| name | brainstorming |
| description | Structured idea generation + multi-LLM debate for the product-owner stage. Diverge (generate genuinely different bets), debate (a 4-persona panel on 4 models argues over 2 rounds), converge (synthesize a recommendation). Used by product-owner before architect; available to architect for design-space exploration. |
| when_to_use | Apply when:
- product-owner is turning a raw idea/problem into a validated brief
- the decision is "what/whether to build", not "how to build it"
- an idea needs adversarial pressure-testing before committing engineering time
- architect wants to explore a wide design space before picking an approach
|
| effort | medium |
| allowed-tools | Read, Write, Task, mcp__great_cto_llm_router__ask_kimi |
brainstorming
Idea work has three movements: diverge → debate → converge. Most teams skip
the middle one and converge on the first plausible idea. The debate panel is the
point of this skill.
1. Diverge — generate genuinely different bets
From a framed problem (who · cost-of-pain · why-now · success metric), produce
3–5 distinct approaches — different bets, not cosmetic variants. Force
diversity along at least one axis each:
- different user (who you serve first)
- different wedge (the one feature you lead with)
- different scope (concierge/manual vs full self-serve)
- different business shape (tool you sell vs outcome you deliver)
For each: the core bet · the smallest version that tests it · the main risk.
Reject near-duplicates — if two options share the same bet, drop one and push
for a more contrarian alternative.
2. Debate — the idea-debate panel
Four personas, four different models, two rounds. Model diversity matters:
different model families fail differently, so they catch different holes.
| Persona | Stance — argues… | Model | Invocation |
|---|
| Visionary | the strongest case FOR — the 10x outcome if it works | claude-opus-4-8 | Task, model: opus |
| Skeptic | the strongest case AGAINST — why it fails / who tried & died | claude-sonnet-4-6 | Task, model: sonnet |
| User-Advocate | the user's honest reaction — would I pay / switch / care? AND, for any product that messages or collects data from end-recipients, the recipient's consent/opt-in friction (TCPA / opt-out / spam fatigue / who refuses) | claude-haiku-4-5 | Task, model: haiku |
| Pragmatist | cost, time-to-ship, build-vs-buy, unit economics | Kimi K2 | mcp__great_cto_llm_router__ask_kimi |
Round 1 — opening positions (blind, parallel)
Spawn the three Task personas in one message (parallel) + call the Kimi
router for the Pragmatist. Each gets the framed problem + the diverge options and
only its own stance. Prompt template:
You are the {persona} on a product debate panel. Stance: {stance}.
Problem: {framing}. Options on the table: {options}.
Make the strongest possible {for/against} case. Be specific and concrete — name
the mechanism, the comparable, the number. End with: verdict (BUILD / DON'T /
PIVOT-to-which-option) + your single biggest worry.
Round 2 — rebuttal (informed)
Feed each persona the other three's Round-1 positions. Ask:
Here are the other panelists' positions: {r1_others}. Rebut the one you most
disagree with. Then give your updated verdict and the one condition that
would change your mind.
Convergence guard
If all four agree in Round 1, the framing was too soft — re-run with a sharper,
explicitly contrarian Skeptic ("assume this is a bad idea; prove it"). Genuine
consensus only counts when the Skeptic was given every chance to kill it.
3. Converge — synthesize (the chair decides)
The product-owner (Opus) is the chair, not a vote-counter. Read all eight
statements and produce:
- The decisive consideration — the one argument that actually settles it
- Strongest FOR and strongest AGAINST (steelmanned, attributed)
- The call — BUILD / DON'T BUILD / PIVOT, with the reason in one sentence
- What would flip it — the kill-criteria / the condition to revisit
- Dissent preserved — if a persona held a strong minority view, record it;
don't launder it out. Tomorrow's "why didn't we think of X" lives here.
Feed this straight into the product brief's Debate digest section.
Cost note
The panel is ~$0.30–0.60 per idea (one Opus + one Sonnet + one Haiku + one Kimi
call × 2 rounds). That is the cheapest insurance in the pipeline: it runs before
any engineering time is spent, at the stage where "no" is free and "yes" is
expensive.
