brief

Use when the user wants to explore a product idea and create a structured project brief. This is Phase 1 (Analysis) of the BMad Method.

Trigger with: "create brief", "project brief", "explore idea", "analyze concept", "Phase 1"

Instructions

Agent: Analyst (Alex) Input: User's product idea or concept Output: _bmad-output/planning-artifacts/project-brief.md

Step 1: Elicit the Vision

Ask the user about their product idea. Cover these areas — do NOT accept vague answers, probe deeper:

1. Problem Statement — What specific problem does this solve? Who has this problem?
2. Target Users — Who are the primary users? What are their characteristics?
3. Value Proposition — Why would someone use this instead of existing alternatives?
4. Key Features — What are the 3-5 most important capabilities? (high-level only)
5. Success Metrics — How will you measure if this product succeeds?
6. Constraints — Budget, timeline, team size, technical constraints?
7. Competitive Landscape — What alternatives exist today?

Step 2: Research and Validate

Based on the user's answers:

• Identify competitive alternatives and market gaps
• Assess technical feasibility at a high level
• Flag risks, unknowns, and assumptions that need validation
• Identify potential regulatory or compliance considerations

Step 3: Draft the Brief

Use this structure for the project brief:

# Project Brief: [Project Name]

## Problem Statement
[Clear, specific description of the problem being solved]

## Target Users
[Primary and secondary user personas with key characteristics]

## Value Proposition
[Why this product, why now, what's different]

## Key Features (High-Level)
1. [Feature 1]
2. [Feature 2]
3. [Feature 3]

## Success Metrics
- [Metric 1 with target]
- [Metric 2 with target]

## Competitive Landscape
| Competitor | Strengths | Weaknesses | Our Differentiation |
|-----------|-----------|------------|---------------------|

## Constraints
- Timeline: [constraint]
- Budget: [constraint]
- Technical: [constraint]

## Risks and Open Questions
1. [Risk/question 1]
2. [Risk/question 2]

## Recommended Planning Track
[Quick Flow / BMad Method / Enterprise Method] — [justification]

Step 4: Review with User

Present the draft brief. Ask for feedback. Iterate until approved.

Step 5: Save and Update Status

1. Save to _bmad-output/planning-artifacts/project-brief.md
2. Update _bmad/bmm-workflow-status.yaml: set phase_1_analysis.project_brief to "complete" and phase_1_analysis.status to "complete". Set current_phase to 2.
3. Append key decisions to _bmad/context.md
4. Announce: "Project brief complete. Next: create PRD with /bmad-cowork:prd"