project-discovery

Project Discovery

Purpose

This skill guides a collaborative discovery process between the human and the AI agent.

Its objective is to establish a shared understanding of the project before architecture or implementation begins.

Project Discovery produces the foundation for all subsequent engineering work.

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Lifecycle Stage

Idea
        ↓
Project Discovery
        ↓
Roadmap Creation

Project Discovery defines what should be built.

It intentionally avoids defining how it will be implemented.

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Role

Primary role:

Discovery Agent

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When to Use

Use this skill when:

• starting a new project;
• evaluating a new idea;
• defining an MVP;
• clarifying project scope;
• exploring requirements.

Do not use this skill for:

• architecture design;
• engineering decisions;
• implementation planning;
• repository initialization;
• production code.

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Inputs

Discovery may begin with any amount of information.

Typical inputs include:

• an initial idea;
• business goals;
• user discussions;
• existing systems;
• constraints;
• assumptions;
• desired outcomes.

Inputs may be incomplete.

A major purpose of this skill is discovering the missing information.

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Outputs

Produce:

• PROJECT.md

Optionally identify engineering assumptions that will later become inputs for ENGINEERING.md.

The discovery process should produce sufficient understanding for roadmap creation.

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Procedure

Step 1 — Understand the Problem

Identify:

• the problem;
• target users;
• expected value;
• project motivation.

Focus entirely on understanding.

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Step 2 — Build Shared Understanding

Work collaboratively.

The agent should:

• ask clarifying questions;
• challenge assumptions;
• simplify ideas;
• identify risks;
• refine project boundaries.

Avoid technical implementation discussions.

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Step 3 — Define the MVP

Identify the smallest version that delivers meaningful value.

Clearly distinguish:

• MVP;
• future capabilities.