Idea Capture
Capture raw ideas as structured artifacts for backlog consideration.
Summary
Goal: Capture and structure product ideas as backlog artifacts with module context and validation.
| Step | Action | Key Notes |
|------|--------|-----------|
| 1 | Detect module | Dynamic discovery from docs/business-features/*/README.md frontmatter |
| 2 | Load business context | Read INDEX.md and README.md for matched module |
| 3 | Inspect related entities | Search domain_path for existing entity classes |
| 4 | Gather information | Ask title, problem, beneficiary, scope |
| 5 | Generate artifact | Use idea template, ID format IDEA-{YYMMDD}-{NNN} |
| 6 | Quick validation | Ask 2-3 questions on problem clarity, value, scope |
| 7 | Suggest next step | Point to /team-refine for PBI refinement |
Key Principles:
- Modules are self-describing via YAML frontmatter -- auto-discovered, not hardcoded
- Always validate idea with 2-3 quick questions before handoff
- Save to
team-artifacts/ideas/{YYMMDD}-{role}-idea-{slug}.md
When to Use
- User has new feature concept
- Stakeholder request needs documentation
- Quick capture without full refinement
Pre-Workflow
Activate Skills
- Activate
product-ownerskill for idea capture best practices
Workflow
0. Detect Module (Dynamic Discovery)
Dynamic module discovery from YAML frontmatter:
-
Glob: Find all module documentation
docs/business-features/*/README.md -
Parse Frontmatter: For each README, extract YAML between
---markers- Extract:
module,keywords,aliases,features,domain_path
- Extract:
-
Match Keywords: Compare user input (title/problem) against:
aliases(exact match - highest priority)keywords(partial match)features(partial match for sub-features)- Score = count of matching terms
-
Select Module:
- If single match: Confirm "Is this related to {Module}?"
- If multiple matches: Show matches with scores, ask user to select
- If no match: List all discovered modules, ask selection or "new" for new module
Note: Modules are self-describing via frontmatter. New modules auto-discovered when following template.
1. Load Business Context
- MUST READ:
docs/business-features/{Module}/INDEX.md(feature table) - MUST READ:
docs/business-features/{Module}/README.md(Overview + Business Requirements sections only, ~2000 token budget) - Note: "Loaded context from {Module} business documentation"
- If module docs missing: Note absence and continue without context
1.5. Show Existing Features
- Display feature table from INDEX.md
- Ask: "Does this idea relate to or extend any existing feature?"
- Note related FR-XX IDs if applicable
2. Inspect Related Entities
Use domain_path from module frontmatter for targeted entity search:
-
Get Domain Path:
- If module matched: Use frontmatter
domain_path(e.g.,src/PlatformExampleApp/PlatformExampleApp.TextSnippet.Domain) - If no module: Skip entity inspection or use broad search
- If module matched: Use frontmatter
-
Entity Search:
{domain_path}/Entities/*.cs -
Extract: Entity class names (classes extending
RootEntity<), key properties, relationships -
Show: "Related entities found: {EntityName} with properties: [{list}]"
-
If no match: "No existing entities match - this may be a new domain concept"
3. Gather Information
- If no title provided, ask: "What's the idea in one sentence?"
- Ask: "What problem does this solve?"
- Ask: "Who benefits from this?"
- Ask: "Any initial scope thoughts?"
4. Generate Artifact
- Create idea file using template from
team-artifacts/templates/idea-template.md - Generate ID:
IDEA-{YYMMDD}-{NNN}(sequential) - Set status:
draft - Add frontmatter:
related_module: "{Module or N/A}"related_entities: [{list of entity names}]related_features: [{FR-XX IDs if applicable}]
5. Save Artifact
- Path:
team-artifacts/ideas/{YYMMDD}-{role}-idea-{slug}.md - Role: Infer from context or ask
- Add to Related section: Link to
docs/business-features/{Module}/
6. Quick Validation (MANDATORY)
After saving, conduct brief validation interview to confirm understanding before handoff.
Question Selection (pick 2-3 most relevant)
| Category | Question | | ------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- | | Problem Clarity | "Is the problem statement clear? What's the root cause?" | | Value | "Who benefits most? What's the business impact if NOT built?" | | Scope | "Is this one feature or multiple? Should it be split?" | | Timing | "Is this urgent or can it wait? Any deadline drivers?" | | Alternatives | "Any existing solutions or workarounds today?" |
Validation Process
- Select 2-3 questions based on idea complexity
- Use
AskUserQuestionwith concrete options - Update idea artifact with clarifications
- Skip validation only for trivial/obvious ideas
Validation Output
Update the ## Quick Validation section in the idea artifact:
## Quick Validation
**Validated:** {date}
- **Problem clarity:** {Confirmed/Clarified: notes}
- **Value confirmed:** {Yes/Needs discussion}
- **Scope check:** {Single feature/Needs splitting}
7. Suggest Next Step
- Output: "Idea captured and validated! To refine into a PBI, run:
/team-refine {filename}"
Output Format
Use template from team-artifacts/templates/idea-template.md
Add these fields to frontmatter:
related_module: "{Module name or N/A}"
related_entities: []
related_features: []
Add to Related section:
## Related
- **Module Docs**: [docs/business-features/{Module}/](docs/business-features/{Module}/)
- **Related Features**: {FR-XX IDs from INDEX.md}
- **Related Entities**: {Entity names from codebase}
Module Discovery
Modules are discovered dynamically from docs/business-features/*/README.md frontmatter.
See docs/templates/detailed-feature-docs-template.md for frontmatter schema.
Example
/team-idea "Advanced search filters for snippets"
Example Flow
- Detects "snippet" + "search" -> TextSnippet module
- Loads TextSnippet INDEX.md, README.md
- Shows existing Search Snippets feature (FR-TS-003)
- Finds TextSnippetEntity with SnippetText, FullText, Tags properties
- Gathers user input
- Creates:
team-artifacts/ideas/260119-po-idea-advanced-search-filters.md - Validates: Asks 2-3 quick questions about problem clarity, value, scope
- Updates idea with validation summary
Related
- Role Skill:
product-owner - Next Step:
/team-refine
IMPORTANT Task Planning Notes
- Always plan and break many small todo tasks
- Always add a final review todo task to review the works done at the end to find any fix or enhancement needed