Brainstorm-Ideas Skill Modes for Product Ideation: Existing vs. New Product

The brainstorm-ideas skill operates in two distinct modes—existing product and new product—tailoring the ideation framework to either continuous discovery for live products or rapid validation for early-stage concepts.

The brainstorm-ideas skill in the phuryn/pm-skills repository provides a structured framework for generating and prioritizing product ideas across different lifecycle stages. This skill splits into two specialized modes that adapt the ideation process based on whether you are enhancing an established product or exploring a brand-new concept. Understanding these modes of the brainstorm-ideas skill ensures you apply the correct prioritization criteria and workflow for your specific product context.

Existing Product Mode

The existing product mode targets continuous discovery for products already in the market. Defined in pm-product-discovery/skills/brainstorm-ideas-existing/SKILL.md, this mode generates ideas from the collaborative perspective of the product trio—Product Manager, Designer, and Engineer.

Key characteristics of this mode include:

• Ongoing product focus: Generates ideas specifically for live products with existing user bases
• Strategic prioritization: Evaluates ideas against strategic alignment, impact, feasibility, and differentiation
• Trio collaboration: Emphasizes structured input from PM, Designer, and Engineer perspectives
• Enhancement-driven: Prioritizes improvements to current features and user experiences

New Product Mode

The new product mode addresses initial discovery for brand-new concepts and early-stage ideas. Defined in pm-product-discovery/skills/brainstorm-ideas-new/SKILL.md, this mode starts from a blank-canvas product hypothesis.

Key characteristics of this mode include:

• Blank-canvas origin: Begins ideation without existing product constraints or legacy features
• Validation priority: Weights speed-to-validate higher than other criteria
• Core value focus: Concentrates on rapid validation and core value delivery for early-stage concepts
• Framework adaptation: Uses the three-perspective framework (PM, Designer, Engineer) but optimizes for exploration speed

How Mode Selection Works

The system automatically selects the appropriate brainstorm-ideas skill mode based on command arguments parsed by the higher-level /brainstorm command. According to the mode-selection logic defined in pm-product-discovery/commands/brainstorm.md (see Step 1: Determine Mode), the command analyzes the user’s input to dispatch to either brainstorm-ideas-existing or brainstorm-ideas-new.

The selection logic evaluates whether the arguments indicate an existing product context (e.g., ideas existing …) or a new product concept (e.g., ideas new …).

Shared Workflow Across Both Modes

Both brainstorm-ideas modes follow a common four-step workflow implemented in the command dispatcher:

1. Context gathering – The skill receives a product description or feature brief via $ARGUMENTS
2. Three-perspective ideation – Each perspective (PM, Designer, Engineer) contributes exactly 5 concrete ideas
3. Prioritization – The system selects the top 5 ideas based on mode-specific criteria (strategic alignment for existing, speed-to-validate for new)
4. Rationale documentation – Each prioritized idea includes reasoning and key assumptions to test

Code Examples: Invoking Each Mode

Use the /brainstorm command to trigger the appropriate mode based on your product stage.

Invoking Existing Product Mode

/brainstorm ideas existing Mobile banking app engagement

This command applies brainstorm-ideas-existing and returns ideas scoped to the current mobile-banking product, using the three-perspective framework with prioritization focused on strategic alignment and impact.

Invoking New Product Mode

/brainstorm ideas new AI-powered meal-planning for busy parents

This command applies brainstorm-ideas-new and produces initial-discovery ideas for the AI-driven meal-planning concept, prioritizing rapid validation and core value delivery.

Direct Skill Execution

If using the skill runner manually outside the command wrapper:

# For existing product ideation

skill run brainstorm-ideas-existing --args "Mobile banking app engagement"

# For new product ideation

skill run brainstorm-ideas-new --args "AI-powered meal-planning for busy parents"

These commands demonstrate the two concrete entry points that the brainstorm-ideas skill exposes in the phuryn/pm-skills repository.

Summary

• The brainstorm-ideas skill provides two distinct modes: existing product (continuous discovery) and new product (initial discovery)
• Existing product mode in brainstorm-ideas-existing/SKILL.md prioritizes strategic alignment, impact, and feasibility for live products
• New product mode in brainstorm-ideas-new/SKILL.md emphasizes speed-to-validate and core value delivery for early-stage concepts
• Both modes use the product trio framework (PM, Designer, Engineer) generating 5 ideas per perspective and prioritizing the top 5
• Mode selection occurs automatically in pm-product-discovery/commands/brainstorm.md based on command arguments (existing vs new)

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the system automatically select between existing and new product modes?

The command dispatcher in pm-product-discovery/commands/brainstorm.md implements mode-selection logic that parses the user’s arguments following the /brainstorm command. When the argument string contains ideas existing, the system routes to brainstorm-ideas-existing; when it contains ideas new, it routes to brainstorm-ideas-new. This automatic dispatch ensures the correct prioritization criteria and ideation framework are applied without manual configuration.

What is the "product trio" referenced in both brainstorm-ideas modes?

The product trio refers to the collaborative input framework requiring three distinct perspectives: Product Manager, Designer, and Engineer. In both modes, each trio member contributes exactly 5 concrete ideas, resulting in 15 total ideas that are then filtered and prioritized. The existing product mode emphasizes trio collaboration for strategic alignment, while the new product mode optimizes the trio's input for rapid validation speed.

Can I execute the brainstorm-ideas skills directly without the /brainstorm command?

Yes, you can invoke the skills directly using a skill runner with the skill run command followed by the specific skill name and --args parameter. Use brainstorm-ideas-existing for live products or brainstorm-ideas-new for early-stage concepts. However, using the /brainstorm command wrapper is recommended as it handles mode detection, context gathering, and workflow orchestration automatically.

How many ideas does each perspective generate in the brainstorm-ideas workflow?

Each of the three perspectives (Product Manager, Designer, Engineer) generates exactly 5 concrete ideas during the ideation phase. This produces a total of 15 ideas that undergo prioritization against mode-specific criteria. The workflow ultimately selects and returns the top 5 ideas across all perspectives, each accompanied by detailed rationale and testable assumptions.

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