Product Init

product-init

What this skill does

Reverse-engineers product decisions from an existing product using a three-phase analysis pipeline:

1. Discovery Agent: Scans each feature-area for raw product signals (code, docs, pricing)
2. Pattern Agent: Classifies signals into PDR categories, scores strategic importance
3. Synthesis Agent: Cross-feature-area analysis, flags inconsistencies

Output: Individual PDR-{NNN}.md files (status Discovered) in .adlc/drafts/pdr/ with an auto-generated pdr.md index.

When to use

• Existing product with no formal PDRs
• Brownfield codebase needs product documentation
• Team onboarding — walking through product rationale
• Post-acquisition or inherited codebase

When NOT to use

• New product (use /product-specify instead)
• Minor PDR updates (use /product-clarify instead)

Execution Steps

Phase 0: Environment Setup

Run setup script to resolve paths and detect feature-areas:

sh: scripts/bash/setup-product-init.sh [--json]
ps: scripts/powershell/setup-product-init.ps1

Setup output (JSON):

{
  "REPO_ROOT": "/path/to/project",
  "PDR_DRAFTS_DIR": "/path/to/project/.adlc/drafts/pdr",
  "PRD_FILE": "/path/to/project/PRD.md",
  "feature_areas": ["core", "business", "growth"],
  "next_pdr": "001"
}

Create directories:

mkdir -p "{REPO_ROOT}/.adlc/drafts/pdr"
mkdir -p "{REPO_ROOT}/.adlc/product"

Phase 1: Feature-Area Detection

Detect feature-areas from three sources:

| Source | Detection Pattern | |---|---| | Directory Structure | src/auth/, features/payments/, modules/ | | Documentation | README sections, existing PRD, ROADMAP | | Pricing Tiers | Starter/Pro/Enterprise feature mapping |

Present detected areas:

## Detected Feature-Areas

| # | Feature-Area | Sources | Evidence |
|---|--------------|---------|----------|
| 1 | **Core** | Directory + Docs | src/users/, README "Core Features" |
| 2 | **Business** | Directory + Pricing | src/billing/, pricing.md tiers |

Reply: Y to confirm, n for monolithic, or suggest changes.

Threshold Logic:

• ≤3 areas: Auto-approve
• 4-6 areas: Confirm with user
• >6 areas: Suggest grouping

Phase 2: Discovery Agent (Per Feature-Area)

For each feature-area in order:

1. Scan directory for monetization signals, user flows, features
2. Analyze documentation (README, PRD, pricing)
3. Identify pricing tier mappings
4. Document evidence

Progress report per area:

Discovery Agent: business feature-area
├── Directory signals: 4
├── Documentation signals: 2
├── Pricing signals: 1
└── Status: ✓ Completed

Phase 3: Pattern Agent (Per Feature-Area)

For each feature-area:

1. Categorize signals into PDR categories (Problem, Persona, Scope, Metric, etc.)
2. Score strategic importance (0.0-1.0)
3. Check for duplicates against existing PDRs
4. Identify cross-area candidates

Phase 4: Synthesis Agent (Cross-Feature-Area)

1. Cross-Area Pattern Detection:

{
  "pattern_id": "P001",
  "pattern_name": "Admin Persona",
  "feature_area_presence": {"core": true, "business": true},
  "is_cross_area": true
}

2. Inconsistency Detection:

• Priority conflicts
• Duplicate problems
• Inconsistent metrics
• Generate flags (embedded in affected PDRs)

3. PDR Generation: High-strategic patterns (>0.7) and cross-area patterns (≥2 areas)

Phase 5: Write Individual PDR Files

For each discovered PDR:

1. Assign ID: PDR-{NNN} using next available number
2. Write file: {REPO_ROOT}/.adlc/drafts/pdr/PDR-{NNN}.md

PDR file format (individual file, no frontmatter):

## PDR-001: [Decision Title]

### Status

**Discovered** (Inferred from existing product)

### Date

YYYY-MM-DD

### Owner

[Inferred from codebase/authors]

### Category

[Problem | Persona | Scope | Metric | Prioritization | Business Model | Feature | NFR]

### Feature-Area

[core | business | growth | ...]

### Cross-Feature-Area Metadata
- **Appears in**: [business, growth]
- **Cross-area count**: 2
- **Is cross-area pattern**: ✓

### ⚠️ Inconsistency Flags
*None* (or flag details if detected)

### Context
**Problem/Opportunity:**
[Clear description]

**Market Forces:**
- [Market factor 1]
- [Customer feedback]

### Decision
**Decision Statement:**
[Clear statement]

**Rationale:**
[Why this option]

### Consequences
#### Positive
- [Benefit 1]

#### Negative
- [Trade-off 1]

#### Risks
- [Risk with mitigation]

### Success Metrics
| Metric | Target | Measurement Method |
|--------|--------|-------------------|
| [Metric] | [Target] | [Method] |

### Alternatives Considered
#### Option A: [Alternative Name]
**Description:** [Brief description]
**Trade-offs:** [Neutral comparison]

Phase 6: Regenerate PDR Index

Generate {REPO_ROOT}/.adlc/drafts/pdr/pdr.md from all PDR-*.md files:

# For each PDR-*.md file, extract ID, title, status, date
# Build index table

Index format:

# Product Decision Records

## PDR Index

| ID | Feature-Area | Category | Status | Date | Owner |
|----|--------------|----------|--------|------|-------|
| PDR-001 | business | Business Model | Discovered | 2026-01-20 | [Inferred] |
| PDR-002 | core | Persona | Discovered | 2026-01-20 | [Inferred] |

---

## Cross-Feature-Area Analysis Summary

### Cross-Area Patterns
| Pattern | Feature-Areas | PDR |
|---------|---------------|-----|
| Admin Persona | core, business | PDR-002 |

### Inconsistencies Flagged
| Flag ID | Type | PDRs Affected | Severity |
|---------|------|---------------|----------|
| FLG-001 | Priority Conflict | PDR-003 | Medium |

---

*Individual PDR files are in this directory (PDR-*.md)*

Phase 7: Output Summary

## Product Init Complete ✓

### Execution Stats
- **Feature-areas analyzed**: 3
- **Discovery Agent runs**: 3
- **Pattern Agent runs**: 3
- **Synthesis Agent runs**: 1

### PDRs Generated
| Category | Count | Cross-Area |
|----------|-------|------------|
| Business Model | 2 | ✓ |
| Persona | 3 | ✓ |
| Problem | 2 | |
| Prioritization | 1 | |
| **With Inconsistency Flags** | **2** | |

### Next Steps
1. Review PDRs: `{REPO_ROOT}/.adlc/drafts/pdr/`
2. **Resolve inconsistencies**: Run `/product-clarify`
3. Generate PRD: Run `/product-implement`

PDR Numbering Rules

• Scan {REPO_ROOT}/.adlc/drafts/pdr/ for existing PDR-*.md files
• Extract numeric suffix, find maximum
• Next PDR = max + 1, zero-padded to 3 digits (PDR-001, PDR-002, ...)
• Never reuse numbers, even for deleted PDRs

State Management

State file: {REPO_ROOT}/.adlc/product/state.json

{
  "version": "1.0",
  "command": "product-init",
  "created_at": "2026-01-20T10:00:00Z",
  "phase": "completed",
  "feature_areas": [
    {"id": "core", "name": "Core", "progress": {"discovery": "completed", "pattern": "completed"}}
  ],
  "pdrs_generated": 9,
  "cross_area_patterns": 5,
  "inconsistencies": 2
}

Configuration

• PDR_DRAFTS_DIR — {REPO_ROOT}/.adlc/drafts/pdr (individual PDR files)
• PDR_INDEX — {REPO_ROOT}/.adlc/drafts/pdr/pdr.md (auto-generated index)
• PRD_FILE — {REPO_ROOT}/PRD.md
• STATE_FILE — {REPO_ROOT}/.adlc/product/state.json

12-Factor Alignment

• Factor III (Mission Definition): Discovers the "what & why" behind existing code
• Factor IX (Traceability): Every inferred decision is documented with evidence

Common Rationalizations

| Rationalization | Reality | |-----------------|---------| | "The code is self-documenting." | Code shows how, not why. PDRs capture rationale that code cannot. | | "I'll just read the README." | READMEs describe features, not decisions. PDRs capture the decision tree. | | "Brownfield products don't need PDRs." | Every product has implicit decisions. Making them explicit prevents repeated mistakes. |

Red Flags

• Generating PDRs without codebase evidence — brownfield PDRs must be grounded in actual code/docs, not fabricated rationales.
• Skipping inconsistency flags — cross-area conflicts are real signals, not noise.
• Assigning "Proposed" status to discovered PDRs — brownfield PDRs are Discovered, not proposed.

Verification

• [ ] Setup script returns valid JSON with all paths
• [ ] .adlc/drafts/pdr/ directory exists
• [ ] At least one PDR-*.md file created with status "Discovered"
• [ ] pdr.md index auto-generated with correct table
• [ ] State file written to .adlc/product/state.json
• [ ] Inconsistency flags embedded in affected PDRs (not separate files)
• [ ] Cross-feature-area analysis summary in index
• [ ] No duplicate PDR IDs

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: tikalk
• Source: tikalk/adlc-team-skills
• License: MIT
• Homepage: https://github.com/tikalk/agentic-sdlc-12-factors

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.