LMS-BGN/.bmad/bmm/workflows/1-analysis/product-brief/instructions.md

Product Brief - Context-Adaptive Discovery Instructions

The workflow execution engine is governed by: {project-root}/.bmad/core/tasks/workflow.xml You MUST have already loaded and processed: {installed_path}/workflow.yaml This workflow uses INTENT-DRIVEN FACILITATION - adapt organically to what emerges The goal is DISCOVERING WHAT MATTERS through natural conversation, not filling a template Communicate all responses in {communication_language} and adapt deeply to {user_skill_level} Generate all documents in {document_output_language} LIVING DOCUMENT: Write to the document continuously as you discover - never wait until the end

Input Document Discovery

This workflow may reference: market research, brainstorming documents, user specified other inputs, or brownfield project documentation.

Discovery Process (execute for each referenced document):

1. Search for whole document first - Use fuzzy file matching to find the complete document
2. Check for sharded version - If whole document not found, look for {doc-name}/index.md
3. If sharded version found:
   • Read index.md to understand the document structure
   • Read ALL section files listed in the index
   • Treat the combined content as if it were a single document
4. Brownfield projects: The document-project workflow always creates {output_folder}/docs/index.md

Priority: If both whole and sharded versions exist, use the whole document.

Fuzzy matching: Be flexible with document names - users may use variations in naming conventions.

Check if {output_folder}/bmm-workflow-status.yaml exists

Set standalone_mode = true

Load the FULL file: {output_folder}/bmm-workflow-status.yaml Parse workflow_status section Check status of "product-brief" workflow Get project_level from YAML metadata Find first non-completed workflow (next expected workflow) **Note: Level {{project_level}} Project**

Product Brief is most valuable for Level 2+ projects, but can help clarify vision for any project.

⚠️ Product Brief already completed: {{product-brief status}} Re-running will overwrite the existing brief. Continue? (y/n) Exiting. Use workflow-status to see your next step. Exit workflow ⚠️ Next expected workflow: {{next_workflow}}. Product Brief is out of sequence. Continue with Product Brief anyway? (y/n) Exiting. Run {{next_workflow}} instead. Exit workflow

Set standalone_mode = false

Welcome {user_name} warmly in {communication_language}

Adapt your tone to {user_skill_level}:

• Expert: "Let's define your product vision. What are you building?"
• Intermediate: "I'm here to help shape your product vision. Tell me about your idea."
• Beginner: "Hi! I'm going to help you figure out exactly what you want to build. Let's start with your idea - what got you excited about this?"

Start with open exploration:

• What sparked this idea?
• What are you hoping to build?
• Who is this for - yourself, a business, users you know?

CRITICAL: Listen for context clues that reveal their situation:

• Personal/hobby project (fun, learning, small audience)
• Startup/solopreneur (market opportunity, competition matters)
• Enterprise/corporate (stakeholders, compliance, strategic alignment)
• Technical enthusiasm (implementation focused)
• Business opportunity (market/revenue focused)
• Problem frustration (solution focused)

Based on their initial response, sense:

• How formal/casual they want to be
• Whether they think in business or technical terms
• If they have existing materials to share
• Their confidence level with the domain

What's the project name, and what got you excited about building this?

From even this first exchange, create initial document sections project_name executive_summary

If they mentioned existing documents (research, brainstorming, etc.):

• Load and analyze these materials
• Extract key themes and insights
• Reference these naturally in conversation: "I see from your research that..."
• Use these to accelerate discovery, not repeat questions

initial_vision

Guide problem discovery through natural conversation

DON'T ask: "What problem does this solve?"

DO explore conversationally based on their context:

For hobby projects:

• "What's annoying you that this would fix?"
• "What would this make easier or more fun?"
• "Show me what the experience is like today without this"

For business ventures:

• "Walk me through the frustration your users face today"
• "What's the cost of this problem - time, money, opportunities?"
• "Who's suffering most from this? Tell me about them"
• "What solutions have people tried? Why aren't they working?"

For enterprise:

• "What's driving the need for this internally?"
• "Which teams/processes are most affected?"
• "What's the business impact of not solving this?"
• "Are there compliance or strategic drivers?"

Listen for depth cues:

• Brief answers → dig deeper with follow-ups
• Detailed passion → let them flow, capture everything
• Uncertainty → help them explore with examples
• Multiple problems → help prioritize the core issue

Adapt your response:

• If they struggle: offer analogies, examples, frameworks
• If they're clear: validate and push for specifics
• If they're technical: explore implementation challenges
• If they're business-focused: quantify impact

Immediately capture what emerges - even if preliminary problem_statement

Explore the measurable impact of the problem problem_impact Understand why existing solutions fall short existing_solutions_gaps

Reflect understanding: "So the core issue is {{problem_summary}}, and {{impact_if_mentioned}}. Let me capture that..."

Transition naturally from problem to solution

Based on their energy and context, explore:

For builders/makers:

• "How do you envision this working?"
• "Walk me through the experience you want to create"
• "What's the 'magic moment' when someone uses this?"

For business minds:

• "What's your unique approach to solving this?"
• "How is this different from what exists today?"
• "What makes this the RIGHT solution now?"

For enterprise:

• "What would success look like for the organization?"
• "How does this fit with existing systems/processes?"
• "What's the transformation you're enabling?"

Go deeper based on responses:

• If innovative → explore the unique angle
• If standard → focus on execution excellence
• If technical → discuss key capabilities
• If user-focused → paint the journey

Web research when relevant:

• If they mention competitors → research current solutions
• If they claim innovation → verify uniqueness
• If they reference trends → get current data

{{competitor/market}} latest features 2024 Use findings to sharpen differentiation discussion

proposed_solution

key_differentiators

Continue building the living document

Discover target users through storytelling, not demographics

Facilitate based on project type:

Personal/hobby:

• "Who else would love this besides you?"
• "Tell me about someone who would use this"
• Keep it light and informal

Startup/business:

• "Describe your ideal first customer - not demographics, but their situation"
• "What are they doing today without your solution?"
• "What would make them say 'finally, someone gets it!'?"
• "Are there different types of users with different needs?"

Enterprise:

• "Which roles/departments will use this?"
• "Walk me through their current workflow"
• "Who are the champions vs skeptics?"
• "What about indirect stakeholders?"

Push beyond generic personas:

• Not: "busy professionals" → "Sales reps who waste 2 hours/day on data entry"
• Not: "tech-savvy users" → "Developers who know Docker but hate configuring it"
• Not: "small businesses" → "Shopify stores doing $10-50k/month wanting to scale"

For each user type that emerges:

• Current behavior/workflow
• Specific frustrations
• What they'd value most
• Their technical comfort level

primary_user_segment

Explore secondary users only if truly different needs secondary_user_segment user_journey Explore success measures that match their context

For personal projects:

• "How will you know this is working well?"
• "What would make you proud of this?"
• Keep metrics simple and meaningful

For startups:

• "What metrics would convince you this is taking off?"
• "What user behaviors show they love it?"
• "What business metrics matter most - users, revenue, retention?"
• Push for specific targets: "100 users" not "lots of users"

For enterprise:

• "How will the organization measure success?"
• "What KPIs will stakeholders care about?"
• "What are the must-hit metrics vs nice-to-haves?"

Only dive deep into metrics if they show interest Skip entirely for pure hobby projects Focus on what THEY care about measuring

success_metrics business_objectives key_performance_indicators

Keep the document growing with each discovery

Focus on FEATURES not epics - that comes in Phase 2

Guide MVP scoping based on their maturity

For experimental/hobby:

• "What's the ONE thing this must do to be useful?"
• "What would make a fun first version?"
• Embrace simplicity

For business ventures:

• "What's the smallest version that proves your hypothesis?"
• "What features would make early adopters say 'good enough'?"
• "What's tempting to add but would slow you down?"
• Be ruthless about scope creep

For enterprise:

• "What's the pilot scope that demonstrates value?"
• "Which capabilities are must-have for initial rollout?"
• "What can we defer to Phase 2?"

Use this framing:

• Core features: "Without this, the product doesn't work"
• Nice-to-have: "This would be great, but we can launch without it"
• Future vision: "This is where we're headed eventually"

Challenge feature creep:

• "Do we need that for launch, or could it come later?"
• "What if we started without that - what breaks?"
• "Is this core to proving the concept?"

core_features

out_of_scope future_vision_features mvp_success_criteria Only explore what emerges naturally - skip what doesn't matter

Based on the conversation so far, selectively explore:

IF financial aspects emerged:

• Development investment needed
• Revenue potential or cost savings
• ROI timeline
• Budget constraints financial_considerations

IF market competition mentioned:

• Competitive landscape
• Market opportunity size
• Differentiation strategy
• Market timing {{market}} size trends 2024 market_analysis

IF technical preferences surfaced:

• Platform choices (web/mobile/desktop)
• Technology stack preferences
• Integration needs
• Performance requirements technical_preferences

IF organizational context emerged:

• Strategic alignment
• Stakeholder buy-in needs
• Change management considerations
• Compliance requirements organizational_context

IF risks or concerns raised:

• Key risks and mitigation
• Critical assumptions
• Open questions needing research risks_and_assumptions

IF timeline pressures mentioned:

• Launch timeline
• Critical milestones
• Dependencies timeline_constraints

Skip anything that hasn't naturally emerged Don't force sections that don't fit their context

Review what's been captured with the user

"Let me show you what we've built together..."

Present the actual document sections created so far

• Not a summary, but the real content
• Shows the document has been growing throughout

Ask: "Looking at this, what stands out as most important to you?" "Is there anything critical we haven't explored?" "Does this capture your vision?"

Based on their response:

• Refine sections that need more depth
• Add any missing critical elements
• Remove or simplify sections that don't matter
• Ensure the document fits THEIR needs, not a template

Make final refinements based on feedback final_refinements

Create executive summary that captures the essence executive_summary The document has been building throughout our conversation Now ensure it's complete and well-organized

Append summary of incorporated research supporting_materials

Ensure the document structure makes sense for what was discovered:

• Hobbyist projects might be 2-3 pages focused on problem/solution/features
• Startup ventures might be 5-7 pages with market analysis and metrics
• Enterprise briefs might be 10+ pages with full strategic context

The document should reflect their world, not force their world into a template

Your product brief is ready! Would you like to:

1. Review specific sections together
2. Make any final adjustments
3. Save and move forward

What feels right?

Make any requested refinements final_document

Load the FULL file: {output_folder}/bmm-workflow-status.yaml Find workflow_status key "product-brief" ONLY write the file path as the status value - no other text, notes, or metadata Update workflow_status["product-brief"] = "{output_folder}/bmm-product-brief-{{project_name}}-{{date}}.md" Save file, preserving ALL comments and structure including STATUS DEFINITIONS

Find first non-completed workflow in workflow_status (next workflow to do) Determine next agent from path file based on next workflow

✅ Product Brief Complete, {user_name}!

Your product vision has been captured in a document that reflects what matters most for your {{context_type}} project.

Document saved: {output_folder}/bmm-product-brief-{{project_name}}-{{date}}.md

{{#if standalone_mode != true}} What's next: {{next_workflow}} ({{next_agent}} agent)

The next phase will take your brief and create the detailed planning artifacts needed for implementation. {{else}} Next steps:

• Run workflow-init to set up guided workflow tracking
• Or proceed directly to the PRD workflow if you know your path {{/if}}

Remember: This brief captures YOUR vision. It grew from our conversation, not from a rigid template. It's ready to guide the next phase of bringing your idea to life.