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Discover Phase Recipes

Master the art of requirements gathering and project discovery with AI-enhanced techniques. These recipes help you understand what to build before you build it.

Recipe Overview​

The Discover phase sets the foundation for everything that follows. Quality discovery work prevents costly rework and ensures you're building the right thing.

Recipe: User Story Generation with AI​

Purpose​

Transform raw requirements and stakeholder input into well-structured, testable user stories that drive development decisions.

Context​

Use this recipe when you need to convert business requirements, feature requests, or stakeholder feedback into actionable development tasks. Ideal for product managers, business analysts, and developers working directly with stakeholders.

Diagram​

Implementation​

Requirements Input Template​

# Project Requirements Input

## Business Context
- **Problem Statement**: [What problem are we solving?]
- **Target Users**: [Who will use this feature/system?]  
- **Business Goals**: [What business outcomes are expected?]
- **Success Metrics**: [How will we measure success?]

## Functional Requirements
- [List key functionality needed]
- [Include any specific business rules]
- [Note integration requirements]

## Constraints
- **Technical**: [Technology limitations]
- **Business**: [Budget, timeline, resource constraints]
- **Regulatory**: [Compliance requirements]

Generated User Stories Template​

# User Stories for [Feature Name]

## Epic: [High-level feature description]

### User Story 1: [Core functionality]
**As a** [type of user]  
**I want** [specific functionality]  
**So that** [business value/goal]

**Acceptance Criteria:**
- [ ] [Specific, testable criterion]
- [ ] [Edge case coverage]
- [ ] [Success/error state handling]

**Definition of Done:**
- [ ] Feature implemented and tested
- [ ] Documentation updated
- [ ] Stakeholder acceptance obtained

**Story Points**: [Effort estimation]
**Priority**: [High/Medium/Low]

### User Story 2: [Supporting functionality]
[Continue pattern...]

Prompts​

Analysis Prompt:​

Act as an expert product manager and business analyst. I need you to analyze these raw requirements and generate comprehensive user stories.

Requirements Context:
[Paste requirements input here]

Please create user stories that follow this structure:
- Clear "As a... I want... So that..." format
- Specific, testable acceptance criteria
- Definition of done checklist
- Story point estimation (1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13)
- Priority level (High, Medium, Low)

Focus on:
1. User value and business outcomes
2. Technical feasibility
3. Testable criteria
4. Edge case coverage
5. Integration requirements

Group related stories into logical epics and provide a brief explanation of dependencies between stories.

Refinement Prompt:​

Review these user stories for quality and completeness:

[Paste generated stories here]

Please evaluate and improve:
1. **Clarity**: Are the stories clear and unambiguous?
2. **Testability**: Can acceptance criteria be verified?
3. **Value**: Is the business value clear?
4. **Completeness**: Are any scenarios missing?
5. **Dependencies**: Are story relationships clear?

Provide specific suggestions for improvement and rewrite any stories that need significant changes.

Validation​

  • Stories follow "As a... I want... So that..." format
  • Each story has 3-5 testable acceptance criteria
  • Business value is clearly articulated
  • Edge cases and error scenarios are covered
  • Stories are sized appropriately (not too large/small)
  • Dependencies between stories are identified
  • Stakeholder review completed and approved

Variations​

Agile/Scrum Variation:

  • Add story points using planning poker
  • Include sprint planning considerations
  • Add velocity tracking elements

Enterprise Variation:

  • Include compliance requirements in acceptance criteria
  • Add security and audit considerations
  • Include detailed integration specifications

MVP Variation:

  • Prioritize core functionality only
  • Mark nice-to-have features as future enhancements
  • Focus on minimal viable feature set

Recipe: Stakeholder Interview Guide​

Purpose​

Conduct structured stakeholder interviews using AI-generated question sets that uncover hidden requirements and business context.

Context​

Use when starting a new project or major feature to understand stakeholder needs, expectations, and constraints. Essential for ensuring alignment between technical solutions and business objectives.

Diagram​

Implementation​

Pre-Interview Setup​

# Stakeholder Interview Preparation

## Stakeholder Profile
- **Name & Role**: [Who are we interviewing?]
- **Relationship to Project**: [How do they relate to the project?]
- **Decision-Making Authority**: [What can they approve/decide?]
- **Technical Background**: [Technical or business stakeholder?]

## Project Context  
- **Project Type**: [New feature, system replacement, etc.]
- **Known Requirements**: [What do we already know?]
- **Key Unknowns**: [What are we trying to discover?]
- **Constraints**: [Time, budget, technical limitations]

Prompts​

Question Generation Prompt:​

Create a comprehensive interview guide for a stakeholder interview with the following context:

Stakeholder Profile: [Insert profile information]
Project Context: [Insert project context]

Generate questions in these categories:

1. **Context & Background (5-7 questions)**
   - Business context and objectives
   - Current process/system understanding
   - Key challenges and pain points

2. **Requirements & Expectations (8-10 questions)**
   - Functional requirements
   - Performance expectations
   - Integration needs
   - User experience requirements

3. **Constraints & Considerations (4-6 questions)**
   - Budget and timeline constraints
   - Technical limitations
   - Regulatory/compliance requirements
   - Organizational constraints

4. **Success & Validation (3-5 questions)**
   - Success metrics
   - Acceptance criteria
   - Future considerations

For each question, provide:
- The question text
- Why this question is important
- Potential follow-up questions
- Red flags to watch for in answers

Format as a structured interview guide that I can use directly.

Interview Summary Prompt:​

Please create a comprehensive summary of this stakeholder interview:

Interview Context: [Stakeholder name, role, date]
Raw Interview Notes: [Paste interview notes here]

Create a structured summary including:

1. **Key Requirements Discovered**
   - Functional requirements
   - Non-functional requirements  
   - Integration requirements

2. **Business Context & Objectives**
   - Primary business goals
   - Success metrics
   - Key constraints

3. **Technical Considerations**
   - Technology preferences
   - Integration points
   - Performance requirements

4. **Risks & Concerns**
   - Identified risks
   - Stakeholder concerns
   - Potential roadblocks

5. **Next Steps & Actions**
   - Follow-up items
   - Additional stakeholders to interview
   - Requirements to validate

6. **Open Questions**
   - Unclear or conflicting information
   - Areas needing more research
   - Decisions needed

Format for easy sharing with the development team and project stakeholders.

Validation​

  • Interview guide covers all key areas
  • Questions are open-ended and discovery-focused
  • Follow-up questions prepared for likely scenarios
  • Interview summary captures all key points
  • Requirements extracted are specific and testable
  • Next steps and follow-ups clearly defined
  • Stakeholder feedback on summary accuracy obtained

Recipe: Process Flow Mapping​

Purpose​

Create visual process flow diagrams using Mermaid that document current state and desired future state business processes.

Context​

Use when you need to understand existing business processes, identify improvement opportunities, or design new workflows. Essential for ensuring technical solutions align with business processes.

Diagram​

Implementation​

Process Discovery Template​

# Process Flow Analysis

## Process Overview
- **Process Name**: [What process are we mapping?]
- **Scope**: [Start and end points]
- **Key Stakeholders**: [Who is involved?]
- **Current Pain Points**: [Known issues]

## Process Steps (Current State)
1. **Step Name**: [Description]
   - **Actor**: [Who performs this step?]
   - **Inputs**: [What's needed to start?]
   - **Outputs**: [What's produced?]
   - **Duration**: [How long does it take?]
   - **Pain Points**: [What goes wrong?]

[Continue for all steps...]

## Desired Improvements
- [List improvement goals]
- [Performance targets]
- [Automation opportunities]

Mermaid Process Flow Template​

Prompts​

Process Analysis Prompt:​

Help me create a comprehensive process flow diagram based on this process description:

Process Information:
[Paste process discovery template filled out]

Please create:

1. **Current State Mermaid Diagram**
   - All process steps in sequence
   - Decision points and branching
   - Error handling and exception paths
   - Different actors/swimlanes if needed

2. **Process Analysis**
   - Bottlenecks and inefficiencies
   - Automation opportunities  
   - Risk points and error scenarios
   - Integration requirements

3. **Future State Recommendations**
   - Optimized process flow
   - Suggested improvements
   - Technology enablers
   - Performance improvements

4. **Implementation Considerations**
   - Change management needs
   - Technical requirements
   - Training requirements
   - Success metrics

Provide the Mermaid diagram code and detailed analysis.

Process Optimization Prompt:​

Analyze this current state process flow and recommend optimizations:

Current Process: [Paste Mermaid diagram or description]
Pain Points: [List known issues]
Goals: [Improvement objectives]

Please provide:

1. **Optimized Mermaid Diagram**
   - Streamlined flow
   - Reduced decision points where possible
   - Automation integration points
   - Error prevention measures

2. **Improvement Summary**
   - Specific optimizations made
   - Expected performance improvements
   - Risk mitigation strategies
   - Technology requirements

3. **Implementation Plan**
   - Phased rollout approach
   - Change management considerations
   - Success metrics and KPIs
   - Rollback strategy

Focus on practical improvements that provide measurable business value.

Validation​

  • Current state process accurately documented
  • All decision points and branches included
  • Error handling and exception paths covered
  • Future state shows clear improvements
  • Process diagrams are clear and readable
  • Stakeholder validation completed
  • Implementation considerations documented

Recipe: Technical Research Framework​

Purpose​

Systematically research and evaluate technology choices using AI-assisted analysis and comparison frameworks.

Context​

Use when evaluating technology stacks, architectural patterns, or third-party solutions. Ensures informed technical decisions based on comprehensive analysis rather than assumptions or preferences.

Diagram​

Implementation​

Research Framework Template​

# Technical Research: [Technology/Solution Name]

## Research Context
- **Decision Needed**: [What are we choosing?]
- **Project Requirements**: [Technical requirements]
- **Constraints**: [Budget, timeline, team skills]
- **Success Criteria**: [How will we measure success?]

## Evaluation Criteria
### Must-Have Requirements
- [ ] [Critical requirement 1]
- [ ] [Critical requirement 2]
- [ ] [Critical requirement 3]

### Nice-to-Have Features
- [ ] [Beneficial feature 1]
- [ ] [Beneficial feature 2]
- [ ] [Beneficial feature 3]

### Evaluation Factors
- **Performance**: [Speed, scalability requirements]
- **Cost**: [Licensing, infrastructure, maintenance]
- **Complexity**: [Learning curve, implementation effort]
- **Community**: [Support, documentation, ecosystem]
- **Long-term**: [Maintenance, updates, vendor lock-in]

## Option Analysis
### Option 1: [Solution Name]
- **Pros**: [Key advantages]
- **Cons**: [Key disadvantages]
- **Cost**: [Total cost of ownership]
- **Fit Score**: [1-10 rating against criteria]

[Continue for each option...]

Prompts​

Technology Research Prompt:​

I need to research technology options for this decision:

Project Context: [Describe project and requirements]
Technical Requirements: [List specific technical needs]
Constraints: [Budget, timeline, team constraints]

Please research and analyze options for: [Specific technology category]

For each viable option, provide:

1. **Overview & Key Features**
   - What it is and what it does
   - Key differentiating features
   - Primary use cases

2. **Pros and Cons**
   - Major advantages
   - Significant limitations
   - Best fit scenarios

3. **Technical Analysis**
   - Performance characteristics
   - Scalability considerations
   - Integration complexity
   - Learning curve assessment

4. **Cost Analysis**
   - Licensing/subscription costs
   - Infrastructure requirements
   - Maintenance and support costs
   - Hidden costs to consider

5. **Risk Assessment**
   - Vendor stability
   - Community health
   - Long-term viability
   - Lock-in risks

Present findings in a comparison table and provide a recommendation with rationale.

Decision Matrix Prompt:​

Create a weighted decision matrix for these technology options:

Options to Evaluate: [List options]
Requirements: [Paste requirements and criteria]

Create a decision matrix that:

1. **Weights criteria by importance**
   - Critical requirements: 5 points
   - Important features: 3 points  
   - Nice-to-have: 1 point

2. **Scores each option (1-5 scale)**
   - 5: Excellent fit
   - 4: Good fit
   - 3: Adequate
   - 2: Poor fit
   - 1: Does not meet requirement

3. **Calculates weighted scores**
   - Total score for each option
   - Ranking by score
   - Gap analysis

4. **Provides recommendation**
   - Top choice with rationale
   - Alternative options
   - Risk mitigation strategies
   - Implementation considerations

Include the complete scoring matrix and detailed recommendation.

Validation​

  • All viable options researched and analyzed
  • Evaluation criteria clearly defined and weighted
  • Comparative analysis completed objectively
  • Cost analysis includes total cost of ownership
  • Risk assessment covers technical and business risks
  • Recommendation includes implementation considerations
  • Technical team review and validation completed

Phase Completion Checklist​

Before moving to the Design phase, ensure you have:

Documentation Complete​

  • Requirements document finalized and approved
  • User stories created and prioritized
  • Process flows mapped and validated
  • Technical research completed with recommendations

Stakeholder Alignment​

  • Key stakeholder interviews completed
  • Business objectives clearly defined
  • Success criteria established and measurable
  • Budget and timeline constraints understood

Technical Foundation​

  • Technology stack decisions made
  • Architecture approach selected
  • Integration requirements identified
  • Performance and scalability requirements defined

Quality Validation​

  • Requirements are testable and specific
  • All assumptions documented and validated
  • Risks identified with mitigation strategies
  • Next phase preparation completed

Ready for Design Phase? Continue to Design Phase Recipes to start architecture planning and system design.

Remember: Quality discovery work prevents expensive rework later. Take the time to get these foundations right.