Categories

Categories represent framework-agnostic PM activities. They enable skills to be mapped to any methodology (Triple Diamond, Lean Startup, Design Thinking, etc.) through a common vocabulary.

Overview
Categories
Framework Mapping
Category Selection Guide
Category Distribution

Overview

Why Categories?

Product management methodologies use different terminology for similar activities:

Triple Diamond calls it “Discover” → we call it research
Lean Startup calls it “Customer Development” → we call it research
Design Thinking calls it “Empathize” → we call it research

Categories provide a neutral abstraction layer that lets skills work across methodologies without being tied to any specific framework’s vocabulary.

They are also orthogonal to classification. Domain, foundation, utility, and tool skills can all use the same metadata.category taxonomy. (The tool classification was introduced in v2.15.0 for named external methodologies composed of multiple skills working as a system: e.g., the Foundation Sprint and Design Sprint families.)

How Categories Work

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                     PM Methodologies                        │
├─────────────────┬─────────────────┬─────────────────────────┤
│ Triple Diamond  │  Lean Startup   │    Design Thinking      │
│    Discover     │  Customer Dev   │      Empathize          │
└────────┬────────┴────────┬────────┴────────────┬────────────┘
         │                 │                     │
         └─────────────────┼─────────────────────┘
                           ▼
                 ┌─────────────────┐
                 │    research     │  ← Category (neutral)
                 └─────────────────┘
                           │
         ┌─────────────────┼─────────────────┐
         ▼                 ▼                 ▼
┌─────────────────┬─────────────────┬─────────────────┐
│ interview-      │ competitive-    │ stakeholder-    │
│ synthesis       │ analysis        │ summary         │
└─────────────────┴─────────────────┴─────────────────┘
                        Skills

Category Properties

Each category has:

Name: Lowercase identifier used in frontmatter (metadata.category)
Description: What type of PM work this represents
Activities: Common tasks that fall under this category
Skills: The pm-skills that belong to this category

Categories

research

Understanding users, market, and context

Purpose: Gather insights about users, competitors, and stakeholders to inform product decisions. Research activities help teams understand the landscape before making strategic choices.

Activities:

User interviews and synthesis
Market and competitive analysis
Stakeholder mapping and alignment
Customer discovery conversations
Usability research

Skills (4):

Skill	Description
`interview-synthesis`	Synthesizes user research interviews into actionable insights, patterns, and recommendations
`competitive-analysis`	Creates structured competitive analysis comparing features, positioning, and strategy
`stakeholder-summary`	Documents stakeholder needs, concerns, and influence for a project or initiative
`persona`	Generates context-appropriate product or marketing personas with explicit assumptions and evidence trail

When to use research skills:

Starting a new initiative and need to understand the problem space
Evaluating market opportunities or competitive threats
Onboarding to a new product area
Building alignment with stakeholders before major decisions

Common workflow:

stakeholder-summary → interview-synthesis → competitive-analysis
     (who)               (users)              (market)

problem-framing

Defining what problem to solve

Purpose: Articulate the problem clearly before jumping to solutions. Problem-framing activities ensure teams invest in solving the right problem and can communicate why it matters.

Activities:

Problem definition and scoping
Opportunity identification and prioritization
Jobs-to-be-done analysis
Success criteria definition
Constraint mapping

Skills (4):

Skill	Description
`problem-statement`	Creates a clear problem framing document with user impact, business context, and success criteria
`opportunity-tree`	Creates an opportunity solution tree mapping desired outcomes to opportunities and potential solutions
`jtbd-canvas`	Creates a Jobs to be Done canvas capturing the functional, emotional, and social dimensions of a customer job
`lean-canvas`	Creates a one-page Lean Canvas to capture problem, customer segment, value proposition, and key metrics for an opportunity

When to use problem-framing skills:

Starting a new initiative to establish shared understanding
Realigning a drifted project back to its original intent
Communicating priorities to leadership
Deciding between multiple potential opportunities

Common workflow:

jtbd-canvas → problem-statement → opportunity-tree
  (why)          (what)            (where)

ideation

Generating and evaluating solutions

Purpose: Explore potential solutions and form testable hypotheses. Ideation bridges problem understanding and detailed specification by proposing approaches without over-committing.

Activities:

Solution brainstorming and exploration
Hypothesis formation
Concept development
Trade-off analysis
Approach pitching

Skills (2):

Skill	Description
`hypothesis`	Defines a testable hypothesis with clear success metrics and validation approach
`solution-brief`	Creates a concise one-page solution overview that communicates the proposed approach, key decisions, and trade-offs

When to use ideation skills:

After problem framing, before committing to a solution
When multiple valid approaches exist
Pitching a solution approach to stakeholders
Designing experiments to test assumptions

Common workflow:

hypothesis → solution-brief
  (if/then)    (how)

specification

Detailing what to build

Purpose: Translate solution concepts into detailed requirements that engineering can implement. Specification activities define the “what” clearly enough that teams can estimate, build, and test.

Activities:

Requirements documentation
User story writing
Technical decision records
Edge case analysis
Design rationale documentation

Skills (6):

Skill	Description
`acceptance-criteria`	Generates structured Given/When/Then acceptance criteria for stories and feature slices
`prd`	Creates a comprehensive Product Requirements Document for engineering handoff
`user-stories`	Generates user stories with clear acceptance criteria from product requirements
`edge-cases`	Documents edge cases, error states, boundary conditions, and recovery paths
`adr`	Creates an Architecture Decision Record documenting significant technical decisions
`design-rationale`	Documents the reasoning behind design decisions including alternatives considered

When to use specification skills:

After solution alignment, before engineering begins
When breaking down features for sprint planning
Making significant technical or design decisions
Ensuring comprehensive test coverage

Common workflow:

prd → user-stories → edge-cases
       ↓
      adr (if technical decisions needed)
       ↓
   design-rationale (if UX decisions needed)

validation

Testing assumptions with data

Purpose: Design and instrument experiments to validate hypotheses with real data. Validation activities ensure teams measure what matters and can draw valid conclusions.

Activities:

Experiment design (A/B tests)
Analytics instrumentation
Dashboard specification
Measurement planning
Sample size calculation

Skills (3):

Skill	Description
`experiment-design`	Designs an A/B test or experiment with clear hypothesis, variants, success metrics, and duration
`instrumentation-spec`	Specifies event tracking and analytics instrumentation requirements for a feature
`dashboard-requirements`	Specifies requirements for an analytics dashboard including metrics, visualizations, and data sources

When to use validation skills:

Before launching an A/B test
When implementing new features that need tracking
Requesting dashboards from data teams
Planning measurement for success criteria

Common workflow:

instrumentation-spec → experiment-design → dashboard-requirements
    (track)              (test)              (monitor)

reflection

Learning and improving

Purpose: Capture learnings from experiments, projects, and incidents to improve future work. Reflection activities turn experience into organizational knowledge.

Activities:

Experiment result analysis
Retrospectives
Lessons learned documentation
Pivot/persevere decisions
Knowledge capture

Skills (5):

Skill	Description
`experiment-results`	Documents the results of a completed experiment with statistical analysis and recommendations
`retrospective`	Facilitates and documents a team retrospective capturing what went well, what to improve, and action items
`lessons-log`	Creates a structured lessons learned entry for organizational memory
`pivot-decision`	Documents a strategic pivot or persevere decision with evidence, analysis, and rationale
`okr-grader`	Scores completed OKR sets at cycle close with KR-level scoring per the canonical OKR type enum, committed-vs-aspirational interpretation, evidence quality assessment, learning synthesis, and next-cycle recommendations

When to use reflection skills:

After experiments conclude (success or failure)
At the end of sprints, projects, or milestones
Following incidents or significant learnings
When evaluating whether to change strategic direction

Common workflow:

experiment-results → pivot-decision (if needed)
        ↓
  retrospective → lessons-log

coordination

Aligning teams and stakeholders

Purpose: Coordinate across teams and communicate with stakeholders. Coordination activities happen throughout the product lifecycle to keep everyone aligned.

Activities:

Launch preparation and checklists
Release communication
Spike/exploration synthesis
Backlog refinement documentation
Cross-functional alignment

Skills (9):

Skill	Description
`launch-checklist`	Creates a comprehensive pre-launch checklist covering all functions
`release-notes`	Creates user-facing release notes that communicate changes in benefit-focused language
`spike-summary`	Documents the results of a time-boxed technical or design exploration
`refinement-notes`	Documents backlog refinement session outcomes including stories refined and decisions made
`pm-skill-builder`	Guides contributors from a PM skill idea to a complete Skill Implementation Packet for the repo
`pm-skill-validate`	Audits an existing skill against structural conventions and quality criteria
`pm-skill-iterate`	Applies targeted improvements to a skill based on feedback or validation reports
`okr-writer`	Drafts an objectives-and-key-results plan from upstream strategy with tight, measurable key results
`update-pm-skills`	Coordinates a sweep that updates the local pm-skills installation and surfaces changes to the team

When to use coordination skills:

Before significant launches (1-2 weeks out)
After completing technical explorations
During or after refinement sessions
When shipping updates to communicate changes

Common workflow:

spike-summary → refinement-notes → launch-checklist → release-notes
  (explore)       (plan)            (prepare)         (communicate)

meeting

Running productive meetings end-to-end

Purpose: Plan, run, and follow up on meetings so participants leave with clarity. Meeting skills support the full lifecycle from agenda preparation through recap distribution and stakeholder updates.

Activities:

Agenda setting and pre-read preparation
Meeting brief authoring for absent stakeholders
Real-time facilitation aids
Post-meeting synthesis and recap
Stakeholder update communication

Skills (5):

Skill	Description
`meeting-agenda`	Drafts a focused agenda from the meeting purpose, attendees, and time-box
`meeting-brief`	Authors a one-page brief that primes attendees with context, decisions needed, and pre-reads
`meeting-recap`	Synthesizes a meeting transcript into decisions, action items, and follow-ups
`meeting-synthesize`	Cross-meeting synthesis distilling themes from multiple sessions into a single narrative
`stakeholder-update`	Generates a stakeholder-facing update from meeting outputs and recent project state

When to use meeting skills:

Recurring leadership reviews and steering committees
Cross-functional working sessions with absentee stakeholders
Discovery and customer-research interviews
Sprint ceremonies that need durable artifacts

Common workflow:

meeting-agenda → meeting-brief → (meeting happens) → meeting-recap → stakeholder-update
   (plan)         (prime)                              (capture)         (broadcast)

communication

Crafting visual or verbal communications

Purpose: Produce communication artifacts that translate product context into formats stakeholders can consume quickly. Communication skills package complex content for specific audiences and channels.

Activities:

Slideshow drafting for leadership reviews
Visual narratives for cross-functional sharing
Executive readouts and decks

Skills (1):

Skill	Description
`slideshow-creator`	Generates a slideshow draft (outline plus per-slide notes) tuned to a chosen audience and time-box

When to use communication skills:

Leadership readouts and quarterly reviews
Cross-team alignment sessions
Stakeholder enablement before a major decision

documentation

Producing visual diagrams and structured documentation

Purpose: Create supporting documentation artifacts (diagrams, structured references) that complement other PM artifacts. Documentation skills produce embeddable assets rather than standalone narrative documents.

Activities:

Mermaid diagram authoring for system flows, decisions, and timelines
Embeddable visual artifacts for other docs

Skills (1):

Skill	Description
`mermaid-diagrams`	Generates Mermaid diagrams (flowchart, sequence, state, gantt, etc.) tuned to the surrounding doc context

When to use documentation skills:

Augmenting a PRD or solution brief with a flow diagram
Producing decision trees or system maps inside other artifacts
Quickly visualizing a process from a textual description

Framework Mapping

Quick Reference

Category	Triple Diamond	Lean Startup	Design Thinking
research	Discover	Customer Development	Empathize
problem-framing	Define	-	Define
ideation	Define/Develop	Build (hypothesis)	Ideate
specification	Deliver	Build	Prototype
validation	Measure	Measure	Test
reflection	Iterate	Learn	-
coordination	All phases	All phases	All phases
meeting	All phases	All phases	All phases
communication	All phases	All phases	All phases
documentation	All phases	All phases	All phases

Detailed Mapping

Triple Diamond (6 phases)

Discover    → research
Define      → problem-framing, ideation
Develop     → ideation, specification
Deliver     → specification, coordination
Measure     → validation
Iterate     → reflection

Lean Startup (Build-Measure-Learn)

Customer Development → research
Build               → problem-framing, ideation, specification
Measure             → validation
Learn               → reflection

Design Thinking (5 stages)

Empathize   → research
Define      → problem-framing
Ideate      → ideation
Prototype   → specification
Test        → validation

Category Selection Guide

Use this decision tree to select the right category:

What type of PM work are you doing?
│
├─ Understanding the landscape?
│  └─ research
│
├─ Clarifying the problem?
│  └─ problem-framing
│
├─ Exploring solutions?
│  └─ ideation
│
├─ Defining requirements?
│  └─ specification
│
├─ Testing with data?
│  └─ validation
│
├─ Learning from outcomes?
│  └─ reflection
│
├─ Coordinating people?
│  └─ coordination
│
├─ Running a meeting end-to-end?
│  └─ meeting
│
├─ Producing a slideshow or readout?
│  └─ communication
│
└─ Producing a diagram or embeddable doc artifact?
   └─ documentation

Category Distribution

Summary of skills across categories:

Category	Skill Count	Skills
research	4	interview-synthesis, competitive-analysis, stakeholder-summary, persona
problem-framing	4	problem-statement, opportunity-tree, jtbd-canvas, lean-canvas
ideation	2	hypothesis, solution-brief
specification	6	prd, user-stories, acceptance-criteria, edge-cases, adr, design-rationale
validation	3	experiment-design, instrumentation-spec, dashboard-requirements
reflection	5	experiment-results, retrospective, lessons-log, pivot-decision, okr-grader
coordination	9	launch-checklist, release-notes, spike-summary, refinement-notes, pm-skill-builder, pm-skill-validate, pm-skill-iterate, okr-writer, update-pm-skills
meeting	5	meeting-agenda, meeting-brief, meeting-recap, meeting-synthesize, stakeholder-update
communication	1	slideshow-creator
documentation	1	mermaid-diagrams
Total	40

Categories

Table of Contents

Overview

Why Categories?

How Categories Work

Category Properties

Categories

research

problem-framing

ideation

specification

validation

reflection

coordination

meeting

communication

documentation

Framework Mapping

Quick Reference

Detailed Mapping

Triple Diamond (6 phases)

Lean Startup (Build-Measure-Learn)

Design Thinking (5 stages)

Category Selection Guide

Category Distribution

See Also