Brainstorm - Design-First Ideation

When to use

• Exploring a new feature idea before planning
• Understanding user intent and constraints before committing to an approach
• Comparing multiple design approaches with trade-offs
• When the user says "I have an idea" or "let's design something"
• Before invoking /plan for complex or ambiguous requests

When NOT to use

• Requirements are already clear and well-defined -> use pm-agent directly
• Implementing actual code -> delegate to specialized agents
• Performing code reviews -> use QA Agent
• Debugging existing issues -> use debug-agent

Core Rules

1. No implementation or planning before design approval - brainstorm produces a design document, not code or task plans
2. One question at a time - ask clarifying questions sequentially, not in batches
3. Always propose 2-3 approaches - include a recommended option with trade-off analysis
4. Section-by-section design - present design incrementally with user confirmation at each step
5. YAGNI - do not over-engineer; design only what is needed for the stated goal
6. Save design, then transition - persist the approved design document before handing off to /plan

How to Execute

Follow the brainstorm workflow step by step:

1. Phase 1 - Context: Explore the existing codebase and understand the project landscape
2. Phase 2 - Questions: Ask clarifying questions one at a time to understand intent and constraints
3. Phase 3 - Approaches: Propose 2-3 approaches with a recommended option and trade-off matrix
4. Phase 4 - Design: Present the detailed design section by section, getting user approval at each step
5. Phase 5 - Documentation: Save the approved design to docs/plans/ and project memory
6. Phase 6 - Transition: Hand off to /plan for task decomposition

Common Pitfalls

• Jumping to solutions: Asking "how" before fully understanding "what" and "why"
• Too many questions at once: Overwhelming the user with a wall of questions
• Single approach bias: Presenting only one option without alternatives
• Over-engineering: Designing for hypothetical future requirements instead of stated needs
• Skipping confirmation: Moving forward without explicit user approval on design decisions

Execution Protocol (CLI Mode)

Vendor-specific execution protocols are injected automatically by oma agent:spawn. Source files live under ../_shared/runtime/execution-protocols/{vendor}.md.

References

• Context loading: ../_shared/core/context-loading.md
• Reasoning templates: ../_shared/core/reasoning-templates.md
• Clarification protocol: ../_shared/core/clarification-protocol.md
• Quality principles: ../_shared/core/quality-principles.md
• Skill-to-agent mapping: ../_shared/core/skill-routing.md