workflows-brainstorm_skill

Overview

This skill helps teams explore and clarify feature ideas or improvements through guided, collaborative dialogue before planning implementation. It leads participants from assessing requirement clarity to researching the repo, asking targeted questions one at a time, and producing a concise brainstorm document dated for 2026. The goal is a clear WHAT and recorded decisions that feed directly into planning.

How this skill works

Start by supplying a feature description or problem to explore; if none is provided the skill asks for one and pauses. It evaluates whether requirements are already clear, runs a lightweight repository scan to surface related patterns, then conducts a structured Q&A that validates assumptions and success criteria one question at a time. After discussion it proposes 2–3 concrete approaches with pros/cons, captures a brainstorm document in docs/brainstorms/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>-brainstorm.md, and prompts the user for next steps.

When to use it

• You have an idea or problem but requirements feel fuzzy or unvalidated.
• Multiple stakeholders need alignment on purpose, users, or acceptance criteria.
• You want lightweight repo context before committing to a plan.
• You prefer exploring alternatives and trade-offs before design work.
• You need a documented decision record to hand off to planners or engineers.

Best practices

• Provide a short, focused feature description up front to speed the process.
• Answer the skill's questions one at a time to keep the dialogue constructive.
• Favor clear success criteria and measurable acceptance tests during discussion.
• Apply YAGNI: prefer the simplest approach that meets needs.
• Keep scope constrained; use follow-up brainstorms for large or risky expansions.

Example use cases

• Clarifying an ambiguous product request before writing a ticket or sprint plan.
• Exploring whether to add a new API endpoint versus extending an existing one.
• Evaluating trade-offs between client-side or server-side validation for a feature.
• Assessing integration options when extending the repo with a plugin or third-party service.
• Creating a short decision record to attach to a future implementation plan.