Interview

Overview

This skill provides a structured interview framework to systematically gather information before starting work. It helps reduce ambiguity, ensure comprehensive understanding, and produce actionable outputs. The interview adapts to different contexts: requirements definition, debugging, architecture decisions, security review, and more.

When to Use

• •Starting a new feature implementation
• •Investigating bugs or issues
• •Reviewing architecture or security
• •Creating documentation or reports
• •Any task requiring clarification of scope, constraints, or expectations

Workflow

Phase 1: Preparation (Silent)

Before asking questions, gather background context silently.

Parallel Fan-Out Pattern: The following three preparation tasks have no dependencies on each other and SHOULD be executed in parallel. This reduces Phase 1 completion time by approximately 66%.

Reference: Google ADK Multi-Agent Patterns

Codebase Exploration: (parallel task 1/3)

• •Project structure - Identify key directories, config files, entry points
• •Recent changes - Check git history if applicable
• •Related code - Search for relevant patterns or implementations

Documentation Review: (parallel task 2/3)

• •Read any referenced files or URLs provided by user
• •Check for existing specifications, ADRs, or design documents
• •Review related issues or PRs if applicable

Web Research (if applicable): (parallel task 3/3)

• •Best practices for the domain
• •Similar implementations or patterns
• •Security considerations

For detailed exploration commands per environment (Claude Code, Codex, API), see references/exploration-patterns.md.

Phase 2: Interview

Conduct the interview in stages, adapting questions based on interview type.

Stage 1: Goal Confirmation

Start by confirming the overall objective:

Environment-specific approach:

• •Claude Code: Use AskUserQuestion tool for structured choices
• •Other environments: Present numbered options and ask user to reply with number or description

Core Questions:

• •What is the primary goal or outcome expected?
• •Who are the stakeholders or users affected?
• •What does success look like?

Interview Type Selection:

Ask the user to select the interview type to tailor subsequent questions:

Stage 2: Deep Dive

Based on the selected interview type, ask targeted questions.

For detailed question frameworks and output templates per interview type, read references/interview-types.md.

Stage 3: Confirmation and Prioritization

Before concluding:

1. •Summarize Understanding - Restate key points for confirmation
2. •Identify Gaps - Note any undecided or unclear items
3. •Prioritize - Classify requirements as Must/Should/Could
4. •Confirm Scope - Agree on what is in/out of scope

Deep Dive Strategies

Use these techniques to reduce ambiguity:

Phase 3: Output

Generate a structured summary document.

Output Template

# [Interview Type]: [Topic]

## Summary
[1-2 sentence overview]

## Goal
- **Objective**: [Primary goal]
- **Stakeholders**: [Who is affected]
- **Success Criteria**: [How to measure success]

## Requirements / Findings
### Must Have
- [Item 1]
- [Item 2]

### Should Have
- [Item 1]

### Could Have
- [Item 1]

## Constraints
- [Technical constraints]
- [Business constraints]
- [Timeline constraints]

## Undecided / Open Questions
- [ ] [Question 1]
- [ ] [Question 2]

## Next Steps
1. [Action item 1]
2. [Action item 2]

## References
- [Link or file reference 1]
- [Link or file reference 2]

## Affected Files / Components
- `path/to/file1`
- `path/to/file2`

Usage Examples

For detailed usage examples with sample outputs, see references/usage-examples.md.

Quick reference:

• •/interview Add user authentication → Requirements interview
• •/interview Investigate 504 errors → Investigation interview
• •/interview Review database schema → Architecture interview

Guidelines

1. •Adapt to Context - Adjust question depth based on task complexity
2. •Avoid Overwhelming - Ask 2-3 questions at a time, not all at once
3. •Be Specific - Reference actual code, files, or examples when possible
4. •Document Everything - Capture decisions and their rationale
5. •Identify Gaps Early - Surface undecided items for follow-up
6. •Output Language - Follow user's language preference (check conversation history)

User Input Methods

Claude Code Environment

Use the AskUserQuestion tool for structured choices:

Question: "What type of interview is this?"
Header: "Type"
Options:
  - "Requirements (Recommended)" - New feature or specification
  - "Investigation" - Bug or issue analysis
  - "Architecture" - Design or technology review
  - "Security" - Security assessment

This enables efficient selection with clickable options.

Other Environments (Codex, API, etc.)

Present numbered options in plain text and wait for user response:

What type of interview is this?

1. Requirements - New feature or specification (Recommended)
2. Investigation - Bug or issue analysis
3. Architecture - Design or technology review
4. Security - Security assessment
5. Documentation - Report creation, knowledge transfer
6. General - Open-ended exploration

Please reply with a number (1-6) or describe your needs:

Wait for the user's response before proceeding. Accept both:

• •Number selection (e.g., "1", "2")
• •Free-form description (e.g., "I need to investigate a performance issue")