Ideate Solutions

Generate multiple product solution concepts grounded in outcomes and opportunities before validating assumptions.

Position in Workflow

Step 3 of product strategy workflow:

/discover-outcomes - Define outcomes
/discover-opportunities - Identify opportunities
/ideate-solutions - Explore solution concepts (THIS)
/discover-assumptions - Validate with experiments

Core Principle

Diverge before you converge. Create several distinct solutions, then evaluate them against outcomes and constraints.

Input

Default: Use outcomes and opportunities from the current conversation.

If argument provided:

File path: Read the file for context
Notion/Doc URL: Summarize relevant outcomes and opportunities

Workflow

1. Gather Context

Restate the target outcomes and top opportunities.
List constraints (time, budget, compliance, positioning).
Clarify what is in scope vs out of scope.

2. Ask Clarifying Questions

Ask what improves ideation quality:

Which outcomes matter most right now?
What constraints are non-negotiable?
What segments or use cases are priority?
What current alternatives must be beaten?

3. Ideate Multiple Solutions

Generate 3-5 distinct solution concepts. Vary across:

Dimension	Examples
Approach	Self-serve tool, concierge, marketplace, automation
Value prop	Speed, cost reduction, risk reduction, delight
Delivery model	Feature, workflow, service, integration
Adoption path	Low-friction trial, assisted onboarding, pilots

Avoid anchoring on the first idea. Make the options meaningfully different.

4. Evaluate Trade-offs

For each solution, assess:

Pros: How it advances outcomes
Cons: Risks or limitations
Evidence fit: What assumptions it relies on
Feasibility: Rough effort and dependencies
Differentiation: Why it wins vs alternatives

5. Pick a Leading Concept

Rank the options and select a leading concept to validate next.

Output Format

## Solution Ideation

### Context Summary
[Target outcomes + top opportunities]

### Clarifying Questions
[Questions about priorities or constraints - if any]

---

### Concepts

#### Concept 1: [Name] - Leading
[Description]

**Pros:**
- ...

**Cons:**
- ...

**Evidence fit:** [Key assumptions this relies on]
**Feasibility:** [Low/Medium/High]
**Differentiation:** [Why this wins vs alternatives]

#### Concept 2: [Name]
[Same structure]

#### Concept 3: [Name]
[Same structure]

---

### Recommendation
[Why the leading concept wins, and when you'd choose differently]

### Open Questions
[Assumptions or unknowns to validate]

### Next Step
Validate assumptions. Run `/discover-assumptions`.

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Fix
Jumping to one idea	Generate 3-5 concepts first
Concepts too similar	Force meaningful variation
Ignoring constraints	State non-negotiables early
No link to outcomes	Tie each concept to outcomes

What NOT to Do

Do NOT define experiments yet
Do NOT commit to a solution without assumptions
Do NOT skip trade-off analysis

ideate-solutions