| name | pmf-status |
| description | Show current PMF project status and recommend next action. This skill should be used when checking where you are in the PMF workflow or deciding what to do next. |
PMF Status
This skill provides a quick overview of your current PMF validation state and recommends the next skill to run in the workflow.
Purpose
Display current status showing:
- Which PMF workflow stage you're in (Hypothesis → Broad Validation → Targeted Validation → Measurement)
- What artifacts exist (narrative version, research files, interview count, etc.)
- Overall confidence level and riskiest dimension
- Specific next recommended action
When to Use This Skill
Use this skill when:
- Starting a PMF session and need to know where you left off
- Completed a skill and want to confirm next step
- Have multiple PMF projects and need to check status of one
- Want to see progress overview before presenting to stakeholders
Always safe to use - this is a read-only skill that won't modify anything.
Workflow
Phase 1: Locate PMF Project
-
Search for PMF projects:
Use Glob: **/pmf-*/pmf-narrative.md
-
If multiple projects found:
Use AskUserQuestion to select which project to show status for
-
If no projects found:
Display: "No PMF projects found. Run /pmf-hypothesis-builder to create one."
Phase 2: Detect Workflow State
Read and analyze project folder to determine state:
Artifacts to check:
pmf-narrative.md (exists? which version?)validation/market-research-synthesis.md (exists?)validation/expert-notes.md (exists?)validation/risk-prioritization.md (exists?)interviews/ (how many debrief files?)validation/interview-synthesis.md (exists?)validation/targeted-validation-plan.md (exists?)measurement/pmf-metrics.md (exists?)
Workflow stages (determined by artifacts):
-
Stage 0: No project
- Artifacts: None
- Status: "Not started"
- Next:
/pmf-hypothesis-builder
-
Stage 1: Initial Hypothesis
- Artifacts: pmf-narrative.md V1 only
- Status: "Hypothesis created, broad validation not started"
- Next:
/pmf-market-research
-
Stage 2A: Market Research In Progress
- Artifacts: V1 + market-research-synthesis.md
- Status: "Market research complete, synthesis pending"
- Next: "Conduct expert calls (optional), then run
/pmf-research-synthesis"
-
Stage 2B: Broad Validation Complete
- Artifacts: V1 + market-research + risk-prioritization + pmf-narrative V2
- Status: "Broad validation complete, riskiest dimension identified"
- Next: Check confidence → interview prep or targeted validation
-
Stage 3A: PMF Interviews In Progress
- Artifacts: V2 + interviews/debrief-*.md files
- Status: "Conducted {count} PMF interviews, {X} remaining for 30-50 target"
- Next: "Continue interviews, then run
/pmf-interview-synthesis"
-
Stage 3B: Interviews Complete, Synthesis Pending
- Artifacts: V2 + 30+ debrief files, no interview-synthesis.md
- Status: "Interviews complete, ready for synthesis"
- Next:
/pmf-interview-synthesis
-
Stage 3C: Ready for Targeted Validation
- Artifacts: V3 (post-interviews) + riskiest dimension confirmed
- Status: "PMF interviews complete, ready for targeted validation"
- Next:
/pmf-validation-planner
-
Stage 4: Targeted Validation In Progress
- Artifacts: V3+ + targeted-validation-plan.md
- Status: "Running {technique} to validate {dimension}"
- Next: "Complete validation, then run
/pmf-validation-results-analyzer"
-
Stage 5: Ready to Build & Measure
- Artifacts: V4+ with all dimensions confidence >7
- Status: "PMF hypothesis validated, ready to build MVP"
Phase 3: Read Key Metrics
From pmf-narrative.md, extract:
- Current version (V1, V2, V3, etc.)
- Last updated date
- Product name and type
- Overall confidence (average across 6 dimensions)
- Riskiest dimension
- Validation status table
From other files (if they exist):
- Number of analogs/antilogs found (from market-research-synthesis.md)
- Number of interviews conducted (count debrief files)
- Targeted validation technique used (from validation plan)
Phase 4: Display Status
Format output clearly:
# PMF Status: {Product Name}
**Stage**: {Stage name from above}
**Last updated**: {date from narrative}
**Overall confidence**: {average}/10
**Riskiest dimension**: {dimension} (Confidence: {score}/10)
## Current State
**PMF Narrative**: Version {V#}
**Artifacts present**:
- ✅ pmf-narrative.md (V{#})
- ✅/❌ validation/market-research-synthesis.md
- ✅/❌ validation/expert-notes.md
- ✅/❌ validation/risk-prioritization.md
- ✅/❌ interviews/{count} debrief files
- ✅/❌ validation/interview-synthesis.md
- ✅/❌ validation/targeted-validation-plan.md
- ✅/❌ measurement/pmf-metrics.md
## Progress by Dimension
| Dimension | Confidence | Status | Last Validated |
|-----------|------------|--------|----------------|
| Problem | {score}/10 | {✅ Validated / ⚠️ Needs validation / ❌ At risk} | {Stage where last updated} |
| Target Audience | {score}/10 | {status} | {stage} |
| Value Prop | {score}/10 | {status} | {stage} |
| Competitive Advantage | {score}/10 | {status} | {stage} |
| Growth Strategy | {score}/10 | {status} | {stage} |
| Business Model | {score}/10 | {status} | {stage} |
## Recommended Next Action
**Next skill**: `/pmf-{skill-name}`
**Why**: {1-2 sentence explanation of why this is the next step}
**Estimated time**: {time estimate for next skill}
**Prerequisites**: {Any manual work needed before running next skill}
Phase 5: Provide Context
After displaying status, optionally explain:
- If behind schedule: "Typical timeline is {X} weeks for this stage, you're at {Y} weeks"
- If stuck: "Confidence hasn't increased in {N} versions - consider expert calls or pivot"
- If ready to proceed: "All prerequisites met, can run next skill immediately"
Tips for Status Interpretation
Confidence score trends:
- Increasing (V1: 5 → V2: 7): Good, evidence validates hypothesis
- Flat (V1: 5 → V2: 5): Needs more validation, or consider pivot
- Decreasing (V1: 6 → V2: 4): Evidence contradicts hypothesis, pivot likely needed
Workflow bottlenecks:
- Stuck at market research: Need expert calls or deeper analog research
- Stuck at interviews: Need more participants or better screener questions
- Stuck at targeted validation: Validation technique not yielding clear results
When to skip ahead:
- High confidence (8+) across all dimensions after broad validation → Skip interviews, go straight to MVP
- Established org with existing product → Skip early stages, start at measurement
Quality Checks
Status display should:
- Clearly state current stage in workflow
- Show which artifacts exist vs. missing
- Recommend specific next skill (not vague "continue validation")
- Provide confidence scores for all 6 dimensions
- Highlight riskiest dimension
- Estimate time for next step
Example Status Output
# PMF Status: TaskMaster Pro
**Stage**: Broad Validation Complete
**Last updated**: 2026-01-20
**Overall confidence**: 6.2/10 → 7.0/10 (+0.8)
**Riskiest dimension**: Growth Strategy (Confidence: 5/10)
## Current State
**PMF Narrative**: Version V2 (Post-market research & expert advice)
**Artifacts present**:
- ✅ pmf-narrative.md (V2)
- ✅ validation/market-research-synthesis.md (38 analogs, 15 antilogs)
- ✅ validation/expert-notes.md (3 expert calls documented)
- ✅ validation/risk-prioritization.md
- ❌ interviews/ (0 interviews conducted)
## Progress by Dimension
| Dimension | Confidence | Status | Last Validated |
|-----------|------------|--------|----------------|
| Problem | 8/10 | ✅ Validated | Market research (V2) |
| Target Audience | 7/10 | ✅ Validated | Expert advice (V2) |
| Value Prop | 7/10 | ✅ Validated | Market research (V2) |
| Competitive Advantage | 6/10 | ⚠️ Needs validation | Market research (V2) |
| Growth Strategy | 5/10 | ⚠️ Needs validation (RISKIEST) | Expert advice (V2) |
| Business Model | 8/10 | ✅ Validated | Market research (V2) |
## Recommended Next Action
**Next skill**: `/pmf-interview-prep`
**Why**: Broad validation complete with moderate overall confidence (7.0/10). PMF interviews will validate all dimensions with target customers and confirm Growth Strategy is truly the riskiest before investing in targeted validation.
**Estimated time**: 30 min to prepare script + 3-4 weeks to conduct 30-50 interviews
**Prerequisites**: None - ready to proceed immediately
This status skill provides quick navigation and awareness of where you are in the PMF workflow.
