AgileFlow

/ideate:brief

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Synthesize ideation and research findings into a structured Product Brief

/ideate:brief

Synthesize brainstorming results and research findings into a professional Product Brief artifact.

Quick Start

/agileflow:ideate:brief TOPIC="Mobile time tracking app"

With existing ideation file:

/agileflow:ideate:brief TOPIC="Mobile app" IDEATION=docs/08-project/ideation/ideation-20250214.md

With research findings:

/agileflow:ideate:brief TOPIC="Dashboard" RESEARCH=docs/10-research/research-dashboard.md,docs/10-research/ui-analysis.md

Purpose

Generate a structured Product Brief that combines:

  • Ideation report findings - Feature ideas, confidence levels, expert perspectives from /ideate:new
  • Research data - Competitive analysis, market sizing, best practices, user research
  • Your knowledge synthesis - Context-specific insights and constraints

This can be used standalone (with existing ideation/research files) or as Phase 3 of the /ideate:discover workflow.

Parameters

ArgumentRequiredDescription
TOPICYesProduct or feature name (e.g., "Mobile time tracking app")
IDEATIONNoPath to ideation report file (if not provided, searches recent files)
RESEARCHNoComma-separated paths to research files

Output

Creates a structured Product Brief at: docs/08-project/briefs/{YYYYMMDD}-{topic-slug}-brief.md

The brief includes:

  1. Executive Summary - Problem statement and value proposition
  2. User Personas - Target users derived from research/brainstorming
  3. Features with MoSCoW Prioritization:
    • MUST HAVE - High-confidence ideas (2+ experts agree)
    • SHOULD HAVE - Medium-confidence ideas
    • COULD HAVE - Single-expert ideas
    • WON'T HAVE - Explicitly ruled out
  4. Success Metrics - How we measure product viability
  5. Business Case & ROI - Simplified return on investment analysis
  6. Competitive Context - Market positioning and differentiation
  7. Risks & Edge Cases - Known challenges and mitigation strategies
  8. Next Steps - Path to epic creation and implementation

How It Works

Confidence Mapping

The command uses confidence levels from ideation reports to prioritize features:

2+ Experts Agree  →  MUST HAVE (high confidence, build first)
1 Expert Agrees   →  SHOULD HAVE (medium confidence, build if capacity)
Contradictory     →  Research needed (investigate further)

Input Detection

If IDEATION or RESEARCH parameters are omitted:

  1. Searches docs/08-project/ideation/ for the most recent ideation report
  2. Searches docs/10-research/ for matching research files
  3. Prompts you to select from found files

Synthesis Algorithm

  1. Extracts feature ideas and confidence scores from ideation report
  2. Cross-references with research findings (market validation, competitive features)
  3. Groups related ideas into feature categories
  4. Assigns MoSCoW priority based on confidence and strategic value
  5. Estimates effort (High/Medium/Low) for each feature
  6. Identifies gaps and contradictions requiring further research

Workflow: From Idea to Epic

1. Brainstorm
   /ideate:discover TOPIC="..." DEPTH=quick

2. OR Use Existing Ideation
   /ideate:new SCOPE=all OUTPUT=report
   /ideate:brief TOPIC="..." IDEATION=docs/08-project/ideation/ideation-20250214.md

3. Add Research (Optional)
   /research:ask TOPIC="..."
   /research:import TOPIC="..."
   /ideate:brief TOPIC="..." RESEARCH=docs/10-research/...

4. Review Brief
   cat docs/08-project/briefs/20250214-{topic}-brief.md

5. Create Epic
   /epic EP-0001 TITLE="..." OWNER=... GOAL="..." RESEARCH=docs/08-project/briefs/...

6. Decompose into Stories
   /story US-0001 TITLE="..." ACCEPTANCE_CRITERIA="..."

Example Brief Output

A generated Product Brief looks like this:

# Product Brief: Mobile Time Tracking App
 
**Date**: 2025-02-14
**Status**: Ready for Epic Planning
**Input**: Ideation Report + User Research
 
---
 
## Executive Summary
 
Mobile time tracking app for freelancers to track billable hours with automatic rate calculation.
Solves the problem of manual timesheet management and invoice generation delays.
 
**Value Proposition**: Reduce timesheet creation time from 30 minutes to 2 minutes per week.
 
---
 
## User Personas
 
### Persona 1: Independent Freelancer
- Manages 5-10 projects simultaneously
- Bills hourly or by milestone
- Pain point: Manual tracking loses time details
- Goal: Quick and accurate invoicing
 
### Persona 2: Agency PM
- Oversees 20+ contractor hours/week
- Needs team visibility
- Pain point: Contractor inconsistency in reporting
- Goal: Standardized tracking across team
 
---
 
## Features with MoSCoW Prioritization
 
### MUST HAVE (Build First)
- Timer with start/stop controls
- Project/task categorization (2+ experts agree on essentiality)
- Time entry export to invoice
- Mobile-responsive design
 
### SHOULD HAVE (Build Next)
- Automatic rate lookup per project
- Offline timer capability
- Export to CSV for accounting software
 
### COULD HAVE (Build if Capacity)
- Team collaboration features
- Receipt photo attachment
- Geolocation tagging
 
### WON'T HAVE (Out of Scope)
- Full accounting software features
- Multi-currency support (v1)
 
---
 
## Success Metrics
 
- Users can track time in under 10 seconds
- Invoices generated in under 2 minutes
- 80% of users create invoices weekly
- 4.5+ star rating after 30 reviews
 
---
 
## Business Case
 
**Development Cost**: ~80 hours
**ROI**: User saves 2 hours/week × $75/hr = $150/week = $7,800/year per user
 
---
 
## Competitive Context
 
- Toggl: Full-featured, expensive ($20/user/month)
- Harvest: Project management integration, complex UI
- Our advantage: Simple, mobile-first, offline-capable
 
---
 
## Risks & Mitigation
 
| Risk | Mitigation |
|------|-----------|
| Users forget to stop timer | Auto-stop after 8 hours |
| Offline sync conflicts | Last-write-wins strategy |
| Privacy concerns with location | Make location optional, no server storage |
 
---
 
## Next Steps
 
1. Create epic: `/epic EP-0001 TITLE="Mobile Time Tracking MVP"`
2. Decompose into stories: Payment, Timer, Export
3. Start development sprint

Next Steps After Brief Generation

After the brief is created, you'll see options:

  • Create Epic - Convert brief directly to epic: /epic EP-0001 TITLE="..." GOAL=...
  • Refine Brief - Make adjustments (personas, features, metrics) and regenerate
  • Done - Brief is ready, decompose into stories manually

Best Practices

1. Validate with Research

Always include research findings for better feature prioritization:

/research:ask TOPIC="Mobile time tracking market"
/research:import TOPIC="..."
/ideate:brief TOPIC="..." RESEARCH=docs/10-research/...

2. Bridge from Multiple Experts

Combine ideation from different domains:

/ideate:new SCOPE=security DEPTH=deep OUTPUT=report
/ideate:new SCOPE=ux DEPTH=deep OUTPUT=report
/ideate:brief TOPIC="..." IDEATION=docs/08-project/ideation/ideation-security.md,docs/08-project/ideation/ideation-ux.md

3. Iterate on the Brief

Briefs aren't final—they're living documents:

# Generate initial brief
/ideate:brief TOPIC="..." IDEATION=...
 
# Review and improve based on feedback
# Edit docs/08-project/briefs/...
 
# Create epic when ready
/epic EP-0001 TITLE="..." RESEARCH=docs/08-project/briefs/...

4. Use MoSCoW for Release Planning

MVP Release 1: MUST HAVE features
Release 2: SHOULD HAVE features
Release 3+: COULD HAVE features

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