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