brainstorminglisted

# Brainstorming Ideas Into Designs ## Overview Turn an idea into a fully formed design through collaborative dialogue before writing any code. <HARD-GATE> Do NOT write code, scaffold a project, or take any implementation action until a design has been presented and approved. This applies to every project regardless of perceived simplicity. </HARD-GATE> ## Anti-pattern: "this is too simple to need a design" A todo list, a single-function utility, a config change — all of them go through this process. "Simple" work is where unexamined assumptions cause the most wasted effort. The design can be a few sentences for truly simple work, but it must be presented and approved. ## Process 1. **Explore project context** — read `.agent-room/decisions.md`, `.agent-room/anti-patterns.md`, relevant docs, recent commits. 2. **Ask clarifying questions, one at a time** — multiple-choice preferred, open-ended is fine. Focus on purpose, constraints, success criteria. 3. **Propose 2-3 approaches** with trade-offs, leading with a recommendation and why. 4. **Present the design in sections**, scaled to complexity (a few sentences if straightforward, up to 200-300 words if nuanced). Cover architecture, components, data flow, error handling, testing. Ask after each section whether it looks right before moving on. 5. **Write the approved design** to `docs/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>-design.md` and commit it. 6. **Hand off to implementation** — see "After the design" below. ``