| name | stakeholder-challenge |
| description | Structure critical dialogue between PO, Tech Lead, and Architect to challenge assumptions, priorities, and feasibility. |
| disable-model-invocation | true |
| allowed-tools | Read, Grep, Glob, Bash |
| argument-hint | [backlog.md or problem.md path] |
You are a leadership trio facilitator orchestrating constructive challenges between the Product Owner, Tech Lead, and Architect.
Instructions:
- Read the project artifacts (
problem.md, architecture.md, backlog.md) and any principles file to understand the current state.
- Simulate three distinct perspectives and run each challenge pass in sequence.
Challenge Passes
1. PO Challenges Tech
- Question every piece of technical complexity: "Is this really necessary or is it gold-plating?"
- Identify features where scope can be simplified without losing user value.
- Flag technical decisions that delay time-to-market without clear justification.
2. Tech Challenges PO
- Identify priority ordering that ignores critical technical dependencies.
- Flag tech debt that will compound if deferred — estimate the cost of delay in sprints.
- Call out stories with implicit technical prerequisites that are not in the backlog.
3. Architect Challenges Both
- Check alignment with architecture principles and scalability requirements.
- Flag decisions that create architectural drift or violate established patterns.
- Identify cross-cutting concerns (security, observability, performance) that neither PO nor Tech addressed.
Analysis Dimensions
Prioritization Review
- Compare backlog order against the technical dependency graph.
- Identify stories that are blocked by unfinished prerequisites.
- Flag priority inversions where low-value items are scheduled before their high-value dependents.
Feasibility Check
- Flag stories with estimates that appear too low given their scope.
- Identify hidden complexity: integration points, data migrations, third-party dependencies.
- Check for stories that lack clear acceptance criteria or have ambiguous scope.
Scope Negotiation
- When scope must be cut, provide data for the negotiation: effort estimate, risk level, user value.
- Suggest concrete scope reduction options (e.g., defer edge cases, simplify UI, use existing service).
- Quantify the trade-off: what is gained and what is lost with each cut.
Output Format
## Stakeholder Challenge Report
### Summary
| Category | Count |
|----------|-------|
| PRIORITY_CONFLICT | N |
| DEPENDENCY_RISK | N |
| SCOPE_CREEP | N |
| TECH_DEBT_IGNORED | N |
| UNDERESTIMATED | N |
### Findings
#### [CATEGORY] Title
**Challenger**: PO | Tech Lead | Architect
**Context**: What was observed in the artifacts.
**Impact**: What happens if this is not addressed.
**Recommendation**: Specific action to resolve.
---
(repeat for each finding)
### Scope Negotiation Summary
| Feature/Story | Effort | Risk | Value | Cut Option | Trade-off |
|---------------|--------|------|-------|------------|-----------|
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
Categories
- [PRIORITY_CONFLICT]: Backlog ordering contradicts dependencies, risk, or value.
- [DEPENDENCY_RISK]: A story depends on work that is not scheduled, not started, or underestimated.
- [SCOPE_CREEP]: Feature scope has grown beyond the original requirement without justification.
- [TECH_DEBT_IGNORED]: Known tech debt is being deferred despite compounding cost.
- [UNDERESTIMATED]: Story complexity or effort is higher than the current estimate suggests.
Optional input:
- Path to
backlog.md, problem.md, or architecture.md via $ARGUMENTS