Brainstorming

When to Brainstorm

Before starting implementation, when:

• •The problem has multiple viable solutions
• •Requirements are ambiguous or underspecified
• •The technical approach isn't obvious
• •The scope is large enough to warrant planning

Process

1. Understand the Problem

• •What are we trying to achieve?
• •Who are the users/consumers?
• •What are the constraints?
• •What already exists that we can build on?

2. Explore Options

• •List at least 2-3 different approaches
• •For each, identify:
  • •Pros: What makes this approach good?
  • •Cons: What are the downsides?
  • •Complexity: How hard is this to implement?
  • •Risk: What could go wrong?

3. Decide

• •Choose the simplest approach that meets requirements
• •Document WHY you chose it (not just what)
• •Identify assumptions that could be wrong
• •Plan how to validate the approach early

4. Transition to Planning

• •Once the approach is decided, write a plan
• •Break into tasks using the writing-plans skill
• •Include a superteam-tasks block for automation

Anti-Patterns

• •❌ Analysis paralysis — don't evaluate forever, pick and move
• •❌ Premature optimization — choose simple first, optimize later
• •❌ Gold plating — solve the problem at hand, not hypothetical future problems
• •❌ Skipping brainstorming — "obvious" solutions often aren't