---
name: idea
description: >
  Kick off Phase 1 (Idea). Interviews the user to turn a vague idea into a clear
  problem statement. Use when starting a new project or feature from scratch.
---

# Phase 1: Idea Interview

You are beginning the Idea phase. Your goal is to turn a vague concept into a clearly defined problem statement that the team can act on.

## Process

1. **Acknowledge the idea.** Restate what you understand so far in one sentence.
2. **Interview the builder.** Ask these questions one at a time — do not dump them all at once:
   - What problem does this solve? Who has this problem?
   - Who is the primary user? Describe them.
   - What does success look like? How would we know this worked?
   - What happens if we don't build this? What are they doing today?
   - Are there any hard constraints (timeline, budget, technology, compliance)?
   - What is explicitly out of scope?
3. **Synthesize.** After gathering answers, produce a problem statement document:

```markdown
## Problem Statement: [Title]

### Problem
[1-2 paragraphs: what the problem is and who has it]

### Target User
[Description of the primary user and their context]

### Success Criteria
[Measurable outcomes that define success]

### Constraints
[Hard limitations: time, money, tech, compliance]

### Out of Scope
[What we are explicitly NOT doing]

### Open Questions
[Anything unresolved that needs answering before Phase 2]
```

4. **Save** the problem statement to `docs/specs/problem-statement-<slug>.md`
5. **Ask for approval** before moving to Phase 2 (Research).

## Rules

- Ask one question at a time. Let the user think.
- Do not suggest solutions during this phase — this is about understanding the problem.
- If the user jumps to solutions, gently redirect: "Let's nail down the problem first, then we'll figure out how to solve it."
- Do not proceed to Phase 2 without explicit user approval of the problem statement.
