# What Are the Four Skills Chained by the /discover Command in pm-skills? > Uncover the four skills chained by the /discover command in pm-skills: Brainstorm Ideas, Identify Assumptions, Prioritize Assumptions, and Brainstorm Experiments. Transform concepts into validated experiments. - Repository: [Pawel Huryn/pm-skills](https://github.com/phuryn/pm-skills) - Tags: deep-dive - Published: 2026-06-15 --- **The `/discover` command sequences four specialized skills—Brainstorm Ideas, Identify Assumptions, Prioritize Assumptions, and Brainstorm Experiments—to transform product concepts into validated experiments.** The `phuryn/pm-skills` repository provides structured product management workflows for AI-assisted discovery. The `/discover` command serves as the primary entry point, automatically sequencing four specialized skills to move from vague concepts to testable experiments. Understanding these **four skills chained by the `/discover` command** is essential for product managers leveraging this open-source framework. ## The Four Skills in the Discovery Pipeline The complete workflow is orchestrated through [`pm-product-discovery/commands/discover.md`](https://github.com/phuryn/pm-skills/blob/main/pm-product-discovery/commands/discover.md), which stitches together four distinct phases. Each phase corresponds to a specific skill, with separate implementations for **existing products** versus **new products** where context demands different approaches. ### 1. Brainstorm Ideas This skill generates a diverse set of product ideas from **Product Manager**, **Designer**, and **Engineer** perspectives, presenting the top ten candidates for user selection. Implemented in [`brainstorm-ideas-existing.md`](https://github.com/phuryn/pm-skills/blob/main/brainstorm-ideas-existing.md) and [`brainstorm-ideas-new.md`](https://github.com/phuryn/pm-skills/blob/main/brainstorm-ideas-new.md), this skill feeds directly into the assumption identification phase. ### 2. Identify Assumptions This skill surfaces critical assumptions across **value**, **usability**, **feasibility**, and **viability** dimensions—plus **go-to-market** considerations for new products. Using a multi-perspective "devil's advocate" analysis, the `identify-assumptions-existing` and `identify-assumptions-new` variants challenge each selected idea to expose hidden risks before prioritization. ### 3. Prioritize Assumptions The `prioritize-assumptions` skill maps extracted assumptions onto an **Impact × Risk matrix**, isolating "leap-of-faith" assumptions that combine high impact with high uncertainty. Unlike the other skills, this single implementation serves both existing and new product workflows, ranking assumptions to determine which require immediate validation. ### 4. Brainstorm Experiments This final skill designs **1–2 validation experiments** per critical assumption. The `brainstorm-experiments-existing` variant suggests A/B tests, fake doors, and prototypes, while `brainstorm-experiments-new` recommends pretotypes, landing pages, and concierge MVPs. Each experiment targets specific leap-of-faith assumptions identified in the previous step. ## Source File Structure The skill chain is defined in [`pm-product-discovery/commands/discover.md`](https://github.com/phuryn/pm-skills/blob/main/pm-product-discovery/commands/discover.md), which references eight skill implementation files: - **Idea Generation**: [`pm-product-discovery/skills/brainstorm-ideas-existing.md`](https://github.com/phuryn/pm-skills/blob/main/pm-product-discovery/skills/brainstorm-ideas-existing.md) and [`brainstorm-ideas-new.md`](https://github.com/phuryn/pm-skills/blob/main/brainstorm-ideas-new.md) - **Assumption Extraction**: [`pm-product-discovery/skills/identify-assumptions-existing.md`](https://github.com/phuryn/pm-skills/blob/main/pm-product-discovery/skills/identify-assumptions-existing.md) and [`identify-assumptions-new.md`](https://github.com/phuryn/pm-skills/blob/main/identify-assumptions-new.md) - **Prioritization**: [`pm-product-discovery/skills/prioritize-assumptions.md`](https://github.com/phuryn/pm-skills/blob/main/pm-product-discovery/skills/prioritize-assumptions.md) (shared across both product types) - **Experiment Design**: [`pm-product-discovery/skills/brainstorm-experiments-existing.md`](https://github.com/phuryn/pm-skills/blob/main/pm-product-discovery/skills/brainstorm-experiments-existing.md) and [`brainstorm-experiments-new.md`](https://github.com/phuryn/pm-skills/blob/main/brainstorm-experiments-new.md) ## Usage Examples ### Basic Invocation Running the command with a product concept initiates the full four-skill chain: ```text /discover Smart notification system for our project management tool ``` This executes: **Brainstorm Ideas** → **Identify Assumptions** → **Prioritize Assumptions** → **Brainstorm Experiments**. ### Interactive Mode Invoking the command without arguments triggers interactive mode: ```text /discover ``` The system asks *"What are you exploring?"* and then proceeds through the same four-skill pipeline after receiving your input. ### Selecting Ideas for Validation After the brainstorming step, the system presents results and waits for selection: ``` Here are 10 ideas. Which ones should we stress-test? Pick 3-5, or I can carry all forward. ``` Your selection feeds directly into the **Identify Assumptions** skill, after which the chain continues automatically through prioritization and experiment design. ## Summary - The `/discover` command chains **four sequential skills** to automate product discovery workflows. - **Brainstorm Ideas** generates multi-perspective product concepts using `brainstorm-ideas-existing` or `brainstorm-ideas-new`. - **Identify Assumptions** surfaces risks via devil's-advocate analysis using `identify-assumptions-existing` or `identify-assumptions-new`. - **Prioritize Assumptions** ranks assumptions using an Impact × Risk matrix via the shared `prioritize-assumptions` skill. - **Brainstorm Experiments** designs validation tests using `brainstorm-experiments-existing` or `brainstorm-experiments-new`. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is the difference between the existing and new product variants? The **Brainstorm Ideas**, **Identify Assumptions**, and **Brainstorm Experiments** skills maintain separate implementations for existing versus new products. Existing product variants focus on feature enhancements, A/B tests, and integration with current systems, while new product variants emphasize go-to-market assumptions, pretotypes, and concierge MVPs. The **Prioritize Assumptions** skill uses a single implementation for both contexts. ### Can I run individual skills without the full /discover chain? While the `/discover` command automatically sequences all four skills, the repository structure in `phuryn/pm-skills` exposes each skill as a standalone module. You can invoke `brainstorm-ideas-existing`, `identify-assumptions-new`, or other specific skills independently if you need to skip steps or repeat a specific phase of the discovery process. ### What happens if I provide no initial idea to the /discover command? Running `/discover` without arguments initiates **interactive mode**. The system prompts *"What are you exploring?"* and waits for your input before proceeding through the four-skill chain. This allows for conversational discovery without requiring a pre-formed hypothesis. ### How does the prioritize-assumptions skill determine which assumptions to test first? The `prioritize-assumptions` skill maps each assumption onto an **Impact × Risk matrix**. Assumptions landing in the high-impact, high-uncertainty quadrant—termed "leap-of-faith" assumptions—receive priority ranking. This ensures the subsequent experiment design phase targets the riskiest elements first, maximizing validation efficiency.