/brainstorming

name: brainstorming
description: Use when creating a feature/component or adding functionality. Fires BEFORE APEX Analyze to refine requirements via structured questioning.
user-invocable: true
references: references/workflow.md, references/anti-patterns.md
related-skills: apex-methodology, research, exploration
argument-hint: "[feature-or-task-description]"

<objective> Brainstorming runs a design-first, no-code-before-approval process ahead of any non-trivial feature, component, or behavior change: explore project context, ask clarifying questions one at a time, diverge to 6-8 approaches via a named technique before converging on 2-3 with a trade-off table, present the design for explicit approval, save it to `docs/plans/`, then hand off to APEX Analyze along with the research already gathered (so Analyze doesn't repeat it).

Skip it entirely for trivial fixes, typos, or simple renames -- those go straight to APEX. </objective>

Brainstorming Skill

**Design-first approach: no code before design approval.**

---

Agent Workflow (MANDATORY)

Before ANY brainstorming session, use `TeamCreate` to spawn agents:

1. **fuse-ai-pilot:explore-codebase** - Understand project context, patterns, constraints 2. **fuse-ai-pilot:research-expert** - Fetch best practices and documentation

After design approval, transition to **APEX Analyze** phase, **passing along the explore-codebase and research-expert findings** in the handoff (not just the design doc). APEX Analyze re-runs those same agents by default — carrying forward what was already gathered here avoids re-doing the same research twice.

---

Overview

| Scenario | Action | |----------|--------| | **New feature** | Full brainstorming (6 steps) | | **Major change** | Full brainstorming (6 steps) | | **Component creation** | Full brainstorming (6 steps) | | **Trivial fix (1-3 lines)** | Skip brainstorming, go to APEX | | **Simple rename/typo** | Skip brainstorming, go to APEX |

---

6-Step Process

Step 1: Explore Project Context

Gather context before asking questions:

• `git log --oneline -20` - Recent changes and direction
• Existing code patterns and conventions
• Related documentation and prior decisions
• Tech stack and dependency constraints

Step 2: Ask Clarifying Questions (ONE AT A TIME)

Ask focused questions sequentially. Wait for each answer before the next.

Categories: purpose, constraints, success criteria, users, integrations.

> See [workflow.md](references/workflow.md) for question categories

Step 3: Diverge, Then Converge to 2-3 Approaches

Generate ≥6-8 distinct approaches via a named technique (SCAMPER / reverse-brainstorming / analogies), judgment suspended — not 3 sizes of the same idea. Only then converge to 2-3 with trade-offs in table format:

| Approach | Pros | Cons | Recommendation | |----------|------|------|----------------| | Option A | ... | ... | ... | | Option B | ... | ... | ... | | Option C | ... | ... | ... |

Always include a clear recommendation with rationale.

Step 4: Present Design for Approval

Break design into digestible sections:

1. Architecture overview 2. Key components and responsibilities 3. Data flow and state management 4. Edge cases and error handling

**Wait for explicit user approval before proceeding.**

Step 5: Save Design Document

Save approved design to: `docs/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>-design.md`

Step 6: Transition to APEX

Hand off to APEX Analyze phase with the approved design as input.

---

Reference Guide

| Topic | Reference | When to Consult | |-------|-----------|-----------------| | **Workflow** | [workflow.md](references/workflow.md) | Question categories, proposal format, design template | | **Anti-Patterns** | [anti-patterns.md](references/anti-patterns.md) | Catching rationalizations to skip brainstorming |

---

Quick Reference

1. Explore   → git log, codebase, docs (agents in parallel)
2. Question  → ONE AT A TIME, wait for answers
3. Diverge   → 6-8 options (named technique), converge to 2-3 with trade-offs table
4. Design    → Present sections, get approval
5. Save      → docs/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>-design.md
6. Handoff   → APEX Analyze with approved design + prior research (no re-research)

---

Critical Rules

1. **NEVER write code before design approval** - Design first, always 2. **Ask questions ONE AT A TIME** - Never dump a list of 10 questions 3. **Always propose alternatives** - Minimum 2 approaches with trade-offs 4. **Save the design doc** - Creates audit trail and shared reference 5. **Get explicit approval** - "Looks good" or similar before proceeding