discover

Discover — Problem Discovery

Help the user articulate the real problem before jumping to solutions. No spec without a problem statement.

When to Trigger

Auto-trigger: Request lacks clear problem/goal, names a solution without why, lists symptoms without root cause, says "I don't know where to start", or is so broad it could mean 3+ things.

Explicit (/discover): User wants formal problem exploration for a new project/feature, re-exploration of a prior problem, or team alignment on "what are we solving?"

Process

Step 1: Listen

Repeat the request back. Ask: "Is that the core, or is there more?" Categorize:

Category	Signal	Example
Solution-first	Names tech/approach first	"Add Redis caching", "Build an app"
Feature-no-context	Describes output, not why	"Build a dashboard", "Need a landing page"
Systemic complaint	Broad negative without specifics	"Everything is slow", "Customers aren't coming"
Vague ambition	Goal with no boundaries	"Make it better", "Want to grow"
Clear problem	Observable gap stated	"Mobile payment failure rate is 12%"

Step 2: Probe

Select technique by category. Max 3 questions per round, max 3 rounds. If user can't answer or says "not sure", proceed to Frame with what you have.

User signal	Technique	Core question
Names a solution	5 Whys	"What's happening that makes you need this?" → repeat, max 5 levels
Feature without why	JTBD	"What situation makes you need this? What does 'done' look like?"
"Everything is broken"	Fishbone	"Which area: People / Process / Technology / Data / Environment?"
Vague or contradictory	Socratic	"What specifically do you mean by 'X'?"
Vision, no path	Done looks like	"When this works perfectly, what do you see?"
Uncertain assumptions	Assumption map	"What must be true for this to work?"

Extract from JTBD: "When [situation], I want [motivation], so I can [outcome]."

Skip round 3 if 2 rounds give enough to frame.

Step 3: Frame

Synthesize into a structured problem statement:

[Who] experiences [observable problem] when [trigger condition], resulting in [quantified impact]. The desired state is [measurable outcome].

Include: root cause / job story, constraints (timeline, resources, scale), assumptions (certain/uncertain), out-of-scope boundaries.

Show to user. Ask: "Does this capture the problem accurately?"

Step 4: Save

mkdir -p discover

Write to discover/PROBLEM-{timestamp}.md. One problem per file — if multiple emerge, address sequentially.

Step 5: Transition

"Problem defined. Next: execution plan, deeper exploration, or uncover more problems."

If user identifies additional problems, loop back to Step 2.

Anti-Rationalization

Excuse	Rebuttal	Do instead
"Just start building"	Building without a problem is expensive guessing.	5 minutes of framing saves hours of rework.
"The problem is obvious"	Then you'd have a spec, not a vague request.	Write it. If obvious, takes 30 seconds.
"No time for questions"	You have less time to build the wrong thing.	2 focused rounds, not 10 open-ended ones.
"I already told you"	You told a solution. The problem is why you need it.	One "why" question. If answer reveals it, proceed.
"Figure it out from the code"	Code shows what exists, not what's missing or why it hurts.	Combine code exploration with user context.
"Let me show you the bug"	A bug is a symptom. Fixing symptoms is whack-a-mole.	Trace to root cause before jumping to fix.

Evidence Required

• Structured problem statement (Who / When / Problem / Impact / Desired state)
• Root cause or job story identified
• At least 1 measurable success criterion
• User confirmed the frame
• Scope boundaries stated
• Constraints and assumptions documented

Red Flags

• Jumping to solutions/code during discovery

• 3 questions per round (overwhelming)

• 3 rounds without framing attempt (analysis paralysis)

• Ignoring "I'm not sure" — that IS information
• Producing unconfirmed problem statements
• Confusing symptoms with root causes
• Overly broad framing ("improve the system")
• Skipping discovery for non-trivial ambiguous work

Output Format

discover/PROBLEM-{timestamp}.md:

---
status: framed
created: {ISO-8601}
context: {one-line summary}
---

# Problem: {title}

## Problem Statement
{Who} experiences {observable problem} when {trigger condition}, resulting in {quantified impact}. The desired state is {measurable outcome}.

## Root Cause / Job Story
{5 Whys chain or JTBD job story}

## Constraints
- Timeline: {when needed}
- Resources: {stack, team, budget}
- Scale: {expected users, traffic, data}
- Compatibility: {existing system integration}

## Assumptions
- {assumption} — certain / uncertain

## Out of Scope
- {what this does NOT cover}