solution-factory-frame

Goal

Take the user from "I want to create a solution" to a filled 00_Intake_Brief.md that passes the 13-item readiness check. Use AskUserQuestion for everything that has discrete options. Use conversational input for everything that needs the user's words.

When to invoke

• Stage 1 of the full solution-factory-create-flow pipeline (auto-routed)
• User runs /solution-frame directly
• User says "let's do the intake" / "I want to scope a new solution" / "walk me through the intake"

Required context

For pipeline mechanics, see ../../references/solution-factory-foundations.md — specifically the "Five required calls" and "Brand selection" sections. For the intake template canonical structure, see 60_Digital_Manufacturing/Solution_Factory/Intake_Brief.md.

The intake flow

The intake breaks into 6 prompt rounds. Each round uses AskUserQuestion (max 4 questions per call) for discrete choices, with conversational follow-ups for free-text.

Round 1 — Solution name + Brand

AskUserQuestion:
  Q1: "What's the solution name?" — text input, accept "[NAME TBD]" if undecided
  Q2: "Which brand will this solution use?"
      Options:
        - Slalom default — for solutions outside the Composable DXP line
        - Composable DXP secondary (TFIC) — for DXP-line solutions (Composable, Headless, MACH, Contentful, Vercel, Algolia, Bynder)

Recommendation logic for Q2: if the solution name contains any of {Composable, Headless, DXP, MACH, Contentful, Vercel, Algolia, Bynder, modern commerce, microservices}, recommend Composable DXP secondary as the first option. Otherwise Slalom default first.

After Round 1: scaffold the WIP folder by calling solution-factory-scaffolder agent with the chosen name and brand. The agent creates WIP/[solution-name]/ and copies templates.

Round 2 — The required calls (4 of 5)

AskUserQuestion:
  Q1: "What's the dominant Buyer State?"
      Options:
        - Latent — buyer unaware a problem exists, or aware but living with status quo
        - Admitted — buyer admits the problem but doesn't know how to address it
        - Vision — buyer has begun forming ideas; capabilities not yet identified
        - Evaluation — buyer is in formal review of alternatives (high caution — qualify aggressively)

  Q2: "What's the Posture you want to set in pursuit?"
      Options:
        - WITH them (Slalom default — Joint Venture mindset, 50/50 social contract) — Recommended
        - TO them (push, sell, doctor model — only if crisis or expert-decree)
        - FOR them (serve, deliver — pure execution)
        - BY them (delegate — late-engagement when client capability built)

  Q3: "What Tier is this solution?"
      Options:
        - Advisory — small team, fixed scope, 4–8 weeks. Output is a deliverable (assessment, roadmap)
        - Simple — single-platform engagement, 8–16 weeks (discover → design → build → launch)
        - Complex — multi-platform, multi-stream, 4–12+ months, full Pursuit Excellence treatment

  Q4: "What's the dominant Slalom capability area?"
      Options:
        - Cloud_Build
        - CX
        - Data_and_AI
        - Delivery
        (4 options max in AskUserQuestion — if user picks "Other," surface the remaining 3: Strategy, Transformation, Enterprise)

Round 3 — The Reframe + the Deb Oler answer (free-text)

After Round 2 (the discrete calls), shift to conversational mode for the two most important free-text fields:

"Now the most important part — the Reframe.

The Reframe is a one-line contrarian claim. Read aloud, it should produce 'huh, I never thought of it that way before' — not 'yes, exactly.' It's the thing that distinguishes Slalom's perspective from what every other firm is saying.

What's your Reframe headline?"

Wait for user response. If the response is generic ("we transform business," "we accelerate digital"), push back: "That's the kind of statement most firms make. Try again — what's the contrarian thing you can defend that they can't?" If the user struggles after 2 attempts, suggest pairing with the consulting:consulting-management-consultant skill or pause the intake to think.

Then:

"And the Deb Oler answer — why should our customers buy from us over anyone else, specifically for this solution?

One paragraph. The unique benefit you currently underappreciate."

Wait for response. Test: does this terminate at a Slalom unique strength? If not, you're teaching the client into the desert (Quality Gates anti-pattern #11). Push back if needed.

Round 4 — The problem (free-text + AskUserQuestion for industries)

"Tell me about the problem this solves — in the client's language. Not what Slalom delivers; what the client is struggling with. Examples: 'marketing teams can't prove ROI,' not 'marketing challenges.'"

Wait for response.

"And what does Slalom actually deliver? Plain-language. As if explaining to a smart colleague who's never heard of it."

Wait for response.

"Name 3–5 key components or pillars. Each gets one line."

Wait for response. Then:

AskUserQuestion:
  Q1: "Which industries is this most relevant to? (pick 1–5; or Horizontal)"
      Options:
        - Financial Services
        - Healthcare
        - Retail & Consumer Goods
        - Horizontal — applies broadly
      (Multi-select; "Other" surfaces the remaining 6)
  Q2: "Are there secondary Slalom capabilities involved?" (multi-select from the 7)

Round 5 — Buyer personas + listen-fors (free-text, structured)

"Now the buyer personas. For each role — Economic Buyer, User Buyer, Technical Buyer, Coach — give me title pattern, motivator, and pressure. I'll structure it."

Walk through each role conversationally. Capture into the Intake Brief's table.

"Now the listen-fors. These are the highest-value content in the entire kit — specific phrases or scenarios a client might say that signal this solution is relevant. Push for 8–12. Examples: 'We have 14 different customer data sources that don't talk to each other.' 'Our AI pilots haven't moved past the pilot stage.'"

Wait for responses. Probe for more if fewer than 8 surface naturally.

Round 6 — Pull-forward flag + Tracking (optional, AskUserQuestion)

AskUserQuestion:
  Q1: "Which optional fields can you fill in now? (Multi-select)"
      Options:
        - Common objections + responses
        - Primary competitors
        - Slalom differentiators (specific to THIS solution)
        - Case studies / proof points
        - Engagement shapes / pricing
        - Strategic partner alignments
        - Market trends / data points
        - None — defer all to Draft

For each item the user picks, prompt conversationally for the content.

AskUserQuestion:
  Q2: "Tracking metadata — do you have any of these now? (Multi-select)"
      Options:
        - Salesforce Solution tag
        - Executive sponsor (name, title, email)
        - Lead SME(s)
        - None yet

Output

Write all collected fields into WIP/[solution-name]/00_Intake_Brief.md using the canonical template format from 60_Digital_Manufacturing/Solution_Factory/Intake_Brief.md. Mark the readiness check at the bottom — pass or fail per the 13 items.

If the check passes (all 13), report back to the user:

"Intake complete and saved. The 13 required fields are checked. Brand: [Brand]. Tier: [Tier]. Reframe: '[Reframe]'. Ready to start drafting?"

Hand back to solution-factory-create-flow (which asks the next AskUserQuestion about Stage 2 readiness), or invoke solution-factory-draft directly if the user said "go straight to drafting" earlier.

If the check fails (any of the five required calls missing), report:

"Intake captured but [field X] is still incomplete. The kit will be incoherent without it. Want to revisit it now, or pause and come back?"

Don't proceed to Draft.

Pause-and-resume

The user may want to pause the intake mid-stream. AskUserQuestion at any point — they can step away. The Intake Brief saves what's been captured so far. When they resume:

1. Read the existing 00_Intake_Brief.md
2. Identify which of the 13 fields are still empty
3. Resume from the first empty field

Failure modes

• User can't articulate the Reframe. Don't push them through. Suggest: "Pause here. The Reframe is the foundation; without it, every other deliverable will be generic. Want me to pull in the consulting-management-consultant skill to help frame it, or pause the intake and revisit when the Reframe is clearer?"
• User picks Buyer State = Evaluation. Surface caution: "Buyer State = Evaluation means they have a vision and are formally reviewing vendors. The kit must run Vision Reengineering, not Vision Creation. We may also need an RFP End-Around tactic. Confirm: still want to proceed?"
• User picks Tier without thinking through engagement shape. If unsure, point them at 10_Practice/Offerings/Solutions/README.md decision tree.
• User picks both "Composable DXP secondary" brand and a non-Composable Slalom capability (e.g., "Strategy" with no DXP anchor). AskUserQuestion: "You picked Composable DXP secondary brand but Strategy capability without a DXP anchor — confirm? Composable DXP brand should anchor on technical Composable DXP work."
• Solution name conflicts with an existing WIP folder. AskUserQuestion as described in solution-factory-create-flow's failure modes.

Collaborates with

• solution-factory-scaffolder (agent) — creates the WIP folder + copies templates after Round 1
• consulting:consulting-management-consultant — fallback when Reframe / Deb Oler stalls
• cx:cx-jobs-to-be-done — for problem-statement framing if user struggles
• solution-factory-create-flow — parent orchestrator that called this skill
• solution-factory-draft — next stage if intake passes

Token discipline

• Use AskUserQuestion for everything that has discrete options (max 4 options + "Other" auto-included).
• Don't re-explain the pipeline — the user is in the Solution Factory project; assume they know.
• Free-text prompts should be specific — provide examples, push back on generic responses.
• Capture everything into the Intake Brief file as you go, not in one batch at the end. The intake should survive a session crash.

Example prompts

1. "Start a new solution intake." → run the 6-round flow.
2. "Help me intake the AI Transformation kit refresh." → look for existing intake first; if found, surface; if not, run fresh intake.
3. "I have an idea for a Composable DXP migration solution but I'm fuzzy on the Reframe." → start the intake; pause at Round 3 with extra patience on the Reframe.
4. "Walk me through the intake but skip the optional fields." → run Rounds 1–5; skip Round 6.
5. "Intake — solution name is cms-platform-migration, brand is Composable DXP, tier is Simple." → use those answers for Round 1–2 and continue with the rest.
6. "I started an intake yesterday for composable-dxp-migration but didn't finish." → resume from where left off.
7. "My intake is done — let's start drafting." → confirm readiness check passed; hand to solution-factory-draft.
8. "Just give me the intake template." → write the unfilled 00_Intake_Brief.md to a WIP folder; don't run the prompt flow.

See also

• ../../references/solution-factory-foundations.md — pipeline + 5 required calls + brand routing
• 60_Digital_Manufacturing/Solution_Factory/Intake_Brief.md — canonical intake template
• ../solution-factory-create-flow/SKILL.md — main orchestrator
• ../solution-factory-draft/SKILL.md — next stage
• ../../agents/solution-factory-scaffolder.md — agent that creates the WIP folder