identify-assumptions-new
phuryn/pm-skills
Identify risky assumptions across 8 categories for new product ideas—Value, Usability, Viability, Feasibility, Ethics, Go-to-Market, Strategy, and Team.
What is identify-assumptions-new?
Systematically map and evaluate assumptions for a new product concept across eight risk categories that extend beyond core product risks. Use this when assessing startup viability, evaluating new product concepts, or planning a new venture launch to surface critical unknowns before building.
- Analyzes product ideas through three perspectives: Product Manager, Designer, and Engineer
- Identifies assumptions across 8 risk categories: Value, Usability, Viability, Feasibility, Ethics, Go-to-Market, Strategy & Objectives, and Team
- Rates confidence levels for each assumption
- Suggests tests to validate or invalidate key assumptions
- Generates markdown output for documentation and team alignment
How to install identify-assumptions-new
npx skills add https://github.com/phuryn/pm-skills --skill identify-assumptions-newHow to use identify-assumptions-new
- 1.Describe the product concept, target segment, and feature idea to the skill
- 2.Provide any supporting files (business plans, research, market data) if available
- 3.Review the analysis across all 8 risk categories
- 4.For each assumption, note the confidence rating and suggested test
- 5.Prioritize assumptions by risk level and plan validation experiments
- 6.Share markdown output with team for alignment and discussion
Use cases
- Evaluating a startup idea before committing resources to development
- Assessing risks when launching a new product line within an existing company
- Mapping assumptions for a pivot or new market entry
- Identifying gaps in team capability or go-to-market readiness before launch
- Prioritizing which assumptions pose the greatest risk to success
- Product Managers evaluating new concepts
- Startup founders assessing venture viability
- Product teams planning new product launches
- Strategy leads conducting pre-launch risk analysis
- Investors or stakeholders reviewing product assumptions
identify-assumptions-new FAQ
Value (customer need and retention), Usability (ease of use and onboarding), Viability (monetization and scalability), Feasibility (technical feasibility and efficiency), Ethics (ethical implications and customer risk), Go-to-Market (marketing channels and launch strategy), Strategy & Objectives (competitive defensibility and macro factors), and Team (capability, retention, and tools).
This skill is designed for new products. It extends the 4 core product risks (Value, Usability, Viability, Feasibility) with 4 additional categories critical for new ventures: Ethics, Go-to-Market, Strategy & Objectives, and Team.
Rate your confidence in each assumption, then design tests to validate or invalidate them. Prioritize testing the highest-risk assumptions first to reduce uncertainty before full development.
Yes. This skill works for any new product concept, including pivots, new market entries, or new product lines within existing companies.
That's expected. The skill helps surface what you don't know. The gaps and low-confidence assumptions are often the most valuable to identify early.
Full instructions (SKILL.md)
Source of truth, from phuryn/pm-skills.
name: identify-assumptions-new description: "Identify risky assumptions for a new product idea across 8 risk categories including Go-to-Market, Strategy, and Team. Use when evaluating startup risks, assessing a new product concept, or mapping assumptions for a new venture."
Identify Assumptions (New Product)
Comprehensive risk identification across 8 categories — extending the 4 core product risks (Teresa Torres, Continuous Discovery Habits) with Ethics, Go-to-Market, Strategy & Objectives, and Team risks that are critical for new products.
Context
You are evaluating assumptions for a new product: $ARGUMENTS.
If the user provides files (business plans, research), read them first.
Domain Context
The 4 core product risks (Teresa Torres, Continuous Discovery Habits): Value, Usability, Viability, Feasibility.
For new products, extend to 8 risk categories. Good teams assume at least three-quarters of their ideas won't perform as they hope.
Instructions
The user will describe the product concept, target segment, and feature idea. Work through these steps:
-
Think from three perspectives about why this product might fail:
- Product Manager: Market demand, willingness to pay, competitive landscape
- Designer: First-time user experience, onboarding, engagement
- Engineer: Build vs. buy decisions, scalability, technical debt
-
Identify assumptions across 8 risk categories:
- Value: Will it create value for customers? Will they keep using it?
- Usability: Will people figure out how to use it? Can we onboard them fast enough? Will it increase cognitive load?
- Viability: Can we sell/monetize/finance it? Is it worth the cost? Can we support customers and help them succeed? Can we scale? Will it be compliant?
- Feasibility: Can we do it with the current technology? Is this integration possible? Can it be efficient? Can we scale it?
- Ethics: Should we do it at all? Are there any ethical considerations? Will it pose a risk for our customers?
- Go-to-Market (especially critical for new products): Can we market it? Do we have the required channels? Can we convince customers to try it? Is this the right messaging for this channel? Is this the right time? Is this the right way to launch it?
- Strategy & Objectives: What are our assumptions? Can others copy our strategy? Have we considered political, economic, legal, technological, and environmental factors? Are those the best problems to solve?
- Team: How well will the team work together? Do we have the right people? Do we have the right tools? Will the entire team stay with us long enough?
-
For each assumption, rate confidence and suggest a test.
Think step by step. Save as markdown.
Further Reading
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