Brainstorming

Brainstorming

Goal

Generate a wide range of potential solutions or ideas for a specific problem, then filter and refine them into the best approach.

When to Use

• When stuck on a hard technical or product problem.
• When defining the features of a new application.
• When the "standard way" doesn't seem to fit.
• When looking for a "wow" factor or differentiator.

Instructions

1. Divergent Phase (Quantity over Quality)

List as many ideas as possible without judgment.

• "Yes, and...": Build on previous ideas.
• Inversion: "How would we make this terrible?" then flip it.
• Analogy: "How does [Uber/Spotify/NASA] solve this?"
• Constraint Removal: "What if we had infinite compute? What if we had 0 latency?"

2. Categorization

Group ideas into themes.

• Safe/Incremental: Low risk, standard implementations.
• Bold/Risky: High effort, potentially high reward.
• Blue Sky: Requires new tech or massive resources.

3. Convergent Phase (Selection)

Filter ideas based on:

• Feasibility: Can we build this in the given time?
• Impact: Does this solve the user's problem 10x better?
• Alignment: Does this fit the brand and goals?

4. The "Steelman"

Take the chosen idea and try to break it. "Why will this fail?" If it survives the critique, it's ready for planning.

Constraints

✅ Do

• Encourage wild ideas during the divergent phase.
• Document the rejected ideas (and why) to avoid re-hashing them later.
• Focus on the user's perspective.
• Use analogies to explain complex concepts.

❌ Don't

• DO NOT criticize ideas during the generation phase.
• DO NOT settle for the first solution that comes to mind.
• DO NOT let technical constraints kill an idea too early (unless it's physically impossible).

Output Format

• brainstorming_session.md: A record of ideas, categories, and the final decision.
• Updates to project requirements or specs.

Dependencies

• ../project-planning/SKILL.md