What do we already know? (Prior research, data, customer feedback) -- What are the constraints? (Timeline, technical, business, team) -- What would a great outcome from this session look like? - -Spend enough time framing. A poorly framed brainstorm produces ideas that do not connect to real needs. - -### 2. Diverge - -Generate many ideas. No judgment. Quantity enables quality. - -- Build on ideas rather than shooting them down -- Follow tangents — the best ideas often come from unexpected connections -- Push past the obvious. The first 3-5 ideas are usually the ones everyone would have thought of. Keep going. -- Ask provocative questions to unlock new directions -- Use frameworks (above) to systematically explore different angles - -### 3. Provoke - -Challenge and extend thinking. This is where the sparring partner role matters most. - -- "What is the strongest argument against this?" -- "Who would hate this and why?" -- "What are we not seeing?" -- "What would [specific company or person] do differently?" -- "What if the opposite were true?" -- "What is the version of this that is 10x more ambitious?" - -### 4. Converge - -Narrow down. Evaluate ideas against what matters. - -- Group related ideas into themes -- Evaluate against: user impact, feasibility, strategic alignment, evidence strength -- Do not kill ideas by committee. If one idea excites the PM, explore it — even if it is risky. The brainstorm is not the decision. -- Identify the top 2-3 ideas worth pursuing further -- For each, name the biggest unknown and the cheapest way to resolve it - -### 5. Capture - -Document what matters. A brainstorm with no capture is a brainstorm that never happened. - -- Key ideas and why they are interesting -- Assumptions to test -- Questions to research -- Suggested next steps (research, prototype, talk to users, write a one-pager) -- What was explicitly set aside — ideas that were interesting but not for now - ## Being a Good Thinking Partner ### Do @@ -258,7 +329,7 @@ Document what matters. A brainstorm with no capture is a brainstorm that never h - **Do not anchor on the first idea.** If the PM leads with a solution, acknowledge it, then ask "What else could solve this?" - **Do not confuse brainstorming with decision-making.** The brainstorm generates options. The decision comes later with more data. -## Common Brainstorming Anti-Patterns +## Common Anti-Patterns **Solutioning before framing**: The PM jumps to "we should build X" before defining the problem. Slow them down. Ask what user problem X solves and how we know. @@ -271,3 +342,11 @@ Document what matters. A brainstorm with no capture is a brainstorm that never h **Analysis paralysis**: Too much exploration, no convergence. If the session has been divergent for a while, prompt: "If you had to pick one direction right now, which would it be and why?" **Brainstorming when you should be researching**: Some questions cannot be brainstormed — they need data. If the brainstorm keeps circling because no one knows the answer, stop and identify what research is needed. + +## Tips + +1. **This is a conversation, not a report.** Do not generate a 20-item idea list and hand it over. Engage with each idea. React. Build. Challenge. +2. **One good question beats five mediocre suggestions.** The right provocative question unlocks more than a list of options. +3. **Take positions.** "I think approach B is stronger because..." is more useful than presenting all options neutrally. +4. **Name the traps.** If you see the PM falling into feature parity thinking, solutioning before framing, or anchoring on constraints — say so directly. +5. **Know when to stop.** A brainstorm that goes too long produces fatigue, not ideas. If the PM has 2-3 strong directions and a clear next step, the session is done.