Product Brainstorming Skill

Why this exists

Most product work jumps to features before the problem is real. This skill forces the work in order — narrative before principles, principles before solution, solution before delivery.

It exists because the cost of building the wrong thing well is higher than the cost of slowing down to figure out what the right thing is.

The 10 phases

1. 01
   Problem Narrative 1–2 pages — what's broken and why it matters
2. 02
   Principles 3–5 statements that constrain solutions
3. 03
   Solution Map Narrative arc — how the pieces fit
4. 04
   Waves Thematic delivery phases — what ships when
5. 05
   North Star Doc 2,000–3,000 word script — the complete picture

   Design briefs, features, and implementation work cannot proceed until this exists and has been reviewed.

6. 06
   Design Brief Tactical document — translates North Star into shapes
7. 07
   Feature Breakdown Spreadsheet — the unit of work
8. 08
   Implementation Briefs 500–1,000 words per feature — the spec
9. 09
   Tickets Context pointers, not full briefs
10. 10
    Weekly Updates Shipped / Design / Eng — each item gets a product thesis

Working protocols

• Ask one question at a time during exploration. Don't batch — each answer changes the next question.
• Propose three approaches before settling on a direction. Conservative, ambitious, sideways.
• Validate the problem viscerally. "Users struggle with X" isn't a problem — it's a placeholder.
• Every weekly update item needs a product thesis. Why this ships, not just what shipped.