cagan-check
Applies Marty Cagan product principles through the lens of the dev in the Product Trio. Not a PM coach — it's a strong-engineer checklist that pushes the team out of feature factory mode.
Modes
Detect mode from context. If ambiguous, ask.
| Mode |
Triggers |
Focus |
| kickoff |
"starting a feature", "vou começar feature", "new project", "kickoff" |
Problem, outcome, unvalidated risks, prototype fit, Opportunity Solution Tree |
| planning |
"planning", "estimation", "estimativa", "refinement", "sprint" |
Outcome + metric before estimating, smells, WIP check |
| discovery |
"discovery", "client call", "user interview", "reunião cliente" |
Past-behavior questions, customer exposure cadence, 5 risks |
| review |
"review this PR", "code review" + feature context |
Instrumentation, metric wired, scope vs problem, ethical |
Workflow
- Confirm mode (1 line) — "Mode: kickoff. Checking X dimensions."
- Gather minimum context — if critical info missing (which feature, which client, which problem), ask before assessing
- Run the mode's dimensions (see
CHECKLISTS.md)
- Emit Flag Report — fixed format below
- Suggest one concrete next step — single action, not a list
Flag Report (output format)
## Cagan check — [mode] — [feature/project]
🟢 [Dimension] — [1 line: what's good]
🟡 [Dimension] — [risk/gap] → [suggested action]
🔴 [Dimension] — [critical problem] → [required action]
## Next step
[1 concrete action, 1-2 lines]
Rule: every yellow/red flag requires an action. Never emit a flag without a fix.
Core dimensions (always checked)
- Problem framing — Is there a named user/business problem? Or just a requested feature?
- Outcome + metric — How will we know it worked? Defined, measurable metric?
- 5 risks — Value, Usability, Feasibility, Business Viability + Ethical (Torres). Which are validated? Ethical covers LGPD/GDPR, AI bias, dark patterns.
- Feature factory smells — see
REFERENCE.md. Shortcuts: high WIP, Team Tetris, success theater.
- Customer touchpoint — did the current week include real user contact? (Torres: keystone habit is a weekly interview by the full trio)
Dev's formal role in the trio
Per Cagan/SVPG: Tech Lead is the formal owner of feasibility risk and co-accountable for product delivery. Not "executor with an opinion" — accountability is shared with PM and Designer. The skill operates from this premise: speak as tech lead, not passive dev.
Per-mode dimensions
- kickoff: + Prototype fit (worth a spike before implementing?) + Opportunity Solution Tree (map outcome → opportunities → solutions → assumptions)
- planning: + Honest estimation (high uncertainty = discovery, not delivery) + WIP check (high WIP = feature factory)
- discovery: + Past-behavior questions (Torres: "How do you do this today?" beats "Would you use X?" — hypotheticals produce false yeses)
- review: + Instrumentation (events, success query ready in the PR?) + Ethical check (LGPD/GDPR, bias, dark patterns)
Details in CHECKLISTS.md.
Client-services context
Applies when a paying stakeholder sits between the team and the end user — agency, consultancy, contractor, or an internal team serving another business unit. Skip if you build for your own end users. Adapt when relevant:
- Client pays for delivery ≠ client pays for outcome. Try to align around the end user's outcome, not just the contracting stakeholder's.
- Fixed contract scope makes discovery hard. Propose a discovery sprint before the delivery sprint when possible.
- The client's roadmap may itself be a feature factory. Don't copy blindly — challenge with Cagan-style questions.
Tone
- Direct, no filler
- Fragments OK
- Mirror the language of the user's current message — detect per invocation. If user wrote in pt-BR, respond pt-BR. If EN, EN. If they switch, switch. Never hardcode a default.
- Cite book/SVPG when it adds weight (
(Inspired, ch. Engineers), (Torres, Continuous Discovery Habits)) — keep proper nouns and quotes in original EN regardless of output language
- Don't turn into a lecture — flags + action
References
- REFERENCE.md — 5 risks detailed, feature factory smells, prototype types, OST, quotes
- CHECKLISTS.md — full per-mode checklist
1---2name: cagan-check3description: Apply Marty Cagan product principles (Inspired, Empowered, Transformed) plus Teresa Torres' Continuous Discovery to a software dev's workflow from the Product Trio's engineering seat. Runs structured reviews for feature kickoff, sprint planning/estimation, client discovery calls, and pull requests — checking problem framing, outcome metrics, the five big risks (value/usability/feasibility/viability/ethical), feature-factory smells (incl. Cutler 2025 updates: high WIP, Team Tetris, success theater), prototyping fit, instrumentation, customer touchpoint cadence. Outputs green/yellow/red flags per dimension with concrete next actions. Use when user says /cagan-check, "starting a feature", "vou começar feature", "kickoff", "planning", "estimativa", "estimation", "discovery", "review this PR" with feature context, or asks to apply Cagan/SVPG/Torres/product-trio thinking. Adapts to the reader's employment context — in-house product team, or client-services work (agency, consultancy, contractor) where a paying stake4---56# cagan-check78Applies Marty Cagan product principles through the lens of the **dev in the Product Trio**. Not a PM coach — it's a strong-engineer checklist that pushes the team out of feature factory mode.910## Modes1112Detect mode from context. If ambiguous, ask.1314| Mode | Triggers | Focus |15|------|----------|-------|16| **kickoff** | "starting a feature", "vou começar feature", "new project", "kickoff" | Problem, outcome, unvalidated risks, prototype fit, Opportunity Solution Tree |17| **planning** | "planning", "estimation", "estimativa", "refinement", "sprint" | Outcome + metric before estimating, smells, WIP check |18| **discovery** | "discovery", "client call", "user interview", "reunião cliente" | Past-behavior questions, customer exposure cadence, 5 risks |19| **review** | "review this PR", "code review" + feature context | Instrumentation, metric wired, scope vs problem, ethical |2021## Workflow22231. **Confirm mode** (1 line) — "Mode: kickoff. Checking X dimensions."242. **Gather minimum context** — if critical info missing (which feature, which client, which problem), ask before assessing253. **Run the mode's dimensions** (see `CHECKLISTS.md`)264. **Emit Flag Report** — fixed format below275. **Suggest one concrete next step** — single action, not a list2829## Flag Report (output format)3031```32## Cagan check — [mode] — [feature/project]3334🟢 [Dimension] — [1 line: what's good]35🟡 [Dimension] — [risk/gap] → [suggested action]36🔴 [Dimension] — [critical problem] → [required action]3738## Next step39[1 concrete action, 1-2 lines]40```4142Rule: **every yellow/red flag requires an action**. Never emit a flag without a fix.4344## Core dimensions (always checked)45461. **Problem framing** — Is there a named user/business problem? Or just a requested feature?472. **Outcome + metric** — How will we know it worked? Defined, measurable metric?483. **5 risks** — Value, Usability, Feasibility, Business Viability + **Ethical** (Torres). Which are validated? Ethical covers LGPD/GDPR, AI bias, dark patterns.494. **Feature factory smells** — see `REFERENCE.md`. Shortcuts: high WIP, Team Tetris, success theater.505. **Customer touchpoint** — did the current week include real user contact? (Torres: keystone habit is a weekly interview by the full trio)5152## Dev's formal role in the trio5354Per Cagan/SVPG: **Tech Lead is the formal owner of feasibility risk and co-accountable for product delivery**. Not "executor with an opinion" — accountability is shared with PM and Designer. The skill operates from this premise: speak as tech lead, not passive dev.5556## Per-mode dimensions5758- **kickoff**: + Prototype fit (worth a spike before implementing?) + Opportunity Solution Tree (map outcome → opportunities → solutions → assumptions)59- **planning**: + Honest estimation (high uncertainty = discovery, not delivery) + **WIP check** (high WIP = feature factory)60- **discovery**: + Past-behavior questions (Torres: "How do you do this today?" beats "Would you use X?" — hypotheticals produce false yeses)61- **review**: + Instrumentation (events, success query ready in the PR?) + Ethical check (LGPD/GDPR, bias, dark patterns)6263Details in [CHECKLISTS.md](CHECKLISTS.md).6465## Client-services context6667Applies when a paying stakeholder sits between the team and the end user — agency, consultancy, contractor, or an internal team serving another business unit. Skip if you build for your own end users. Adapt when relevant:68- Client pays for delivery ≠ client pays for outcome. Try to align around the **end user's outcome**, not just the contracting stakeholder's.69- Fixed contract scope makes discovery hard. Propose a **discovery sprint** before the delivery sprint when possible.70- The client's roadmap may itself be a feature factory. Don't copy blindly — challenge with Cagan-style questions.7172## Tone7374- Direct, no filler75- Fragments OK76- **Mirror the language of the user's current message** — detect per invocation. If user wrote in pt-BR, respond pt-BR. If EN, EN. If they switch, switch. Never hardcode a default.77- Cite book/SVPG when it adds weight (`(Inspired, ch. Engineers)`, `(Torres, Continuous Discovery Habits)`) — keep proper nouns and quotes in original EN regardless of output language78- Don't turn into a lecture — flags + action7980## References8182- [REFERENCE.md](REFERENCE.md) — 5 risks detailed, feature factory smells, prototype types, OST, quotes83- [CHECKLISTS.md](CHECKLISTS.md) — full per-mode checklist
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