/ideate:discover

Run a complete structured discovery workflow that orchestrates brainstorming, optional research, and Product Brief synthesis into a single end-to-end process.

Quick Start

Copy/agileflow:ideate:discover TOPIC="Mobile time tracking app"

With depth control:

Copy/agileflow:ideate:discover TOPIC="Dashboard" DEPTH=quick
/agileflow:ideate:discover TOPIC="Analytics" DEPTH=deep

Purpose

Bridge the gap between "vague idea" and "epic planning". This command validates product viability BEFORE decomposing into stories and epics.

Vague Idea → /ideate:discover → Product Brief → /epic → Stories → Implementation

Instead of jumping straight to coding, invest 5-45 minutes in structured discovery to:

• Validate the idea - Is it worth building?
• Identify edge cases - What could go wrong?
• Surface competitive advantages - How is this different?
• Estimate scope - What's the MVP?
• Plan strategically - What's the sequencing?

Parameters

Depth Modes

Quick (5-10 minutes)

Best for: Well-understood features or iterations

Copy/agileflow:ideate:discover TOPIC="Dark mode toggle" DEPTH=quick

Flow:

1. Brainstorm via /ideate:new SCOPE=all (auto-run, no interaction)
2. Skip research phase
3. Generate Product Brief immediately

Output: Product Brief with feature ideas and MoSCoW prioritization

Guided (30-45 minutes) - Recommended

Best for: New features or significant changes

Copy/agileflow:ideate:discover TOPIC="OAuth integration" DEPTH=guided

Flow:

1. Interactive brainstorm via /ideate:new (you select scope and depth)
2. Optional research phase (ask if you want to research)
3. Review ideation findings
4. Curate features before brief generation
5. Generate Product Brief

Output: Curated Product Brief with validated features

Deep (2+ hours)

Best for: Major products or architectural decisions

Copy/agileflow:ideate:discover TOPIC="Microservices migration" DEPTH=deep

Flow:

1. Comprehensive brainstorm via /ideate:new SCOPE=all DEPTH=ultradeep
2. Multi-stage research:
   • Market analysis
   • Competitive feature mapping
   • Technical feasibility
   • User research
3. Synthesize research findings
4. Detailed Product Brief with competitive positioning

Output: Comprehensive Product Brief with market context

Phase Breakdown

Phase 1: Brainstorm

Delegates to /ideate:new to deploy multiple domain experts:

• Security expert - Security features and compliance
• Performance expert - Scalability and optimization
• Code quality expert - Maintainability and refactoring
• UX expert - User experience and accessibility
• Testing expert - Test coverage and reliability
• API expert - API design and integration

Each expert generates 3-5 ideas, which are synthesized with confidence scoring.

Output: Ideation report with ranked ideas

Phase 2: Research (optional in quick mode)

Delegates to /research:ask to investigate:

• Market sizing - Is there demand?
• Competitive landscape - What exists? What's different?
• Technical feasibility - Can we build it?
• User needs - What do users actually want?
• Best practices - How do others solve this?

Output: Research findings and analysis

Phase 3: Synthesis

Delegates to /ideate:brief to:

1. Cross-reference ideation and research
2. Identify consensus features (2+ experts agree)
3. Spot contradictions requiring more research
4. Assign MoSCoW priorities
5. Generate Product Brief

Output: Professional Product Brief ready for epic planning

Example Workflows

Quick Discovery: Add Dark Mode

Copy# Run quick discovery
/agileflow:ideate:discover TOPIC="Dark mode support" DEPTH=quick
 
# Review generated brief
cat docs/08-project/briefs/20250214-dark-mode-support-brief.md
 
# Create epic for MVP
/epic EP-0123 TITLE="Dark Mode Support"

Takes ~10 minutes. Ideal for well-scoped features.

Guided Discovery: New Dashboard

Copy# Run guided discovery (interactive)
/agileflow:ideate:discover TOPIC="Analytics Dashboard" DEPTH=guided
 
# You'll be asked:
# 1. What scope of analysis? (security, perf, code, ux, all)
# 2. How deep? (quick, deep, ultradeep)
# 3. Create stories or just report? (report, stories, both)
 
# System runs ideation, asks if you want research
# Shows findings and asks you to curate features
# Generates Product Brief
 
# Create epic with multiple stories
/epic EP-0124 TITLE="Analytics Dashboard MVP" \
  GOAL="Give users insights into their usage patterns"

Takes ~30-45 minutes. Includes research and curation.

Deep Discovery: Microservices Migration

Copy# Run deep discovery (comprehensive)
/agileflow:ideate:discover TOPIC="Microservices Replatforming" DEPTH=deep
 
# System runs comprehensive analysis:
# - Codebase analysis from 6 domains
# - Technical feasibility research
# - Competitive/market research
# - Risk analysis
 
# Review comprehensive brief
cat docs/08-project/briefs/20250214-microservices-replatforming-brief.md
 
# Schedule architectural review
# Create epic with architectural ADR reference
/epic EP-0125 \
  TITLE="Microservices Migration" \
  RESEARCH=docs/08-project/briefs/20250214-microservices-replatforming-brief.md

Takes 2-3 hours. Includes deep research and architectural context.

Understanding the Output

The command produces a Product Brief saved to:

docs/08-project/briefs/{YYYYMMDD}-{topic-slug}-brief.md

The brief contains:

1. Executive Summary - What we're building and why
2. User Personas - Who we're building for
3. Feature List with MoSCoW Prioritization:
   • MUST HAVE - High confidence, build first
   • SHOULD HAVE - Medium confidence, build next
   • COULD HAVE - Nice-to-have, build if capacity
   • WON'T HAVE - Explicitly out of scope
4. Success Metrics - How we measure success
5. Business Case - ROI or strategic value
6. Competitive Context - Market positioning
7. Risks & Mitigation - Known challenges
8. Next Steps - Path to epic and implementation

Example brief excerpt:

Copy## Features with MoSCoW Prioritization
 
### MUST HAVE (2+ Experts Agree)
- Time tracking with start/stop
- Project categorization
- Export to invoice format
- Mobile responsive
 
### SHOULD HAVE (1 Expert, Validated by Research)
- Offline sync capability
- Automatic rate lookup
- Team collaboration
 
### COULD HAVE
- Receipt photo attachment
- Geolocation tagging
 
### WON'T HAVE (Out of Scope for v1)
- Full accounting integration
- Multi-currency support

Workflow Integration

From Brief to Epic

After brief generation:

Copy# 1. Review the brief
cat docs/08-project/briefs/{date}-{topic}-brief.md
 
# 2. Create epic with brief as reference
/epic EP-0123 \
  TITLE="Mobile Time Tracking" \
  GOAL="Reduce timesheet creation from 30 min to 2 min" \
  RESEARCH=docs/08-project/briefs/{date}-{topic}-brief.md
 
# 3. Decompose into stories based on MoSCoW
/story US-0001 TITLE="Basic Timer" EPIC=EP-0123 \
  ACCEPTANCE_CRITERIA="Timer starts and stops. Time is saved locally."
 
/story US-0002 TITLE="Project Selection" EPIC=EP-0123
 
# 4. Assign and implement
/assign STORY=US-0001 NEW_OWNER=claude

Iterating on the Brief

Briefs aren't final—refine as you learn:

Copy# Initial discovery
/ideate:discover TOPIC="Mobile app" DEPTH=quick
 
# Gather feedback
# Review brief and identify gaps
 
# Refine and regenerate
/ideate:brief TOPIC="Mobile app" RESEARCH=docs/10-research/user-feedback.md
 
# Or start fresh with more research
/ideate:discover TOPIC="Mobile app" DEPTH=deep

Best Practices

1. Choose the Right Depth

2. Save Time with Quick Mode

For routine iterations:

Copy# MVP-ready in 5 minutes
/agileflow:ideate:discover TOPIC="Add export to CSV" DEPTH=quick

3. Use Guided Mode by Default

Most features need some validation:

Copy# Recommended: Interactive, balanced
/agileflow:ideate:discover TOPIC="..." DEPTH=guided  # (default)

4. Invest in Deep Mode for Big Decisions

When considering major architectural changes:

Copy# Comprehensive analysis for 2-3 hours
/agileflow:ideate:discover TOPIC="Rewrite auth system" DEPTH=deep

Related Commands

• /ideate:brief - Synthesize findings into brief (standalone)
• /ideate:new - Generate improvement ideas
• /research:ask - Generate research prompts
• /research:import - Import research findings
• /epic - Create epic from brief
• /story - Decompose epic into stories
• /babysit - Guided implementation