breadth-of-thought

# Breadth of Thought (BoT) Exhaustive exploration methodology for discovering ALL viable solutions. ## When to Use - Solution space is unknown or poorly defined - Need multiple viable options (not just one best) - Can't afford to miss alternatives - Exploring possibilities before committing - Brainstorming or ideation phases ## Key Difference from ToT | ToT | BoT | |-----|-----| | Find THE best | Find ALL viable | | Prune aggressively (keep top 2-3) | Prune conservatively (keep >40% confidence) | | Deep exploration of winners | Broad exploration of everything | | Single recommendation | Multiple options with trade-offs | ## Process ### Phase 1: Divergent Generation Generate 8-10 approaches at each level: - Don't filter yet - Include unconventional ideas - Cross-domain analogies welcome - Quantity over quality initially ### Phase 2: Conservative Filtering Keep anything above 40% viability threshold: - "Might work" = keep - "Definitely won't work" = prune - Document why each was kept/pruned ### Phase 3: Parallel Expansion For EACH remaining option, generate sub-approaches: ``` Option 1 → 1a, 1b, 1c Option 2 → 2a, 2b, 2c Option 3 → 3a, 3b, 3c ... ``` ### Phase 4: Viability Assessment Score all remaining options: - Feasibility (1-10) - Uniqueness (how different from others) - Trade-off profile (what you gain/lose) ### Phase 5: Portfolio Output Return 3-5 viable solutions with: - Clear differentiation - Trade-off comparison - Use case fit ## Output Template ```markdown ## BoT Exploration: [Problem] ### Solution Portfolio #### Option 1: [Name] - **Approach**: [description] - **Best for**: [use case] - **Trade-offs**: [gains vs losses] - **Confidence**: X% #### Option 2: [Name] - **Approach**: [description] - **Best for**: [use case] - **Trade-offs**: [gains vs losses] - **Confidence**: X% #### Option 3: [Name] ... ### Comparison Matrix | Option | Speed | Cost | Complexity | Risk | Best When | |--------|-------|------|------------|------|-----------| | 1 | | | | | | | 2 | | | | | | | 3 | | | | | | ### Eliminated Options - [Option X]: [why not viable] ### Recommendation No single "best" - choose based on priorities: - If [priority A] matters most → Option 1 - If [priority B] matters most → Option 2 - If [priority C] matters most → Option 3 ``` ## Example **Problem**: Data pipeline architecture options **BoT Output**: 1. **Batch ETL** - Best for: cost-sensitive, latency-tolerant 2. **Stream Processing** - Best for: real-time requirements 3. **Lambda Architecture** - Best for: mixed workloads 4. **Lakehouse** - Best for: unified analytics + ML 5. **Event Sourcing** - Best for: audit trails, replay needs Each is viable - choice depends on specific requirements.