| name | sr-brainstorm |
| description | Phase 1 of the SRS workflow. User gives a project topic → AI runs a deep, categorized brainstorm (5 mandatory rounds) to fully understand actors, features, scope boundary, tech constraints, and business rules before writing anything.
|
sr-brainstorm
Goal: fully understand the project before a single word of spec is written.
Do NOT write spec, plan, or SRS in this session.
Step 0 — Topic Intake
Receive topic from user. Do NOT ask questions yet.
Identify:
- Domain (e-commerce | healthcare | fintech | SaaS | internal tool | mobile | other)
- Scale signals (MVP | startup | enterprise | unknown)
- Any constraints already mentioned
Echo back:
Topic: {topic}
Domain: {domain}
Scale: {scale}
Slug: {kebab-case name for projects/{slug}/}
Confirm slug with user before proceeding. If topic is too vague to form a slug, ask.
Step 1 — Load Domain Questions
Load .cursor/skills/srs-workflow/references/brainstorm-guide.md.
Select the question bank matching the detected domain.
Step 2 — Round 1: Actors & Users
Ask the user with concrete role options (not open-ended).
Ask about:
- Primary end users (with examples from the domain)
- Secondary users / supporting roles
- Admin / back-office roles
- External systems / third-party integrations
Wait for answer. Record each confirmed actor as:
[ACTOR] {name}: {description} | access level: {read/write/admin}
Step 3 — Round 2: Core Features
Ask the user. Present a feature checklist derived from domain + topic.
For each feature cluster offer sub-options. Example for e-commerce:
- Authentication: (A) email+password (B) OAuth (C) both (D) SSO enterprise
- Catalogue: (A) simple products (B) configurable SKUs (C) bundles (D) subscriptions
Mark each selection as [CONFIRMED]. Infer likely missing features — ask to confirm or reject.
Wait for answer.
Step 4 — Round 3: Scope Boundary
Ask the user. Present a two-column table:
| IN Scope (proposed) | OUT Scope (proposed) |
|---|
| {feature A} | {feature X} |
Ask user to move items between columns or add new ones.
HARD BLOCK: Do not proceed without explicit in/out boundary confirmed by user.
Wait for answer.
Step 5 — Round 4: Technical Constraints
Ask the user:
- Tech stack (present common options for the domain)
- Hosting (cloud provider / on-premise / hybrid)
- Existing systems to integrate (with yes/no options)
- Security & compliance (GDPR | HIPAA | PCI-DSS | SOC2 | none)
- Performance targets (show numeric examples: < 200ms | < 500ms | < 1s)
- Timeline / budget signals
Wait for answer.
Step 6 — Round 5: Business Rules & Edge Cases
Ask the user:
- Roles and permissions model (RBAC | ABAC | simple owner/member | custom)
- Data ownership and retention rules
- Key failure scenarios the system must handle gracefully
- Pricing / billing logic (if applicable)
- Regulatory requirements beyond what's already captured
Wait for answer.
Step 7 — Completeness Check
After Round 5, self-check against this list. Any gap = add a follow-up question NOW:
If ANY box is unchecked: ask a targeted follow-up round before proceeding.
Step 8 — Save Brainstorm Output
Write projects/{slug}/brainstorm.md:
# Brainstorm: {project name}
Date: {date}
## Topic
{user's original topic verbatim}
## Domain / Scale
{domain} / {scale}
## Actors
{list with [ACTOR] entries}
## Confirmed Features (IN Scope)
{confirmed list}
## OUT of Scope
{explicit list}
## Technical Constraints
{answers from Round 4}
## Business Rules
{answers from Round 5}
## NFR Baselines
{confirmed numeric targets, or [TBD] with context}
## Open Items
{anything still unresolved — will become [TBD] tags in spec}
Step 9 — Handoff
Output:
Brainstorm complete.
Project: {name} Slug: {slug}
Actors: {count}
Features confirmed (IN scope): {count}
OUT scope items: {count}
Open items: {count}
Saved: projects/{slug}/brainstorm.md
Next: $sr-spec → writes the full spec from this brainstorm
