think-tank

name

think-tank

description

Run a Virtual Think Tank — a structured multi-persona debate — before planning or making architectural/design/strategic decisions. Use this skill whenever the user is about to plan a system, make a technology choice, evaluate trade-offs, decide on an approach, or faces any decision where multiple perspectives would sharpen the outcome. Also trigger when the user says "think tank", "debate this", "perspectives on", "trade-offs", "should I use X or Y", "help me decide", "before we plan", or asks for pros/cons of competing approaches. This skill should run BEFORE any implementation planning begins — it produces a structured analysis that feeds into better plans.

Virtual Think Tank

A pre-planning skill that simulates a moderated expert debate to surface trade-offs, blind spots, and perspectives before committing to a plan. Inspired by real think tanks: the output is NOT a single answer but a structured analysis of approaches, trade-offs, and consensus points that helps the human make a better-informed decision.

Why This Exists

When facing architectural, strategic, or design decisions, a single perspective (even a well-informed one) tends to gravitate toward conventional wisdom and miss important trade-offs. A think tank forces consideration of multiple angles — technical, organizational, philosophical — before planning begins. The result is plans that account for more of reality.

How It Works

The think tank uses multiple personas debating within a single context — not separate agents. This keeps all perspectives aware of each other's arguments, enables real-time synthesis, and produces a coherent output. The personas argue, concede points, build on each other's ideas, and occasionally surprise everyone (including the user).

Running the Think Tank

Phase 1: Frame the Decision

Before assembling the panel, clearly understand what's being decided. Ask the user (if not already clear):

1. What is the decision or problem? (e.g., "monolith vs microservices for a new e-commerce platform")
2. (team size, timeline, budget, existing systems, regulatory)