# Idea > Activate for: idea, brainstorm, ideate, 100 ideas, idea generation, idea sprint, new product idea, innovation sprint, what should I build, what problem should I solve, idea evaluation, idea scoring, idea shortlist, pressure test idea, devil's advocate, adjacent possible, contrarian ideas, analogy ideas, crazy ideas, how might we, HMW, pivot idea, new venture concept. NOT for: customer discovery or interview synthesis (use discovery), assumption mapping (use hypothesis), pitch deck (use pitch). - Skill: `panaversity/idea` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 3 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add panaversity/idea` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/panaversity/idea/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Product & Planning - License: Apache-2.0 - Author: panaversity (https://skillmd.com/u/panaversity) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/panaversity/idea --- ## CONTEXT LOADING Before executing, check for `innov.local.md` in the working directory. If found, extract: - venture: name, stage, type, problem_statement, target_customer - key_assumptions: all entries with IDs, risk levels, evidence, test status - customer_profiles: personas, pains, gains If `innov.local.md` is not found: Continue with conversation context. After first substantive output, prompt: "I'm working without your venture context. Run Exercise 8 from Chapter 40 to build innov.local.md -- it will make every subsequent output specific to your venture rather than generic." ## STAGE-AWARE CALIBRATION Check venture.stage and calibrate: - IDEA: This is your focus stage. Full idea generation is appropriate. - DISCOVERY: Idea generation is fine -- you may be refining direction after interviews. - VALIDATION: Warning -- "You are past ideation. Your assumptions are being tested. Are you pivoting, or exploring adjacent ideas? If pivoting, use /validate first to synthesise what was invalidated." - MVP: Warning -- "You are building. Generating new ideas mid-build risks distraction. Are you considering a pivot? If so, use /validate to assess your pilot results first." - GROWTH: Warning -- "You are scaling what works. New ideas here should be adjacent optimisations, not new ventures. If you are genuinely exploring a new direction, that is a separate venture." ## DLA PROGRESSION CHECK If venture.stage is IDEA and no discovery data exists in innov.local.md: "You are generating ideas before talking to customers. Ideas without customer evidence are guesses. Consider running /discovery first to ground your ideation in real pain points." ## IDEA GENERATION WORKFLOW ### Idea Types TYPE 1: 100-IDEA SPRINT Purpose: Generate maximum idea volume on a problem statement. Input: HMW problem statement + any constraints Output: 100 ideas across 10 categories (10 per category) Rule: No self-censorship -- generate all ideas including obvious and impossible TYPE 2: SHORTLISTING Purpose: Filter 100 ideas to actionable shortlist using DVF framework. Input: Full idea list Filter: Desirability (would customers pay?), Viability (path to $10M+ revenue?), Feasibility (small team can build MVP in <3 months?) Output: Top 10 with one-sentence rationale per idea TYPE 3: SINGLE-IDEA PRESSURE TEST Purpose: Stress-test one selected idea before committing to it. Input: One idea description Output: 5 strongest arguments against; what must be proven to overcome each TYPE 4: PIVOT IDEATION Purpose: Generate alternative directions after a failed assumption. Input: What was invalidated; what we still know to be true Output: 5-10 pivot directions with rationale; which to explore first TYPE 5: ANALOGICAL IDEATION Purpose: Apply successful models from other domains to your problem. Input: Problem statement + industry context Output: "What would [Company/Model] do with this problem?" x 10 analogies ### 100-Idea Sprint Output Structure ``` IDEA SPRINT -- [Problem Statement] ================================================================ PRODUCT IDEAS (how the product could work): 1. [One sentence -- specific enough to imagine building it] 2-10. [Continue] BUSINESS MODEL IDEAS (how it could make money differently): 11-20. [One sentence each] DISTRIBUTION IDEAS (how customers find and buy it): 21-30. [One sentence each] ANALOGY IDEAS (what worked for similar problems elsewhere): 31-40. [One sentence -- reference the model it draws from] TECHNOLOGY IDEAS (how new tech could change the solution): 41-50. [One sentence -- name the specific technology] CRAZY / 10X IDEAS (what would 10x better look like?): 51-60. [Permission to be unrealistic -- suspend disbelief] BORING IDEAS (the most obvious thing): 61-70. [What the incumbent would build; what anyone would think of first] CONTRARIAN IDEAS (the exact opposite of obvious): 71-80. [What happens if we invert the conventional assumption?] PARTNERSHIP IDEAS (who could solve this together?): 81-90. [Name the partner type + what they bring] INCUMBENT IDEAS (what the market leader would do if they noticed): 91-100. [How the biggest player in the space would respond] ================================================================ ``` ### DVF Scoring Framework For each idea in the shortlist: DESIRABILITY: Would customers pay for this today? HIGH: Clear willingness to pay; customer already spending on adjacent solution MEDIUM: Pain is real but payment behaviour not established LOW: Nice to have; customers tolerate the problem without urgency VIABILITY: Could this become a $10M+ revenue business? HIGH: Clear path to scale; large addressable market; strong unit economics MEDIUM: Uncertain scale; niche market or unclear monetisation at volume LOW: Too small a market; unit economics problematic at scale FEASIBILITY: Can a small team build an MVP in <3 months? HIGH: Core technology is available; team has or can access required skills MEDIUM: 3-6 month MVP; one significant technical risk LOW: Requires proprietary technology or hardware; > 6 months to test ### Idea Quality Rules STRONG idea has: - A specific customer (not "everyone" or "businesses") - A specific pain (not "inefficiency" or "they want something better") - A specific mechanism (not "AI-powered" -- what does the AI actually do?) - A reason why now (what changed that makes this possible/necessary today?) - A reason why you (what do you know, have, or can do that others cannot?) WEAK idea has: - Generic customer ("SMEs", "people", "anyone who...") - Generic pain ("they want it to be easier/faster/cheaper") - Technology-first ("AI chatbot for X" without a specific job-to-be-done) - No timing reason (why hasn't someone done this already?) ### The "Why Now?" Test Before shortlisting any idea, apply the "Why Now?" test: What changed in the last 2-3 years that makes this possible or urgent today? Valid "Why Now?" reasons: - New technology (LLM capabilities; mobile penetration; API availability) - Regulatory change (new requirement creates demand) - Behaviour change (remote work; new platform adoption) - Cost inflection (cloud; AI inference costs) - Demographic shift (new generation in workforce) - Market gap (incumbent exited; price increase) If you cannot answer "Why Now?": the idea may be fine but timing is unclear. ## ASSUMPTION TRACKING After any idea output that references or creates new assumptions: - Surface the most critical untested assumption relevant to the selected idea - Propose innov.local.md updates if new assumptions were identified - Always distinguish between ASSUMED, ANECDOTAL, and VALIDATED evidence ## NEVER DO THESE - NEVER stop at fewer than 100 ideas in a generation sprint -- the best ideas are usually in the second half; early ideas are obvious - NEVER score an idea HIGH on Desirability without evidence of customer willingness to pay (not just interest -- actual payment intent) - NEVER proceed to building from idea selection without running /hypothesis to make assumptions explicit first - NEVER generate a contrarian or crazy idea and immediately dismiss it -- the point is to expand the solution space; evaluation comes later ALL OUTPUTS REQUIRE REVIEW BY A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL BEFORE USE IN BUSINESS DECISIONS.