| name | brainstorming |
| description | Apply when generating ideas, exploring solution space, or facilitating divergent thinking before committing to an approach. |
| license | MIT |
| version | 1.0.0 |
| tokens_target | 1100 |
| triggers | ["brainstorming","idea generation","divergent thinking"] |
| loads_after | [] |
| supersedes | [] |
Sub-Skill: Brainstorming
Purpose: Maximize the quality of the eventual solution by ensuring sufficient exploration of the solution space before converging on an approach.
Rules
Divergence First
- Generate before evaluating. Always complete a divergent generation phase before applying any evaluation criteria; premature judgment kills creative options.
- Produce at least three alternatives. Always generate at least three distinct alternatives before committing to an approach. Reference: ERR-2026-028
- Quantity over quality early. Prefer producing many rough ideas over polishing a single idea during the generation phase; refinement comes later.
- Loosen constraints deliberately. Before generating, explicitly list the constraints you are relaxing (time, cost, technology) to open the solution space.
Structured Exploration
- Timebox each phase. Always set explicit time limits for divergent and convergent phases to prevent open-ended exploration from blocking delivery.
- Use silent generation first. Before group discussion, have each participant (or reasoning thread) generate ideas independently to avoid anchoring bias.
- Apply devil's advocate. After generating options, explicitly argue against the leading option to surface hidden weaknesses before committing.
- Build on ideas, don't replace them. Prefer extending or combining existing ideas over discarding them; hybrid solutions often outperform pure alternatives.
Convergence
- Define decision criteria upfront. Before evaluating options, agree on the criteria (performance, cost, maintainability) and their relative weights.
- Categorize before ranking. Group ideas by theme or approach before ranking; ranking ungrouped lists misses structural patterns.
- Document rejected alternatives. Always record why alternatives were rejected so future contributors understand the decision context.
See also
skills/self-extension-workflow/SKILL.mdskills/error-log/SKILL.md
