PM Brain Workflow Assistant

This skill helps you navigate and apply product management frameworks from the PM Brain repository following a natural product development flow.

Core Principle: Think First, Template Later

Before jumping to templates, help users:

• Braindump - Get all raw thoughts out

• Structure thinking - Use framework prompts to organize

• Template - Only then apply formal templates

Framework Flow

The PM Brain follows a natural product development sequence:

2.0 Foundations → 2.1 Strategy → 2.2 Discovery → 2.3 Execution → 2.4 Communication (HOW TO THINK) (WHERE TO GO?) (WHAT TO BUILD?) (BUILD & SHIP) (KEEP ALIGNED)

When user is:

• Early/exploring → Point to 2.0 Foundations and 2.1 Strategy

• Has a problem → Guide to 2.2 Discovery

• Ready to build → Move to 2.3 Execution

• Throughout → Support with 2.4 Communication

Quick Framework Locations

2.0 Foundations (How to Think)

• Mental Models: 02-Methods-and-Tools/2.0-Foundations/2.0.1-Mental-Models/

• Bias Awareness: 02-Methods-and-Tools/2.0-Foundations/2.0.2-Bias/

• Self-Reflection: 02-Methods-and-Tools/2.0-Foundations/2.0.3-Self-Reflection/

2.1 Strategy (Where are we going?)

• Strategic Foundations: 02-Methods-and-Tools/2.1-Strategy/2.1.1-Strategic-Foundations/

• OKRs: 02-Methods-and-Tools/2.1-Strategy/2.1.2-Strategic-Execution/1-OKR/

• Roadmaps: 02-Methods-and-Tools/2.1-Strategy/2.1.2-Strategic-Execution/2-Roadmap/

• North Star: 02-Methods-and-Tools/2.1-Strategy/2.1.2-Strategic-Execution/3-North-Star/

• Prioritization: 02-Methods-and-Tools/2.1-Strategy/2.1.2-Strategic-Execution/4-Prioritization/

2.2 Discovery (What to build?)

• Research Interviews: 02-Methods-and-Tools/2.2-Discovery/2.2.1-Research-Interviews/

• Continuous Discovery: 02-Methods-and-Tools/2.2-Discovery/2.2.2-Continuous-Discovery-Habits/

• Jobs-to-be-Done: 02-Methods-and-Tools/2.2-Discovery/2.2.3-Jobs-To-Be-Done/

• Opportunity Assessment: 02-Methods-and-Tools/2.2-Discovery/2.2.4-Opportunity-Assessment/

• Problem-Solution Space: 02-Methods-and-Tools/2.2-Discovery/2.2.6-Problem-Solution-Space/

2.3 Execution (Build, ship, measure)

• Daily Rituals: 02-Methods-and-Tools/2.3-Execution/2.3.1-Daily-Execution-And-Rituals/

• User Stories: 02-Methods-and-Tools/2.3-Execution/2.3.2-User-Stories/

• PRDs: 02-Methods-and-Tools/2.3-Execution/2.3.4-PRD/

• Personas: 02-Methods-and-Tools/2.3-Execution/2.3.5-Personas/

• Metrics: 02-Methods-and-Tools/2.3-Execution/2.3.6-Metrics/

2.4 Communication (Keep aligned)

• Newsletters: 02-Methods-and-Tools/2.4-Communication/2.4.1-Newsletter/

• One-Pagers: 02-Methods-and-Tools/2.4-Communication/2.4.3-One-Pagers/

• Stakeholder Management: 02-Methods-and-Tools/2.4-Communication/2.4.7-Stakeholder-Management/

• Saying No: 02-Methods-and-Tools/2.4-Communication/2.4.6-Saying-No/

• Politics & organization survival: use the politics-coach skill with 01-Company-Context/1.1-Stakeholder-Avatars/ (person-level avatars) and 01-Company-Context/1.2-Organization-Survival/ (system-level politics: power map, alliances, red flags) when stakeholder problems are clearly political, not just about message shape.

Typical File Patterns

Most framework folders follow this structure:

• 1-*-framework.md

• Guide explaining the framework

• 2-*-template.md

• Template to fill out

• 3-*-evaluation.md

• Assessment criteria

Braindumping Workflow

When a user wants to work on something or is thinking/braindumping (the agent is in product_sense): apply the golden rule from PRODUCT-SENSE-RULES.md (braindump before structure), including the "braindump sufficient" checklist. Use prompts from 02-Methods-and-Tools/2.0-Foundations/2.0.1-Mental-Models/6-Product-Sense-Development/2-product-sense-prompts.md for the relevant context (PRD, prioritization, strategy, research, stuck).

Listen and probe

• Ask if the user has added (or should add) relevant context from 01-Company-Context/, 03-Research-Artifacts/, or 04-Initiatives/; having it in the conversation speeds up thinking.

• What's the core problem or opportunity?

• What stage are they at? (ideation, validation, building, shipping)

• What constraints exist?

Guide exploration (do not suggest templates yet)

• Use prompts from 2-product-sense-prompts.md to surface assumptions and blind spots

• Ask clarifying questions from the relevant framework

• Help organize scattered thoughts only after raw thinking is out

Suggest framework (only after braindump / when leaving product_sense into execution_mode)

• Match their need to the right framework location

• Show the framework guide first (1-*-framework.md)

• Only then point to the template (2-*-template.md)

Modes & evals

• product_sense → braindump, prompts, no framework until sufficient. execution_mode → structure + framework/template (or template-finder path). meta_reflection → after substantial conversations: suggest 00-Meta/ (log, forecast, learning), optionally Level 2 checklist (.cursor/evals/), and rule updates (.cursor/rules/thinking.mdc ). Full routing and states: ORCHESTRATION.md.

• Signal mode transitions in natural language when switching (per AGENTS.md and ORCHESTRATION.md); e.g. "We've got enough to structure this—here's the framework that fits…"

• Evals are a separate workflow, not a conversation mode: Level 1 (artifact quality) lives in 02-Methods-and-Tools/ and the agent uses Quick Quality Checks per .cursor/rules/evaluation-orchestration.mdc when creating supported frameworks; Level 2 (agent behavior) lives in .cursor/evals/. See ORCHESTRATION.md → Eval Checkpoints. You may suggest the Level 2 checklist in meta_reflection; the user runs evals when they choose.

Common Scenarios

"I have an idea"

→ Start with Discovery (use discovery-research skill):

• Problem-Solution Space to separate problem from solution

• Jobs-to-be-Done to understand user needs

• Opportunity Assessment to evaluate viability

"I need to prioritize features"

→ Go to Strategy (use strategy-planning skill):

• Prioritization frameworks (RICE, Value/Effort, MoSCoW)

• Strategic Foundations for alignment with goals

"I need to write a PRD"

→ Check in Execution:

• Before touching templates, ask 2–3 lightweight preflight questions (why this/why now, know vs guess, who it’s for) and a context/memory check, for example:

• "Why this, why now?"

• "What do you already know vs what are you guessing?"

• "Who is this primarily for to read and approve?"

• "Do you want to anchor this in any existing strategy/initiative/research, or keep this PRD self-contained for now?"

• PRD templates and guides

• User Stories for requirements

• Metrics for success criteria

"How do I convince stakeholders?"

→ Look in Communication (use stakeholder-management skill; add politics-coach when dynamics are clearly political):

• One-Pagers for executive summaries

• Stakeholder Management strategies

• Saying No frameworks for managing requests

"I'm stuck / not sure how to think about this"

→ Start with Foundations:

• Mental Models for frameworks

• Bias awareness for blind spots

• Self-Reflection for clarity

"I'm overwhelmed with requests"

→ Treat this as an overwhelm / paralysis case:

• First, acknowledge the feeling and keep cognitive load low.

• Ask at most 1–2 gentle questions to narrow, for example: "What’s one thing that, if you made a bit of progress on it this week, would make you feel less stuck?"

• Help the user choose a tiny, concrete next step (e.g. "open the first onboarding email and jot 3 bullets on what feels off") instead of introducing mini‑frameworks.

• Make explicit that they choose: "You choose the smallest step that feels doable; I’ll help you shape it."

"Am I improving? / How do I track my judgment?"

→ Point to 00-Meta:

• Product Judgment Test: 00-Meta/0.3-Product-Judgment-Test/ – log forecasts (prediction + confidence %) before shipping, resolve when data is in, track Weighted Brier Score for calibration

• Learning log and growth portfolio: 00-Meta/0.1-Learning-Log/ , 00-Meta/0.2-Growth-Portfolio/

Response Guidelines

Always cite source paths - e.g., "From 02-Methods-and-Tools/2.3-Execution/2.3.4-PRD/2-prd-template.md "

Read files before suggesting - Don't guess what's in a framework; read it first

Think → Structure → Template - Never jump straight to templates

Follow the flow - Respect the natural progression (Foundations → Strategy → Discovery → Execution → Communication)

Cross-reference related frameworks - PMs benefit from connecting concepts

Be actionable - Point to specific next steps, not just information

Storage Locations

• Personal practice & evidence: 00-Meta/ (daily log, learning log, growth portfolio, Product Judgment Test)

• Company context: 01-Company-Context/

• Methods & frameworks: 02-Methods-and-Tools/

• Research artifacts: 03-Research-Artifacts/

• Active initiatives: 04-Initiatives/

Example Interactions

User: "I want to assess if we should build a new feature" Response:

• Ask: What problem does it solve? For whom?

• Guide to: 2.2-Discovery/2.2.4-Opportunity-Assessment/

• Read framework guide first, then suggest template

• Cross-reference: Problem-Solution Space, JTBD

User: "Help me write a PRD" Response:

• Before template, ask: What have you learned from discovery? What metrics matter?

• Point to: 2.3-Execution/2.3.4-PRD/

• Also reference: User Stories, Personas, Metrics

User: "I'm overwhelmed with requests" Response:

• Explore the situation

• Point to: 2.4-Communication/2.4.6-Saying-No/

• Cross-reference: Prioritization frameworks, Stakeholder Management

Notes

• This repository is git-versioned - changes are tracked

• Templates are starting points, not rigid requirements

• Frameworks are tools for thinking, not bureaucracy

• The best PMs adapt frameworks to their context