Product Discovery — Stakeholder Map
Pre-discovery work begins before any conversation. Load this reference first when planning discovery:
| Reference |
Load when |
File |
| Stakeholder Mapping & Sequencing |
You need to decide who to interview and in what order |
references/stakeholder-mapping.md |
| Interview Protocol Design |
You're designing a question stack for a specific stakeholder type |
references/question-patterns.md |
| Gap Detection Techniques |
You're preparing to recognize what stakeholders don't say |
references/gap-detection.md |
Pipeline: Phase 0 — Discovery
RAW NEED → [MAP] → [INTERVIEW] → [SYNTHESIZE] → [DISTILL] → [VALIDATE] → SPEC.md
| | | | |
Who to What to Resolve Convert to Stakeholder
talk to ask conflicts structured review
Load the reference for the phase you're entering.
Core principles
- Closed questions confirm what you already think; open questions discover what you didn't know to ask. If the answer can be "yes" or "no," you're validating, not discovering.
- Knowledge holders come first; authority holders validate — they don't originate. The person who knows the problem is not the same person who approves the budget.
- Conflicts are almost never about what they appear to be. Surface disagreements are proxies for unstated differences in assumptions, risk tolerance, or incentives.
- Every weasel word represents a gap. "Probably," "ideally," "eventually" — each is a known issue the stakeholder hasn't committed to addressing.
Quick Start — Where to Enter
| You have this |
Start here |
| A vague idea or problem space |
Load references/stakeholder-mapping.md — identify who to interview |
| An interview scheduled with no protocol |
Load references/question-patterns.md and references/gap-detection.md — design your question stack |
| Raw interview notes from one or more sessions |
Load references/transcript-to-spec.md — distill into structured spec components |
| A draft spec that needs stakeholder verification |
Load references/transcript-to-spec.md (Interpretation Audit Trail section) — run the validation loop |
| Stakeholders who disagree on requirements |
Load references/conflict-resolution.md — classify and resolve before spec |
| Limited time with a stakeholder |
Load references/time-constrained-discovery.md — maximize signal in minimal time |
| An AI agent conducting interviews |
Load references/ai-conducted-discovery.md — account for sycophancy and trust dynamics |
Done with discovery? Use product-methodology to choose scope, then product-design-and-ux to define user-facing behavior. Jump to the Is Discovery Complete? checklist at the bottom.
Trigger Conditions
Load this skill when:
- You're starting product discovery for a new feature or project
- You have a vague idea that needs to become a structured specification
- You need to interview stakeholders but don't have a protocol
- You have raw interview notes that need to become a SPEC.md
- You're about to enter Phase 1 (SPECIFY) of SDD and need upstream input
- You're evaluating whether you've done enough discovery work
Loading Guide
| Phase |
Load When |
File |
| MAP |
You need to identify who to interview, in what order, and how to find the right stakeholders |
references/stakeholder-mapping.md |
| INTERVIEW |
You're about to conduct stakeholder interviews and need question patterns, gap detection, and conflict handling |
references/question-patterns.md + references/gap-detection.md + references/conflict-resolution.md |
| SYNTHESIZE |
You have raw interview notes and need to identify conflicts, risks, and gaps before distillation |
references/conflict-resolution.md |
| DISTILL |
You need to transform interview notes into structured SPEC.md with ACs, edge cases, and NFRs |
references/transcript-to-spec.md |
| VALIDATE |
You have a draft spec and need to verify interpretations with stakeholders |
references/transcript-to-spec.md (Interpretation Audit Trail section) |
Cross-Cutting Concerns
These dimensions apply across all phases. Load when relevant:
| Concern |
Load when |
File |
| AI-conducted discovery |
An AI agent is conducting discovery interviews |
references/ai-conducted-discovery.md |
| Power dynamics |
Stakeholders span multiple organizational levels; hierarchy may distort responses |
references/power-dynamics.md |
| Time constraints |
Stakeholder time is limited; need maximum signal extraction |
references/time-constrained-discovery.md |
Templates
| Template |
Pipeline Phase |
Load when |
File |
| Discovery Plan |
MAP |
You need to structure the full discovery effort — stakeholder map, interview schedule, timeline |
templates/discovery-plan.md |
| Interview Guide |
INTERVIEW |
You need a structured question stack for an interview session |
templates/interview-guide.md |
| Distillation Worksheet |
DISTILL |
You're transforming raw notes into structured spec components |
templates/distillation-worksheet.md |
| Gap Register |
SYNTHESIZE |
You need to track unresolved gaps, deferred decisions, and open questions across interviews |
templates/gap-register.md |
| Interpretation Log |
DISTILL → VALIDATE |
You need to track every translation from stakeholder language to spec language |
templates/interpretation-log.md |
Quick Reference: Is Discovery Complete?
Before handing off to SDD Phase 1 (SPECIFY), check:
1---2name: product-discovery3description: Discover product requirements from human stakeholders — map who to talk to, ask questions that surface hidden assumptions, detect gaps in real time, resolve conflicts, and translate conversations into structured SDD specs. Phase 0 upstream of Spec-Driven Development. Do not use this skill for unrelated requests; route to the nearest named specialist.4license: MIT5---67# Product Discovery — Stakeholder Map89Pre-discovery work begins before any conversation. Load this reference first when planning discovery:1011| Reference | Load when | File |12|-----------|-----------|------|13| Stakeholder Mapping & Sequencing | You need to decide who to interview and in what order | `references/stakeholder-mapping.md` |14| Interview Protocol Design | You're designing a question stack for a specific stakeholder type | `references/question-patterns.md` |15| Gap Detection Techniques | You're preparing to recognize what stakeholders don't say | `references/gap-detection.md` |1617## Pipeline: Phase 0 — Discovery1819```20RAW NEED → [MAP] → [INTERVIEW] → [SYNTHESIZE] → [DISTILL] → [VALIDATE] → SPEC.md21 | | | | |22 Who to What to Resolve Convert to Stakeholder23 talk to ask conflicts structured review24```2526Load the reference for the phase you're entering.2728> **Core principles**29> - **Closed questions confirm what you already think; open questions discover what you didn't know to ask.** If the answer can be "yes" or "no," you're validating, not discovering.30> - **Knowledge holders come first; authority holders validate — they don't originate.** The person who knows the problem is not the same person who approves the budget.31> - **Conflicts are almost never about what they appear to be.** Surface disagreements are proxies for unstated differences in assumptions, risk tolerance, or incentives.32> - **Every weasel word represents a gap.** "Probably," "ideally," "eventually" — each is a known issue the stakeholder hasn't committed to addressing.3334## Quick Start — Where to Enter3536| You have this | Start here |37|-------------|-----------|38| A vague idea or problem space | Load `references/stakeholder-mapping.md` — identify who to interview |39| An interview scheduled with no protocol | Load `references/question-patterns.md` and `references/gap-detection.md` — design your question stack |40| Raw interview notes from one or more sessions | Load `references/transcript-to-spec.md` — distill into structured spec components |41| A draft spec that needs stakeholder verification | Load `references/transcript-to-spec.md` (Interpretation Audit Trail section) — run the validation loop |42| Stakeholders who disagree on requirements | Load `references/conflict-resolution.md` — classify and resolve before spec |43| Limited time with a stakeholder | Load `references/time-constrained-discovery.md` — maximize signal in minimal time |44| An AI agent conducting interviews | Load `references/ai-conducted-discovery.md` — account for sycophancy and trust dynamics |4546**Done with discovery?** Use [product-methodology](../product-methodology/SKILL.md) to choose scope, then [product-design-and-ux](../product-design-and-ux/SKILL.md) to define user-facing behavior. Jump to the [Is Discovery Complete?](#quick-reference-is-discovery-complete) checklist at the bottom.4748## Trigger Conditions4950Load this skill when:51- You're starting product discovery for a new feature or project52- You have a vague idea that needs to become a structured specification53- You need to interview stakeholders but don't have a protocol54- You have raw interview notes that need to become a SPEC.md55- You're about to enter Phase 1 (SPECIFY) of SDD and need upstream input56- You're evaluating whether you've done enough discovery work5758## Loading Guide5960| Phase | Load When | File |61|-------|-----------|------|62| MAP | You need to identify who to interview, in what order, and how to find the right stakeholders | `references/stakeholder-mapping.md` |63| INTERVIEW | You're about to conduct stakeholder interviews and need question patterns, gap detection, and conflict handling | `references/question-patterns.md` + `references/gap-detection.md` + `references/conflict-resolution.md` |64| SYNTHESIZE | You have raw interview notes and need to identify conflicts, risks, and gaps before distillation | `references/conflict-resolution.md` |65| DISTILL | You need to transform interview notes into structured SPEC.md with ACs, edge cases, and NFRs | `references/transcript-to-spec.md` |66| VALIDATE | You have a draft spec and need to verify interpretations with stakeholders | `references/transcript-to-spec.md` (Interpretation Audit Trail section) |6768## Cross-Cutting Concerns6970These dimensions apply across all phases. Load when relevant:7172| Concern | Load when | File |73|---------|-----------|------|74| AI-conducted discovery | An AI agent is conducting discovery interviews | `references/ai-conducted-discovery.md` |75| Power dynamics | Stakeholders span multiple organizational levels; hierarchy may distort responses | `references/power-dynamics.md` |76| Time constraints | Stakeholder time is limited; need maximum signal extraction | `references/time-constrained-discovery.md` |7778## Templates7980| Template | Pipeline Phase | Load when | File |81|----------|---------------|-----------|------|82| Discovery Plan | MAP | You need to structure the full discovery effort — stakeholder map, interview schedule, timeline | `templates/discovery-plan.md` |83| Interview Guide | INTERVIEW | You need a structured question stack for an interview session | `templates/interview-guide.md` |84| Distillation Worksheet | DISTILL | You're transforming raw notes into structured spec components | `templates/distillation-worksheet.md` |85| Gap Register | SYNTHESIZE | You need to track unresolved gaps, deferred decisions, and open questions across interviews | `templates/gap-register.md` |86| Interpretation Log | DISTILL → VALIDATE | You need to track every translation from stakeholder language to spec language | `templates/interpretation-log.md` |8788## Quick Reference: Is Discovery Complete?8990Before handing off to SDD Phase 1 (SPECIFY), check:9192- [ ] All stakeholder types interviewed (knowledge holders, authority holders, affected parties, implementation knowers)?93- [ ] At least 3 independent sources for every requirement?94- [ ] Abstract nouns decomposed into measurable thresholds?95- [ ] Conflicts resolved or documented with decision-maker identified?96- [ ] Edge cases extracted from stakeholder anecdotes?97- [ ] Every AC classified: SAID / IMPLIED / INTERPRETED / INFERRED?98- [ ] HIGH-risk interpretations identified and flagged for validation?99- [ ] Gaps, deferred decisions, and avoided topics documented?100- [ ] Stakeholder validation loop completed?101- [ ] Interpretation audit trail preserved for handoff?
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