72 lines
4.6 KiB
Markdown
72 lines
4.6 KiB
Markdown
|
# Structured 10-Question Brief Template
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
> **Reusable planning-interview pattern.** Used by `create-plan` Phase 0 (the dispatcher) and any other agent that needs a frozen brief before delegating work. The curator / peer agent receives this brief as inline text and treats it as the starting point — does NOT re-ask these questions.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
## When to use
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
- You (or a dispatcher) are about to dispatch a peer agent for a non-trivial task (plan-build, deep research, design, multi-step implementation).
|
||
|
|
- The peer needs a complete, frozen starting point — not a back-and-forth.
|
||
|
|
- Operator is willing to spend ~3-5 minutes answering priority-ordered questions before dispatch.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
## The 10 questions (priority order)
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
| # | Dimension | Question | Default if operator says "skip" |
|
||
|
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
||
|
|
| Q1 | **Scope** | What are we building? What does "done" look like? | Curate from the dispatcher's initial message; if unclear, ask once before proceeding. |
|
||
|
|
| Q2 | **Constraints** | Existing infrastructure? Must-use / must-avoid? Target environment? | None — proceed with sensible defaults; flag in the deliverable. |
|
||
|
|
| Q3 | **Success criteria** | How will we know it works? Acceptance tests? | Define "done" as "all phases complete and reconciled." |
|
||
|
|
| Q4 | **Known unknowns** | What are you uncertain about? Risks? Things that have bitten you before? | Disconfirmation clause in the research question (e.g., "verify no recent CVEs, no deprecation notices, no license changes"). |
|
||
|
|
| Q5 | **Target users / audience** | Who's using it? Skill level? | Operator is the default audience unless Q1 names otherwise. |
|
||
|
|
| Q6 | **Out of scope** | Explicit non-goals? What are we NOT building? | Nothing — agent produces a comprehensive deliverable; operator trims after. |
|
||
|
|
| Q7 | **Performance / scale** | Expected load, latency, throughput targets? | "No explicit targets" — agent picks reasonable defaults and notes the choice. |
|
||
|
|
| Q8 | **Security / compliance** | Auth, data sensitivity, regulatory constraints? | Public / local-only by default; flag if scope implies otherwise. |
|
||
|
|
| Q9 | **Integration points** | External systems, APIs, or services this must work with? | Agent identifies during research; operator corrects. |
|
||
|
|
| Q10 | **Timeline / cost ceiling** | Time constraint? Budget ceiling? Priority vs. other work? | "No ceiling" — agent optimizes for correctness. |
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
## Operational rules
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
- **Min as needed, max 10.** Surface only the load-bearing dimensions for THIS topic. If Q1 already names the scope and there are no obvious constraints, ask just Q1 and proceed.
|
||
|
|
- **Operator can stop at any Q** with "skip," "you decide," or "ask all 10" or "ask just Q5 and Q7" — both honored.
|
||
|
|
- **Hard cap at 10.** Don't add Q11.
|
||
|
|
- **Proceed as soon as Q1 (Scope) is answered** if the operator signals urgency. The rest are optional.
|
||
|
|
- **One at a time.** Never batch the questions into a single "answer all of these" message.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
## Frozen-brief format (for the peer agent)
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
After collection, pass the brief to the peer in this exact format:
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
```
|
||
|
|
=== FROZEN BRIEF BEGIN ===
|
||
|
|
Topic: <topic from operator>
|
||
|
|
Target save dir: ~/workspace/<current-workspace>/plans/
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Q1 (Scope): <answer or "you decide">
|
||
|
|
Q2 (Constraints): <answer or "you decide">
|
||
|
|
Q3 (Success): <answer or "you decide">
|
||
|
|
Q4 (Unknowns): <answer or "you decide">
|
||
|
|
Q5 (Users): <answer or "you decide">
|
||
|
|
Q6 (Out-of-scope): <answer or "you decide">
|
||
|
|
Q7 (Performance): <answer or "you decide">
|
||
|
|
Q8 (Security): <answer or "you decide">
|
||
|
|
Q9 (Integration): <answer or "you decide">
|
||
|
|
Q10 (Timeline): <answer or "you decide">
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Mode flags: <none, or e.g. --no-research>
|
||
|
|
=== FROZEN BRIEF END ===
|
||
|
|
```
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
The peer agent uses this brief as the starting point. It does NOT re-ask. It DOES surface in the deliverable header which Qs were "you decide" so the operator can override.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
## Why this template exists
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
- **Prevents over-asking.** 4 questions was too few (missed security/perf/integration). 10 is the upper bound that still respects operator time.
|
||
|
|
- **Priority-ordered.** The first 4 (Scope / Constraints / Success / Unknowns) are the load-bearing dimensions. The rest (Q5-Q10) are scoping details that can be skipped without losing the plan's load-bearing evidence.
|
||
|
|
- **Operator-driven.** The operator's "min as needed, max 10" preference is encoded: surface only what's load-bearing, never the full 10 unless asked.
|
||
|
|
- **Reusable.** The pattern is class-level — any non-trivial delegated work can benefit from this brief, not just plan-builds.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
## See Also
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
- `create-plan` skill — uses this as Phase 0
|
||
|
|
- `subagent-driven-development` skill — for the delegation pattern that consumes the brief
|
||
|
|
- `ask-hermes` skill — for the peer agent execution model
|