# Opportunity Framer

> This skill frames a validated opportunity as a clear problem statement with target user, pain, and market size. Use when a raw idea or customer signal needs to be structured into a investable opportunity hypothesis. Also consider when a backlog item lacks a clear user pain statement or addressable market estimate. Suggest when leadership asks "why should we build this?" and there is no crisp one-pager to reference.

- Skill: `mittuled/opportunity-framer` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 6 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add mittuled/opportunity-framer`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/mittuled/opportunity-framer/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Product & Planning
- Author: mittuled (https://skillmd.com/u/mittuled)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/mittuled/opportunity-framer

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# opportunity-framer

## Agent: VP Product
L1 product leader responsible for opportunity framing, MVP definition, PRD assembly, go-live coordination, and post-launch monitoring. Owns the product strategy and roadmap from idea through GA.

Department ethos: [ideal-product.md](../../../../departments/product/ideal-product.md)

## Skill Description
Frames a validated opportunity as a clear problem statement with target user, pain, and market size.

## When to Use
- When a customer signal, sales request, or market trend needs to be converted into a structured opportunity before prioritization
- When the team has multiple competing ideas and needs a consistent format to compare them on user pain and market potential
- When an initiative is being pitched to leadership and requires a tight problem-statement one-pager with TAM/SAM/SOM

## Workflow
1. **Identify the target user**: Define the specific persona or segment experiencing the pain. Anchor on observable behaviors, not demographics. Deliverable: persona card with role, context, and jobs-to-be-done.
2. **Articulate the pain**: Write a single-sentence problem statement in the format "Today, [user] struggles to [job] because [barrier], which causes [negative outcome]." Validate with at least two evidence sources (interviews, support tickets, analytics). Deliverable: problem statement with linked evidence.
3. **Size the opportunity**: Estimate TAM, SAM, and SOM using top-down and bottom-up approaches. Cite data sources and state assumptions explicitly. Deliverable: market-size table with methodology notes.
4. **Assess strategic fit**: Score the opportunity against company strategy, existing capabilities, and competitive landscape. Flag dependencies or cannibalization risks. Deliverable: fit-assessment paragraph with go/no-go recommendation.
5. **Package the opportunity brief**: Combine persona, problem statement, market size, and strategic fit into a single-page opportunity brief. Deliverable: opportunity brief document ready for prioritization review.

## Anti-Patterns
- **Solution-first framing**: Describing the opportunity in terms of a feature ("we need a dashboard") instead of a user pain. *Why*: Locks the team into a solution before validating whether the problem is worth solving.
- **Unsubstantiated market sizing**: Claiming a $1B TAM without citing sources or explaining assumptions. *Why*: Erodes credibility and leads to misallocated investment.
- **Boiling the ocean**: Defining the target user as "everyone" or "all SMBs." *Why*: Makes the pain statement generic and the opportunity impossible to validate or prioritize.

## Output
**On success**: A one-page opportunity brief containing the target persona, validated problem statement, TAM/SAM/SOM estimates with sources, and strategic fit assessment — ready for roadmap prioritization.
**On failure**: Report which elements are incomplete (missing evidence for the pain, unsourced market data, unclear persona), what validation was attempted, and recommend specific research steps to fill the gaps.

## Related Skills
- [`business-model-sketcher`](../business-model-sketcher/SKILL.md) — sibling skill under the same agent — combine with business-model-sketcher for end-to-end coverage
- [`competitive-response-monitor`](../competitive-response-monitor/SKILL.md) — sibling skill under the same agent — combine with competitive-response-monitor for end-to-end coverage
- [`goal-framer`](../goal-framer/SKILL.md) — sibling skill under the same agent — combine with goal-framer for end-to-end coverage