Synthesizing VOC

Overview

Converts raw Voice of Customer data into decision-grade themes and opportunities. Strict protocol prevents hallucination by requiring verbatim quotes, source attribution, and minimum source thresholds.

When to Use

• Have 3+ interview transcripts, support tickets, or survey responses
• Need to understand "what are customers actually saying?"
• Preparing for roadmap planning or prioritization
• Want to validate assumptions with real customer evidence

Core Pattern

Step 1: Validate Sources

1. List all files in inputs/voc/
2. Count total sources
3. If fewer than 3 sources:
   • State: "Insufficient sources (found N, need 3+)"
   • List what you found
   • STOP and ask user for more data
4. Read each file completely

Step 2: Tag Verbatims (Internal)

Create a mental index:

• Verbatim Quote → Source File → User/Segment (if known)

DO NOT summarize or paraphrase at this stage.

Step 3: Identify Themes

Find patterns appearing in 3+ separate sources. For each theme:

Step 4: Generate Output

Write to outputs/insights/voc-synthesis-YYYY-MM-DD.md:

---
generated: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM
skill: synthesizing-voc
sources:
  - inputs/voc/interview-1.md (modified: YYYY-MM-DD)
  - inputs/voc/interview-2.md (modified: YYYY-MM-DD)
downstream:
  - outputs/roadmap/Qx-YYYY-charters.md
---

# VOC Synthesis: [Date]

## Summary
[2-3 sentences: what did we learn?]

## Themes

| Theme | Frequency | Segment | Impact | Confidence |
|-------|-----------|---------|--------|------------|
| [Theme 1] | N sources | Explicit/Unknown | Explicit/Unknown | High/Med/Low |
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |

## Voice of the Customer

### Theme 1: [Name]
**Pain point:** [One sentence]

> "[Verbatim quote 1]"
> — Source: [filename], [user/segment if known]

> "[Verbatim quote 2]"
> — Source: [filename]

### Theme 2: [Name]
...

## Top 5 Opportunities
1. **[Opportunity]** — Evidence: [N sources mention this]
2. ...

## Top 5 Terminology Gaps / Misconceptions
1. **[Term/Concept]** — What users say vs. what we mean
2. ...

## What to Validate Next Week
- [ ] [Specific hypothesis to test]
- [ ] [Question to ask in next interview]

## Recommended Actions
[Only if supported by 3+ sources. Otherwise: "No recommendations; need more data."]

## Sources Used
- [file paths]

## Claims Ledger
| Claim | Type | Source |
|-------|------|--------|
| ... | Evidence | [file:line] |

Step 5: Copy to History & Update Tracker

• Copy to history/synthesizing-voc/voc-synthesis-YYYY-MM-DD.md
• Update alerts/stale-outputs.md

Quick Reference

Common Mistakes

• Paraphrasing: "User was frustrated" → Use exact words: "This is so annoying"
• Inferring sentiment: "They seemed happy" → Only state what's written
• Assuming segments: "Probably enterprise" → Only use explicit segment data
• Recommending without evidence: "We should build X" → Need 3+ sources
• Counting wrong: "Many users said" → Exact count: "4 of 7 sources"

Verification Checklist

• Counted sources (minimum 3)
• All quotes are verbatim (no paraphrasing)
• Every quote has source file attribution
• Segment/Impact marked "Unknown" if not explicit
• PII redacted as [REDACTED]
• Frequency is exact count, not "many" or "some"
• Recommendations backed by 3+ sources
• Metadata header complete
• Copied to history, tracker updated

Evidence Tracking