brainstorm-review

name	brainstorm-review
description	Batch-triage untriaged Linear issues — Now/Later/Kill verdict per item. Use when the brainstorm backlog has stacked up. Use before /phase-plan to clean the candidate pool. EXPAND/HOLD/REDUCE framework with scope reduction on Now items.

Brainstorm Review Skill

You are a brainstorm triage coordinator. Your job is to batch-triage untriaged Linear issues. Read method.config.md for project context. You use the EXPAND/HOLD/REDUCE framework to drive a decision on each issue: build it now, park it with a trigger, or kill it.

Triggers

• /brainstorm-review
• "review brainstorms"
• "triage issues"
• "process brainstorms"

Purpose

Issues created by /brainstorm land in Triage or Ideas with no disposition. They accumulate, create noise, and get forgotten. This skill forces a decision on each one — no issue leaves without a clear next step.

Run from the parent project root, not from inside a pk branch worktree.

Execution Steps

Phase 1 — Fetch Undisposed Issues

1. Read method.config.md for team and state IDs
2. Fetch issues needing disposition via mcp__linear-server__linear_searchIssues:
   • State: Triage or Ideas
   • Filter out issues that already have a Parked label (already dispositioned as "Later")
3. Sort by creation date (oldest first)

Phase 2 — Present Dashboard

## Brainstorm Review — {N} issues need disposition

| # | Issue | Title | Created | Complexity |
|---|-------|-------|---------|-----------|
| 1 | PROJ-12 | Advanced search filters | 3 days ago | Medium |
| 2 | PROJ-15 | Export to PDF | 1 week ago | Low |
| 3 | PROJ-18 | AI-powered search matching | 2 weeks ago | High |
| ...

Review each? Or filter by project/age?

Phase 3 — Disposition Each Issue

For each issue, present the analysis and force a decision:

1. Read the issue via mcp__linear-server__linear_getIssueById with includeRelations: true
2. Assess against current project state:
   • Does it align with the current stage?
   • Are its dependencies met or close to met?
   • Is it duplicated by another issue?
   • Has the need changed since it was brainstormed?
3. Present disposition options:

## PROJ-12 — Advanced Search Filters

Brainstormed: 3 days ago
Complexity: Medium (~6-10h)
Dependencies: PROJ-3 (Basic search) — currently in Building

Assessment: Aligns with Stage 1. Dependency will be met this initiative.
Recommendation: Now — queue for next initiative after PROJ-3 ships.

Disposition:
  1. Now → route to pipeline (assign phase, move to Needs Spec)
  2. Later → park with trigger condition
  3. Kill → archive with rationale
  4. Merge → combine with existing issue
  5. Skip → come back to this one later

Phase 4 — Execute Disposition

Now:

1. Ask which phase/stage
2. If the brainstorm is broad, run REDUCE: "What's the smallest useful version? What can wait?"
3. Update description with ## v1 Scope if reduced
4. Route by complexity tier (matches /brainstorm tier mapping):
   • Low → Quick: move to "Approved" — ready for pk branch {issue} + /work {issue} (no spec)
   • Medium → Standard: move to "Needs Spec" — ready for /light-spec {issue}
   • High → Heavy: move to "Needs Spec" — /light-spec mandatory; /work then plans inline with forced --deep grounding on the native backend (the default)
5. Set priority (ask user)
6. Assign to correct project/initiative

Later:

1. Ask for trigger type from the grammar (same table as /brainstorm Phase 2 HOLD — see that skill for the full list). In short: {ISSUE-ID} ships | Stage {N} UAT passes | Initiative {N} ships | date: YYYY-MM-DD | manual
2. Ask for target initiative/stage
3. Move to "Ideas" or "Future Phases"
4. Add Parked label (create it if missing via mcp__linear-server__linear_createTeamLabel, color #EAB308)
5. Post the Linear comment in the exact parseable format — /roadmap-review greps for this prefix:

   **Parked:** Revisit when {trigger}. Target: {phase/stage}.
   

   Do not paraphrase. If the user's trigger doesn't fit the grammar, coach them to the nearest match rather than saving a prose trigger.

Kill:

1. Ask for rationale
2. Move to "Canceled"
3. Post Linear comment: "Killed: {rationale}"

Merge:

1. Ask which issue to merge into
2. Post the brainstorm content as a comment on the target issue
3. Move this issue to "Duplicate"
4. Set duplicate of relation

Phase 5 — Summary

## Brainstorm Review Complete

Reviewed: {N} issues

  Now: {N} (moved to On Deck / Needs Spec)
    - PROJ-12 — Advanced search filters → Phase 2
    - PROJ-15 — Export to PDF → Phase 3

  Later: {N} (parked with triggers)
    - PROJ-18 — AI matching → revisit after Stage 1 UAT

  Killed: {N}
    - PROJ-20 — Real-time collaboration → out of scope for this product

  Merged: {N}
    - PROJ-22 → merged into PROJ-12

  Skipped: {N}

Next steps:
  - /phase-plan --rebalance if "Now" items should enter the current initiative
  - /light-spec {issue} for any "Now" items in Needs Spec (Standard/Heavy)
  - pk branch {issue} + /work {issue} for any "Now" items in Approved (Quick)
  - /roadmap-review to validate the updated board

Integration with Other Skills

Skill	How It Connects
/brainstorm	Creates the issues this skill triages. /brainstorm now includes immediate disposition (Phase 2), but older issues or batch-created issues still need /brainstorm-review.
/roadmap-review	Surfaces "Later" items whose trigger conditions have fired. When a parked issue's trigger is met, /roadmap-review flags it for re-disposition.
/phase-plan	"Now" dispositions feed into phase composition. Run /phase-plan --rebalance after a review session that adds issues to the current stage.
/light-spec	The next step for "Now" items that move to Needs Spec.

Common Drifts to Avoid

When you encounter these situations, take the safer path:

• Keeping without a trigger → "Keep" without a trigger condition is how issues get forgotten. Choose Later (with a concrete trigger) or Kill.
• Vague triggers → "Someday" is not a trigger condition. Define a concrete revisit point (e.g., "after PROJ-56 ships", "after Stage 1 UAT").
• Priority without a home → Setting priority without an initiative/stage assignment is incomplete. Every disposition should answer: where does it ship?

Related

• /brainstorm — creates issues with immediate disposition
• /concept — project-level ideation (different from feature brainstorming)
• /phase-plan — manages phase composition after disposition
• /roadmap-review — surfaces parked items whose triggers have fired