Synthesizing Pillars

Pillar Synthesis

This skill transforms raw evidence objects into structured insights for a single research pillar.

Prerequisites

• Evidence gate passed (≥5 evidence objects for this pillar)
• Evidence objects in 02-evidence/<pillar>/

Workflow

Use TodoWrite to track these mandatory steps:

Step 1: Load Evidence

Read all EV-<pillar>-*.yaml files from 02-evidence/<pillar>/.

For each evidence object, extract:

• Claim
• Confidence
• Assumptions
• Tags

Build a working set of all claims.

Step 2: Identify Patterns

Group evidence by theme:

• What claims cluster together?
• What topics have multiple evidence points?
• What themes emerge across sources?

Pattern identification:

Theme: Pricing
├── EV-market-pricing-smb-wtp (0.75) - SMB WTP $29
├── EV-market-pricing-enterprise-wtp (0.80) - Enterprise WTP $99
└── EV-competitors-pricing-benchmark (0.70) - Market avg $45

Insight: Pricing flexibility needed for multi-segment

Step 3: Handle Contradictions

For contradictory evidence:

1. Note the contradiction explicitly
2. Assess confidence delta - Higher confidence wins if large gap
3. Check recency - More recent may supersede older
4. Check authority - More authoritative source wins
5. If unresolved - Document both, flag for decision-making

### Contradiction: User Segment Priority

**EV-users-segment-power-users** (0.70): Power users drive retention
**EV-users-segment-casual** (0.65): Casual users drive growth

**Resolution:** Unresolved. Both valid for different goals.
**Recommendation:** Requires explicit decision (DEC-*)

Step 4: Extract Key Insights

For each theme, formulate 1-3 key insights:

Insight structure:

• Observation: What the evidence shows
• Implication: What this means for the product
• Confidence: How confident we are (based on evidence)
• Evidence: Which EV-* IDs support this

Step 5: Generate Synthesis Document

Write 03-synthesis/SYN-<pillar>.md using template from references/synthesis-template.md.

Required sections:

1. Executive Summary (3-5 bullet points)
2. Key Insights (with evidence citations)
3. Contradictions and Resolutions
4. Gaps and Uncertainties
5. Recommended Decisions (what needs explicit DEC-*)

Step 6: Link to Evidence

Every insight must cite evidence:

## Key Insight: Price Ceiling

SMB segment shows consistent willingness-to-pay ceiling around $30/month.
(EV-market-pricing-smb-wtp, EV-competitors-pricing-benchmark)

This suggests pricing above $30 requires additional value justification
or enterprise-focused features.

User Interaction

Use the AskUserQuestion tool when:

Contradiction resolution needed

Question: "Evidence conflicts on [topic]. How should I resolve?"
Options:
- "Favor higher confidence source"
- "Favor more recent source"
- "Document both, defer to decision phase"
- "Help me assess the sources"

Insight interpretation unclear

Question: "Evidence suggests [X]. Is this interpretation correct?"
Options:
- "Yes, that interpretation is correct"
- "No, the implication is different"
- "Need more context to interpret"

Gap identification

Question: "Synthesis reveals gap in [area]. How to handle?"
Options:
- "Note gap, proceed with available evidence"
- "Request additional research"
- "Critical gap - block until resolved"

Output

After synthesis:

## Synthesis Complete: [pillar]

**Evidence Analyzed:** [N] objects
**Key Insights:** [M]
**Contradictions:** [X] ([Y] resolved, [Z] pending)

### Top Insights
1. [Insight with evidence citation]
2. [Insight with evidence citation]
3. [Insight with evidence citation]

### Decisions Needed
- [Topic requiring DEC-*]
- [Another decision point]

### Document Location
`03-synthesis/SYN-<pillar>.md`

References

• references/synthesis-template.md - Document template