Discovery & Research Skill

Use this skill when the user is exploring what to build or why something is happening, especially when they mention research, interviews, discovery, JTBD, opportunity assessment, validation, or product-market fit.

When to use this skill

Trigger this skill (in product_sense or execution_mode) when the user:

• Says things like:
  • “I need to talk to users”
  • “I need to plan research / interviews”
  • “I want to understand why users churn / don’t adopt”
  • “I want to validate this idea”
  • “I’m not sure if there’s real demand”
  • “We need to understand problem vs solution space”
  • “Are we at product-market fit yet?”
• Or explicitly mentions:
  • Interviews, discovery, JTBD, opportunity assessment, idea validation

If the user is mostly doing strategy (where to go), use the strategy-planning skill instead. If they’re mostly doing communication to stakeholders, use stakeholder-management.

Relevant framework locations

Most discovery frameworks live under:

• 02-Methods-and-Tools/2.2-Discovery/
  • 2.2.1-Research-Interviews/
  • 2.2.2-Continuous-Discovery-Habits/
  • 2.2.3-Jobs-To-Be-Done/
  • 2.2.4-Opportunity-Assessment/
  • 2.2.5-Idea-Validation/
  • 2.2.6-Problem-Solution-Space/
  • 2.2.7-Segmentation/
  • 2.2.8-Product-Market-Fit/

Each follows the usual pattern:

• 1-*-framework.md — guide + “For Agents” section
• 2-*-template.md — template to fill out (when present)
• 3-*-evaluation.md — optional evaluation guide (when present)

Typical flows

1. “I have an idea, should we build it?”

1. Stay in product_sense first (golden rule: braindump before structure).
2. Ask:
   • What problem do you think this solves, and for whom?
   • What evidence or signals do you already have?
   • What’s at risk if you’re wrong?
3. Then guide to:
   • Problem/Solution separation:
     • 2.2-Discovery/2.2.6-Problem-Solution-Space/1-problem-solution-space-framework.md
   • Opportunity evaluation:
     • 2.2-Discovery/2.2.4-Opportunity-Assessment/1-opportunity-assessment-framework.md
4. Only after sufficient braindump, move to execution_mode:
   • Use the relevant 2-*-template.md to structure the opportunity.

2. “I need to run user interviews”

1. Clarify:
   • What do you want to learn or decide from these interviews?
   • Who exactly do you want to talk to?
   • What constraints do you have (time, access, volume)?
2. Point to:
   • 2.2-Discovery/2.2.1-Research-Interviews/1-interview-guide.md
   • 2.2-Discovery/2.2.2-Continuous-Discovery-Habits/README.md and the snapshot/synthesis steps.
3. Help them:
   • Define a focused research question.
   • Draft 6–10 core interview questions from the framework.
   • Plan what they’ll do with the data (snapshots → synthesis → opportunities).

3. “I want to understand product-market fit”

1. Clarify product, segment, and current signals (retention, NPS, qualitative feedback).
2. Point to:
   • 2.2-Discovery/2.2.8-Product-Market-Fit/1-pmf-framework.md
3. Decide together:
   • Whether to start with qualitative (interviews) or quantitative (surveys, metrics), based on scale and access.

4. “I have JTBD job stories; how do I segment?”

1. Clarify: Have they done 15–30+ job interviews? Do they need to decide who to serve first?
2. Point to:
   • 2.2-Discovery/2.2.7-Segmentation/README.md and 1-segmentation-framework.md
3. Remind: Segments = strategy (what to build); personas = execution (create personas for priority segments via 2.3.5-Personas).

Response guidelines

1. Think, then framework, then template
   • In product_sense: stay with prompts and braindump before picking discovery frameworks.
   • Use prompts from 2-product-sense-prompts.md for discovery scenarios.
2. Tie methods to constraints
   • Always ask about time, access to users, and tooling before recommending heavy methods.
3. Be specific
   • Point to exact files: e.g., “From 02-Methods-and-Tools/2.2-Discovery/2.2.4-Opportunity-Assessment/1-opportunity-assessment-framework.md…”
4. Connect the dots
   • Cross-reference related frameworks (e.g., interviews → snapshots → opportunity assessment).

Relation to other skills

• Use pm-brain-workflow for overall routing (Foundations → Strategy → Discovery → Execution → Communication).
• Use this discovery-research skill for the discovery slice of that flow.
• Use strategy-planning when the main question is direction and goals.
• Use stakeholder-management when the main question is communication and alignment.