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skills/epic-identification/references/discovery-techniques.md

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+# Epic Discovery Techniques
+
+This reference provides detailed guidance on six techniques for identifying epics from a product vision. Use these techniques individually or in combination to ensure comprehensive epic coverage.
+
+---
+
+## 1. User Journey Mapping
+
+Map the end-to-end journeys users will take through your product to identify the major capabilities needed at each stage.
+
+### When to Use
+
+- Product has clear user workflows or processes
+- Multiple user touchpoints exist
+- User experience is a primary concern
+
+### Process
+
+1. **Identify Key User Types**: List the primary personas who will use the product
+2. **Map Entry Points**: How do users first encounter or access the product?
+3. **Trace Core Workflows**: What steps do users take to achieve their goals?
+4. **Identify Exit Points**: How do users complete their journey or leave?
+5. **Note Pain Points**: Where might users struggle or need support?
+
+### Epic Extraction
+
+Each major stage or transition in the journey often maps to an epic:
+
+- **Onboarding Journey** → "User Onboarding & Registration" epic
+- **Core Activity** → "Content Creation" or "Data Entry" epic
+- **Review/Analysis** → "Analytics & Reporting" epic
+- **Sharing/Export** → "Collaboration & Sharing" epic
+
+### Example
+
+For a project management tool:
+
+| Journey Stage | Epic Candidate |
+|---------------|----------------|
+| Sign up and setup | User Onboarding |
+| Create first project | Project Management |
+| Add team members | Team Collaboration |
+| Track progress | Progress Tracking & Reporting |
+| Complete and archive | Project Lifecycle Management |
+
+---
+
+## 2. Capability Decomposition
+
+Break down the vision into the 5-10 major things the product must do, grouping related functionality into logical capabilities.
+
+### When to Use
+
+- Vision describes what the product should accomplish
+- Product has distinct functional areas
+- Technical and business stakeholders need alignment
+
+### Process
+
+1. **List Vision Outcomes**: What does the vision say the product will enable?
+2. **Identify Required Capabilities**: What must the product DO to deliver those outcomes?
+3. **Group Related Functions**: Cluster similar or dependent capabilities together
+4. **Name the Groups**: Give each cluster a capability name (noun phrase)
+5. **Validate Coverage**: Does each vision outcome map to at least one capability?
+
+### Epic Extraction
+
+Each capability group becomes an epic candidate:
+
+- Group of authentication functions → "User Authentication & Authorization" epic
+- Group of data handling functions → "Data Import/Export" epic
+- Group of team features → "Collaboration Features" epic
+
+### Example
+
+Vision: "Enable small businesses to manage customer relationships effectively"
+
+| Capability Group | Functions Included | Epic |
+|------------------|-------------------|------|
+| Contact Management | Add, edit, search, segment contacts | Customer Data Management |
+| Communication | Email, call logging, notes | Customer Communication |
+| Pipeline | Deals, stages, forecasting | Sales Pipeline |
+| Reporting | Dashboards, exports, analytics | Analytics & Reporting |
+
+---
+
+## 3. Stakeholder Needs Analysis
+
+Examine what different user types and stakeholders need from the product to identify role-specific capabilities.
+
+### When to Use
+
+- Multiple user roles exist (admin, end-user, manager)
+- Different stakeholders have different needs
+- Access control or permissions are important
+
+### Process
+
+1. **List All Stakeholders**: End users, admins, managers, external parties
+2. **Document Each Role's Needs**: What does each stakeholder need to accomplish?
+3. **Identify Unique Capabilities**: What capabilities are specific to certain roles?
+4. **Find Shared Capabilities**: What do multiple roles need?
+5. **Map to Epics**: Group needs into capability-based epics
+
+### Epic Extraction
+
+Role-specific needs often reveal epics:
+
+- Admin needs → "User Management", "System Configuration" epics
+- Manager needs → "Reporting & Analytics", "Team Oversight" epics
+- End-user needs → "Core Workflow", "Personal Settings" epics
+
+### Example
+
+| Stakeholder | Key Needs | Epic Candidates |
+|-------------|-----------|-----------------|
+| End User | Create content, collaborate | Content Creation, Collaboration |
+| Team Lead | Monitor progress, assign work | Team Management, Reporting |
+| Admin | Manage users, configure system | User Management, System Settings |
+| External Partner | View shared content | External Sharing & Access |
+
+---
+
+## 4. Technical Enablers Identification
+
+Identify infrastructure, platform, or foundational capabilities required to support user-facing features.
+
+### When to Use
+
+- Product requires significant technical foundation
+- Integrations with external systems are needed
+- Performance, security, or scalability are critical
+
+### Process
+
+1. **Review User-Facing Epics**: What technical capabilities do they require?
+2. **Identify Shared Infrastructure**: What technical needs appear across multiple epics?
+3. **List External Dependencies**: What third-party systems must be integrated?
+4. **Consider Non-Functional Requirements**: Security, performance, compliance
+5. **Create Technical Epics**: Group infrastructure needs into coherent epics
+
+### Epic Extraction
+
+Technical needs become infrastructure epics:
+
+- Authentication/authorization needs → "Identity & Access Management" epic
+- External system connections → "Third-party Integrations" epic
+- Data synchronization needs → "Data Pipeline & Sync" epic
+- Performance requirements → "Performance & Scalability" epic
+
+### Example
+
+| Technical Need | Scope | Epic |
+|----------------|-------|------|
+| User authentication | SSO, MFA, session management | Identity & Access Management |
+| Payment processing | Stripe, PayPal integration | Payment Integration |
+| File storage | Upload, CDN, versioning | File Management Infrastructure |
+| Search | Full-text, filters, indexing | Search Infrastructure |
+
+---
+
+## 5. Value Stream Mapping
+
+Trace the flow of value from initial input to final outcome to identify where major capabilities are needed.
+
+### When to Use
+
+- Product transforms inputs into valuable outputs
+- Process efficiency is important
+- Multiple handoffs or stages exist
+
+### Process
+
+1. **Identify Value Input**: What enters the system? (data, requests, content)
+2. **Trace Transformations**: How is the input processed and transformed?
+3. **Map Value Additions**: Where is value added at each stage?
+4. **Identify Outputs**: What valuable outputs are produced?
+5. **Extract Capabilities**: What capabilities enable each value-adding step?
+
+### Epic Extraction
+
+Each value-adding stage suggests an epic:
+
+- Input stage → "Data Ingestion" or "Content Upload" epic
+- Processing stage → "Data Processing" or "Workflow Engine" epic
+- Output stage → "Report Generation" or "Export & Delivery" epic
+
+### Example
+
+For a document processing product:
+
+| Value Stage | Activity | Epic |
+|-------------|----------|------|
+| Input | Upload documents | Document Ingestion |
+| Processing | Extract data, validate | Document Processing |
+| Enrichment | Add metadata, classify | Document Intelligence |
+| Output | Generate reports, export | Reporting & Export |
+| Storage | Archive, retrieve | Document Management |
+
+---
+
+## 6. Gap Analysis
+
+Compare the current state (or competitor offerings) with the desired future state to identify capability gaps that become epics.
+
+### When to Use
+
+- Replacing or improving an existing system
+- Competitive analysis has been done
+- Clear "before and after" vision exists
+
+### Process
+
+1. **Document Current State**: What exists today? What can users do now?
+2. **Define Future State**: What should users be able to do?
+3. **Identify Gaps**: What's missing between current and future?
+4. **Prioritize Gaps**: Which gaps are most critical to close?
+5. **Convert to Epics**: Each significant gap becomes an epic
+
+### Epic Extraction
+
+Gaps become epics:
+
+- Missing capability → New epic for that capability
+- Insufficient capability → Enhancement epic
+- Broken capability → Fix/rebuild epic
+
+### Example
+
+| Current State | Future State | Gap | Epic |
+|---------------|--------------|-----|------|
+| Manual data entry | Automated import | Automation | Data Import Automation |
+| Basic reports | Interactive dashboards | Visualization | Analytics Dashboard |
+| Email notifications | Multi-channel alerts | Channels | Notification System |
+| No mobile access | Full mobile app | Platform | Mobile Application |
+
+---
+
+## Combining Techniques
+
+For comprehensive epic identification, use multiple techniques:
+
+1. **Start with User Journey Mapping** to understand the user perspective
+2. **Apply Capability Decomposition** to ensure technical completeness
+3. **Use Stakeholder Needs** to catch role-specific requirements
+4. **Add Technical Enablers** for infrastructure epics
+5. **Validate with Gap Analysis** to ensure nothing is missed
+
+Cross-reference results from different techniques to validate epic completeness and identify any gaps.
+
+---
+
+## Quick Reference
+
+| Technique | Best For | Key Question |
+|-----------|----------|--------------|
+| User Journey Mapping | UX-focused products | "What journey do users take?" |
+| Capability Decomposition | Feature-rich products | "What must the product DO?" |
+| Stakeholder Needs | Multi-role products | "What does each role need?" |
+| Technical Enablers | Complex integrations | "What infrastructure is required?" |
+| Value Stream Mapping | Process-oriented products | "How does value flow?" |
+| Gap Analysis | Replacements/upgrades | "What's missing today?" |