| name | idea-create |
| description | Draft, revise, or refine the workflow idea artifact as the Product Strategist operator before idea-review. Use when shaping an early product opportunity, turning a rough prompt into `./docs/workflows/{slug}/idea.md`, or updating an existing idea artifact with accepted user or review feedback. |
Idea Create
Use this skill as the Product Strategist operator playbook.
The operator owns drafting and updating ./docs/workflows/{slug}/idea.md.
Use assets/template.md as the default output skeleton when creating a new artifact. Adapt sections as needed, but preserve the slugged title format.
Input can be:
- a rough prompt or theme
- a specific product question
- an existing idea file at
./docs/workflows/{slug}/idea.md
Requirements:
- derive the workflow
slug from the prompt or existing workflow dossier
- use a short kebab-case name for the dossier
- write or update
./docs/workflows/{slug}/idea.md
- start the artifact with the exact H1
# Idea - {slug}
- update an existing
idea.md in place rather than creating duplicates
- keep the dossier slug stable unless the workflow intentionally splits into a new dossier
- keep the artifact self-contained enough that a later reader can understand the opportunity without prior thread context
- open with outcome-first framing that states what changes for the user, why it matters, and how value would be observed if the idea succeeds
- keep the permanent artifact concise and skimmable by default
- include local tracking with:
Source Context when relevant
Status
Open Questions
- fold accepted user or review feedback into the artifact instead of leaving it chat-only
- replace superseded wording when updating an existing artifact; source artifacts should show current state, not revision history
- include lightweight success signals without turning the idea into a metric plan
- keep the output focused on the idea itself, not on spec or plan detail
Operator responsibility:
- draft the source artifact for later review
- do not try to review or approve your own work
- leave material concerns for
idea-review
Idea boundary:
idea.md explains the opportunity, expected value, high-level direction, risks, and intentionally deferred questions
spec.md owns exact user-visible behavior, scope boundaries, privacy handling, business rules, and acceptance expectations
plan.md owns engineering sequencing, implementation structure, validation commands, migration mechanics, and delivery steps
execution.md owns implementation evidence, checks run, remediation history, and deviations after implementation starts
Decision rule:
- if a detail is only needed to explain the opportunity, value, risk, or high-level direction, keep it in the idea
- if it changes exact user-visible behavior, correctness expectations, privacy handling, or scope boundaries, leave it for the spec
- if it exists only so engineering can estimate, sequence, or implement the work, leave it for the plan
- when unsure, bias toward less detail and capture intentional uncertainty in
Open Questions
- use
Open Questions for uncertainties to review or defer, not for blockers that make the idea artifact unsafe to review
Focus on:
- user problem or opportunity
- proposed product direction
- expected value and tradeoffs
- how success would be recognized at a high level
- why the idea is worth pursuing or rejecting
- open questions that should be reviewed next
Do not:
- write a functional spec
- write an implementation plan
- settle engineering details that belong later
- include detailed acceptance criteria, route inventories, API contracts, data models, migration mechanics, file/module breakdowns, or task sequencing
- repeat the same framing in multiple sections when one short summary is enough
Before finalizing idea.md, perform a scope check:
- remove or simplify any section that reads like
functional requirements, acceptance criteria, routes, privacy rules, business rules, implementation approach, milestones, or concrete steps
- convert prematurely specific downstream detail into:
- a higher-level product direction statement, or
- an
Open Questions entry for later stages
- compress repeated rationale, examples, or risk descriptions when they do not materially change the decision
- when revising after later-stage decisions, remove stale idea-level wording that now contradicts the accepted spec or delivered behavior
The output of this stage should be ready for idea-review.