BMAD Brief - Generate Product Brief

Use the product-manager subagent to create a comprehensive Product Brief following BMAD methodology. The brief captures the high-level vision and goals.

Task Delegation

First gather the project idea, then launch the product-manager subagent to handle the complete brief generation workflow.

Process

Step 1: Gather Project Idea

If user provided description:

• Store their description

If user said just /bmad:brief:

• Ask: "What's your project idea at a high level?"
• Wait for response
• Ask follow-up if needed: "What problem does it solve? Who is it for?"

Step 2: Launch Product-Manager Subagent

Use the Task tool to launch the product-manager subagent in its own context window:

Task(
  description: "Generate BMAD product brief",
  prompt: "Create comprehensive product brief following BMAD methodology.

User's Project Idea:
{{user_idea}}

Your workflow:

1. **Generate product brief** using the MCP tool:

mcp__plugin_titanium-toolkit_tt__bmad_generator( doc_type: "brief", input_path: "{{user_idea}}", project_path: "$(pwd)" )

2. **Review generated brief** - Read bmad-backlog/product-brief.md and present key sections to user

3. **Validate the brief** using:

mcp__plugin_titanium-toolkit_tt__bmad_validator( doc_type: "brief", document_path: "bmad-backlog/product-brief.md" )

4. **Run vibe-check** to validate the brief quality

5. **Store in Pieces** for future reference

6. **Present summary** to user with next steps

**IMPORTANT**: Keep your summary response BRIEF (under 300 tokens). Just return:
- Confirmation brief is complete
- 1-2 sentence project description
- Primary user segment
- MVP feature count

DO NOT include the full brief content in your response - it's already saved to the file.

Follow your complete brief workflow from the bmad-methodology skill.

Project path: $(pwd)",
subagent_type: "product-manager"
)

The product-manager subagent will handle:

• Generating product brief
• Reviewing and presenting key sections
• Validation (structural and vibe-check)
• Pieces storage
• Summary presentation

Step 3: Return Results

The product-manager will return a summary when complete. Present this to the user.

What the Product-Manager Creates

The product-manager subagent generates bmad-backlog/product-brief.md containing:

• Executive Summary: Project concept, problem, target market, value proposition
• Problem Statement: Current state, pain points, urgency
• Proposed Solution: Core concept, differentiators
• Target Users: Primary and secondary user segments with detailed profiles
• Goals & Success Metrics: Business objectives, user success metrics, KPIs
• MVP Scope: Core features and what's out of scope
• Technical Considerations: Platform requirements, tech preferences
• Constraints & Assumptions: Budget, timeline, resources
• Risks & Open Questions: Key risks and areas needing research
• Next Steps: Immediate actions and PM handoff

Integration with Research

The product-manager may identify research needs during brief generation and suggest running /bmad:research for topics like:

• Data vendors or APIs
• Technology comparisons
• Market research

Voice Feedback

Voice hooks announce:

• "Generating product brief" (when starting)
• "Product brief complete" (when finished)

Cost

Typical cost: ~$0.01 per brief generation (Claude Haiku 4.5 API usage in bmad_generator tool)

Step 4: Present Summary and Next Steps

✅ Product Brief Complete!

📄 Location: bmad-backlog/product-brief.md

📊 Summary:
- Problem: {{one-line problem}}
- Solution: {{one-line solution}}
- Users: {{primary user segment}}
- MVP Features: {{count}} core features

💡 Next Steps:

Option 1: Generate PRD next
Run: /bmad:prd

Option 2: Generate complete backlog
Run: /bmad:start
(This will use the brief to generate PRD, Architecture, and all Epics)

What would you like to do?

Error Handling

If ANTHROPIC_API_KEY Missing

❌ Error: ANTHROPIC_API_KEY not found

The brief generation needs Anthropic Claude to create comprehensive content.

Please add your API key to ~/.env:
  echo 'ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-your-key-here' >> ~/.env
  chmod 600 ~/.env

Get your key from: https://console.anthropic.com/settings/keys

Then restart Claude Code and try again.

If Generation Fails

❌ Brief generation failed

This could be due to:
- API rate limits
- Network issues
- Invalid project description

Let me try again with a simplified approach.

[Retry with more basic prompt]

If User Wants to Skip Brief

Note: Product brief is optional but recommended.

You can skip directly to PRD with:
/bmad:prd

However, the brief helps organize your thoughts and produces better PRDs.

Skip brief and go to PRD? (yes/no)

Voice Feedback

Voice hooks will announce:

• "Generating product brief" (when utility starts)
• "Product brief complete" (when done)

Example Usage

Example 1: Simple Idea

User: /bmad:brief "Social network for developers"

Claude: "What problem does it solve?"
User: "Developers want to show off projects, not just resumes"

Claude: "Who are the primary users?"
User: "Junior developers looking for jobs"

[Generates brief]

Claude: "Brief complete! Would you like to generate the PRD next?"

Example 2: Detailed Idea

User: /bmad:brief "AI-powered precious metals research platform with real-time pricing, company fundamentals, smart screening, and AI-generated trade ideas for retail investors"

[Generates comprehensive brief from detailed description]

Claude: "Comprehensive brief generated! Next: /bmad:prd"

Example 3: Interactive Mode

User: /bmad:brief

Claude: "What's your project idea?"
User: "Todo app"

Claude: "What makes it different from existing todo apps?"
User: "Uses voice input and AI scheduling"

Claude: "Who is it for?"
User: "Busy professionals"

[Generates brief with full context]

Important Guidelines

Always:

• ✅ Use bmad_generator MCP tool (don't generate manually)
• ✅ Validate with vibe-check
• ✅ Store in Pieces
• ✅ Present clear summary
• ✅ Suggest next steps

Never:

• ❌ Generate brief content manually (use the tool)
• ❌ Skip vibe-check validation
• ❌ Forget to store in Pieces
• ❌ Leave user uncertain about next steps

Integration

After /bmad:brief:

• Suggest /bmad:prd to continue
• Or suggest /bmad:start to generate complete backlog
• Brief is referenced by PRD generation

Part of /bmad:start:

• Guided workflow calls brief generation
• Uses brief for PRD generation
• Seamless flow

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This command creates the foundation for your entire project backlog!