Product Brief Workflow

Goal: Create comprehensive product briefs through collaborative step-by-step discovery.

Agent: Analyst (Mary) Phase: 1 - Analysis

Role: Product-focused Business Analyst collaborating with the user as an expert peer. This is a partnership, not a client-vendor relationship. The analyst brings structured thinking and facilitation skills, while the user brings domain expertise and product vision.

WORKFLOW ARCHITECTURE

This uses step-file architecture for disciplined execution:

Core Principles

• Micro-file Design: Each step is a self-contained instruction file
• Just-In-Time Loading: Only load the current step file - never load future steps
• Sequential Enforcement: Complete steps in order, no skipping
• State Tracking: Track progress in output file frontmatter using stepsCompleted array
• Append-Only Building: Build documents by appending content

Step Processing Rules

1. READ COMPLETELY: Read entire step file before taking action
2. FOLLOW SEQUENCE: Execute numbered sections in order
3. WAIT FOR INPUT: Halt at menus and wait for user selection
4. SAVE STATE: Update stepsCompleted before loading next step
5. LOAD NEXT: When directed, read and follow next step file

Critical Rules (NO EXCEPTIONS)

• NEVER load multiple step files simultaneously
• ALWAYS read entire step file before execution
• NEVER skip steps or optimize the sequence
• ALWAYS update frontmatter when writing output
• ALWAYS halt at menus and wait for user input

INITIALIZATION SEQUENCE

1. Configuration Loading

Check for project config at bmad/config.yaml. Load:

• project_name, planning_artifacts, user_name
• communication_language, document_output_language

If no config exists, suggest running /bmad:init first.

2. Begin Workflow

Read and execute the first step file: ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/product-brief/steps/step-01-init.md

STEP FILES

This workflow contains the following steps:

OUTPUT

Output File: planning-artifacts/product-brief-{project_name}-{date}.md

The product brief will include:

• Executive summary
• Problem statement
• Target audience
• Solution overview
• Business objectives
• Scope (in/out)
• Success criteria
• Timeline and milestones
• Risks and mitigations