What is the Discover Opportunities skill for?

To surface concrete JTBD opportunities before proposing solutions, using defined outcomes and user context.

How many opportunities should you generate?

5–10 statements to provide a robust set for scoring and ranking.

Should you propose solutions in this step?

No; this step is about opportunities, not solutions. No solutions until opportunities are listed.

discover-opportunities

npx machina-cli add skill kasperjunge/agent-resources/discover-opportunities --openclaw

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SKILL.md

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Discover Opportunities

Overview

Find real opportunities by reasoning from first principles and Jobs-To-Be-Done (JTBD). Focus on the user's job, context, and constraints before any solution ideas.

Position in Workflow

Step 2 of product strategy workflow:

/discover-outcomes - Define outcomes
/discover-opportunities - Identify opportunities (THIS)
/ideate-solutions - Explore solution concepts
/discover-assumptions - Validate with experiments

Inputs (ask if missing, max 5)

Target user / segment
Trigger and context (when the job arises)
Desired outcomes (time, money, risk, effort, emotion)
Current alternatives / workarounds
Non-negotiable constraints (budget, regulation, tech, org)

Workflow

Frame the jobs
- Define the core job as verb + outcome (not a solution).
- Include functional, emotional, and social jobs.
- Map the job journey: before / during / after.
First-principles check
- Identify root frictions (physics, economics, human limits).
- Separate real constraints from assumed constraints.
Generate opportunities
- Produce 5-10 opportunity statements using the template below.
- For each, note frequency, severity, and current workaround.
Score and rank
- Score 0-3: impact, urgency/frequency, underservedness, feasibility/leverage, willingness to pay.
- Rank top 3-5.
Output and validation
- Present top opportunities with short rationale.
- List key assumptions and missing evidence.
- Suggest fastest validation tests (interviews, data checks, lightweight prototypes).

Opportunity Statement Template

Help [segment] achieve [job outcome] by reducing [specific friction] in [context].

Output Format

## Opportunity Discovery

### Context Summary
[1-3 sentences]

### JTBD Map
- Functional: ...
- Emotional: ...
- Social: ...
- Journey: before / during / after

### Opportunities (ranked)
1) [Statement]
   - Scores: impact X, urgency X, underservedness X, feasibility X, WTP X
   - Evidence: frequency, severity, workaround
   - Rationale: ...

### Assumptions / Gaps
- ...

### Fast Validation Tests
- ...

### Next Step
Proceed to solution ideation. Run `/ideate-solutions`.

Quick Reference

No solutions until opportunities are listed.
Use concrete outcomes and observable behaviors.
Always include alternatives and workarounds.

Common Mistakes

Jumping to features instead of jobs
Vague outcomes ("better UX")
Ignoring current alternatives
Mixing constraints with assumptions
Too few opportunities (aim for 5-10)

Example

Input: "Independent designers need to invoice clients. They use spreadsheets and email, but late payments are common. They want faster payment and less admin. Budget is low."

Opportunity statement: Help independent designers get paid faster by reducing follow-up overhead when invoices go overdue in client email workflows.

Source

git clone https://github.com/kasperjunge/agent-resources/blob/main/skills/product-strategy/discover-opportunities/SKILL.md

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Overview

Discover opportunities by reasoning from first principles and Jobs-To-Be-Done (JTBD). Focus on the user’s job, context, and constraints before proposing any solutions.

How This Skill Works

Frame the core job as verb + outcome (including functional, emotional, and social jobs) and map the journey before, during, and after. Then perform a first-principles check to separate real constraints from assumptions, generate 5–10 opportunity statements using the standard template, and score and rank the top options for validation.

When to Use It

After outcomes are defined in /discover-outcomes, to surface opportunities before ideation.
When you need concrete, 5–10 JTBD-based opportunities with explicit frictions and context.
Before solution ideation in /ideate-solutions, to frame the core job and journey (before/during/after).
To inform scoring and ranking by capturing impact, urgency, and underservedness.
Before building validation plans, to propose fastest tests for top opportunities.

Quick Start

Step 1: Frame the jobs as verb + outcome and map the journey (before, during, after).
Step 2: Run a first-principles check to surface root frictions and separate constraints from assumptions.
Step 3: Generate 5–10 opportunity statements using the standard template and note context and evidence.

Best Practices

Frame the job as a verb + outcome, not a solution.
Map the job journey before, during, and after, including functional, emotional, and social jobs.
Use a first-principles check to identify root frictions and separate real constraints from assumptions.
Generate 5–10 concrete opportunity statements using the template with frequency, severity, and workaround data.
Include alternatives and workarounds, and document missing evidence for validation.

Example Use Cases

Help independent designers get paid faster by reducing follow-up overhead when invoices go overdue in client email workflows.
Help remote marketing teams onboard clients faster by reducing back-and-forth during the initial discovery brief.
Help e-commerce teams reduce checkout abandonment by shortening the mobile checkout flow.
Help field-service teams complete jobs with less context switching by consolidating tools used on-site.
Help software product teams validate user outcomes by clarifying the core job during discovery sessions.

Frequently Asked Questions

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