--- name: brainstorming description: Generates comprehensive questions about decisions before implementing. Explores requirements, constraints, success criteria, edge cases, and hidden assumptions in a SINGLE comprehensive prompt. Use when starting any significant work to surface unknowns early. license: MIT metadata: author: AC Framework version: "2.0" --- # Brainstorming - Comprehensive Question Generation Surface unknowns, challenge assumptions, and explore the problem space BEFORE committing to a solution. ## When to Use This Skill Use this skill when: - Starting a new project or major feature - Facing ambiguous requirements - Need to explore multiple approaches - Want to identify risks early - Before creating any OpenSpec change **CRITICAL: This skill generates ALL questions in ONE prompt, not sequentially.** --- ## Instructions ### Step 1: Analyze the Context Read and understand: 1. The user's stated goal/requirement 2. Any existing project context from `project-index` 3. Constraints mentioned or implied 4. Success criteria (explicit or assumed) ### Step 2: Generate Comprehensive Brainstorming Questions **⚠️ IMPORTANT: Generate ALL questions in a SINGLE comprehensive prompt.** Do NOT ask questions one by one. Instead, present a complete brainstorming document with ALL relevant questions organized by category. Structure your response as: ``` ## 🧠 Brainstorming Analysis: [Feature/Project Name] ### Context Summary [Brief summary of what you're building and why] ### Category 1: Requirements & Scope Questions to clarify WHAT we're building: - Q1: [Specific question about requirements] - Q2: [Question about scope boundaries] - Q3: [Question about feature completeness] - ... ### Category 2: Constraints & Limitations Questions about boundaries and restrictions: - Q1: [Technical constraint question] - Q2: [Time/budget constraint question] - Q3: [Regulatory/compliance question] - ... ### Category 3: User Experience & Interface Questions about HOW users will interact: - Q1: [User flow question] - Q2: [Accessibility concern] - Q3: [Error handling UX question] - ... ### Category 4: Technical Architecture Questions about implementation approach: - Q1: [Technology stack question] - Q2: [Integration point question] - Q3: [Scalability concern] - Q4: [Data model question] - ... ### Category 5: Edge Cases & Failure Modes Questions about what could go wrong: - Q1: [Edge case scenario question] - Q2: [Failure recovery question] - Q3: [Security vulnerability question] - Q4: [Performance degradation scenario] - ... ### Category 6: Success Criteria & Metrics Questions about how we measure success: - Q1: [Success metric question] - Q2: [Quality threshold question] - Q3: [User adoption question] - ... ### Category 7: Dependencies & Blockers Questions about external factors: - Q1: [Third-party dependency question] - Q2: [Team/resource dependency] - Q3: [Upstream/downstream system question] - ... ### Category 8: Alternative Approaches Questions exploring different solutions: - Q1: [Alternative technology question] - Q2: [Simpler approach question] - Q3: [Trade-off analysis question] - ... --- ## 🎯 Next Steps Please answer the questions above. Once clarified, we can proceed to: 1. `openspec-new-change` - Create structured change 2. `openspec-ff-change` - Fast-forward to implementation 3. Continue brainstorming if needed **Your answers will shape the entire implementation approach.** ``` ### Step 3: Wait for Comprehensive Answers After presenting ALL questions: - Wait for the user to answer them (may be partial or complete) - Ask follow-up questions ONLY if answers reveal new unknowns - Do NOT re-ask questions already answered ### Step 4: Synthesize Insights Once you have answers: 1. Summarize key decisions made 2. Identify any remaining ambiguities 3. Document assumptions being made 4. Suggest the best path forward --- ## Question Categories Reference Always consider questions from these categories: **1. Requirements & Scope** - What exactly needs to be built? - What is explicitly OUT of scope? - Are there different user types with different needs? - What is the minimum viable version? **2. Constraints & Limitations** - Technical stack constraints? - Time/deadline constraints? - Budget/resource constraints? - Regulatory/compliance requirements? - Legacy system constraints? **3. User Experience** - Who are the users? - What is their technical sophistication? - What devices/platforms will they use? - Accessibility requirements? - Localization needs? **4. Technical Architecture** - Integration points with existing systems? - Data storage requirements? - Scalability expectations? - Security requirements? - Performance requirements (latency, throughput)? **5. Edge Cases & Failure Modes** - What happens when [X] fails? - How does the system handle invalid input? - What about concurrent access? - What's the behavior at scale limits? - Disaster recovery needs? **6. Success Metrics** - How do we know this is working? - What are the KPIs? - User satisfaction measures? - Technical performance thresholds? **7. Dependencies** - External APIs or services needed? - Other team dependencies? - Infrastructure requirements? - Third-party licenses or approvals? **8. Alternatives** - What simpler approaches exist? - What are the trade-offs? - Buy vs build decisions? - Short-term vs long-term considerations? --- ## Example Output **User says:** "Build a user authentication system" **Your brainstorming (SINGLE PROMPT):** ``` ## 🧠 Brainstorming Analysis: User Authentication System ### Context Summary Building an auth system for user login/signup. Critical security component affecting all users. ### Category 1: Requirements & Scope - Q1: What authentication methods? (email/password, OAuth, SSO, magic links, 2FA?) - Q2: Do users need profiles, or just auth? - Q3: Session duration? Remember me feature? - Q4: Account recovery options? - Q5: Admin/moderator roles needed? ### Category 2: Constraints & Limitations - Q6: Any compliance requirements? (GDPR, HIPAA, SOC2) - Q7: Password complexity requirements? - Q8: Rate limiting needs for brute force protection? ### Category 3: User Experience - Q9: Login/signup flow preference? (modal, separate page, inline) - Q10: Error message style? (specific vs generic for security) - Q11: Email verification required before access? ### Category 4: Technical Architecture - Q12: JWT vs session cookies vs other? - Q13: Database for user storage? - Q14: Password hashing algorithm? (bcrypt, Argon2) - Q15: Token refresh strategy? ### Category 5: Edge Cases & Failure Modes - Q16: What if email provider is down during signup? - Q17: Handle concurrent login attempts from different devices? - Q18: Account lockout after failed attempts? - Q19: Session invalidation on password change? ### Category 6: Success Criteria - Q20: Login success rate target? - Q21: Maximum acceptable login latency? - Q22: Security audit requirements? ### Category 7: Dependencies - Q23: Email service provider? (SendGrid, AWS SES, etc.) - Q24: Existing user database to migrate? - Q25: Frontend framework constraints? ### Category 8: Alternative Approaches - Q26: Use Auth0/Firebase Auth instead of building? - Q27: Start with simple email/pass, add OAuth later? ``` --- ## Guardrails - **ALWAYS ask ALL questions in ONE prompt** - Never sequential - **Be thorough** - Better to ask too much than miss critical context - **Organize clearly** - Categories help the user answer systematically - **Wait for answers** - Don't proceed until user responds - **Synthesize** - After answers, provide clear summary and recommendation - **No implementation** - This is thinking only, no code yet --- ## Integration with OpenSpec After brainstorming is complete: 1. Summarize decisions made 2. Recommend next step: - `openspec-new-change` for structured approach - `openspec-ff-change` if ready to fast-forward 3. Include brainstorming insights in the change proposal --- ## Requirements - Understanding of the problem domain - Ability to think systematically about edge cases - Familiarity with common software architecture patterns - Knowledge of security, performance, and UX best practices