brainstorming

Brainstorming

This skill provides detailed process knowledge for effective brainstorming sessions that establish WHY we're building something, clarify WHAT to build, and map WHERE it lives in the system -- before diving into HOW to build it.

The brainstorm produces three lynchpin artifacts that anchor all downstream phases:

1. Problem Narrative & User Story -- the WHY (consumed by plan, work, and review)
2. Architectural Context Map -- the WHERE (consumed by execution agents and reviewers)
3. Design Decisions -- the WHAT (consumed by plan for task decomposition)

When to Use This Skill

Brainstorming is valuable when:

• Requirements are unclear or ambiguous
• Multiple approaches could solve the problem
• Trade-offs need to be explored with the user
• The user hasn't fully articulated what they want
• The feature scope needs refinement
• The problem statement is missing or vague (you know WHAT but not WHY)

Brainstorming can be skipped when:

• Requirements are explicit and detailed
• The user knows exactly what they want AND can articulate why
• The task is a straightforward bug fix or well-defined change

Core Process

Phase 0: Assess Requirement Clarity

Before diving into questions, assess whether brainstorming is needed.

Signals that requirements are clear:

• User provided specific acceptance criteria
• User referenced existing patterns to follow
• User described exact behavior expected
• Scope is constrained and well-defined
• Problem and motivation are explicitly stated

Signals that brainstorming is needed:

• User used vague terms ("make it better", "add something like")
• Multiple reasonable interpretations exist
• Trade-offs haven't been discussed
• User seems unsure about the approach
• WHY is missing -- user described a solution but not the problem it solves

If requirements are clear, suggest: "Your requirements seem clear. Consider proceeding directly to planning or implementation."

Phase 1: Understand the Problem and the People