Level 4: Brainstorm Workflows

Complexity: High | Artifacts: Multi-role analysis docs | Roles: 3-9 | Execution: Phase 1/3 sequential, Phase 2 parallel

Level 4 workflows provide multi-role brainstorming with complete planning and execution. They're designed for exploratory requirements, uncertain implementation approaches, and multi-dimensional trade-offs.

Overview

Included Workflow: brainstorm:auto-parallel

Multi-role brainstorming + Complete planning + Execution

Command

/workflow:brainstorm:auto-parallel "Real-time notification system architecture" [--count N] [--style-skill package]
/workflow:plan --session {sessionId}
/workflow:plan-verify
/workflow:execute

Flow Diagram

Characteristics

Property	Value
Complexity	High
Artifacts	Multi-role analysis docs + IMPL_PLAN.md
Role Count	3-9 (default 3)
Execution Mode	Phase 1/3 sequential, Phase 2 parallel

Process Phases

Phase 1: Interactive Framework Generation

/workflow:brainstorm:artifacts "Real-time notification system architecture"

Steps:

1. Topic Analysis - Analyze the topic, generate key questions
2. Role Selection - User confirms role selection
3. Role Question Collection - Assign questions to roles
4. Conflict Detection - Detect and resolve role conflicts
5. Generate Framework - Create guidance-specification.md

Phase 2: Parallel Role Analysis

# Executes N conceptual-planning-agent tasks in parallel
Task(subagent_type: "conceptual-planning-agent", prompt: "Role: {role}, Topic: {topic}, Questions: {questions}")

Each role:

• Receives role-specific guidance
• Analyzes topic independently
• Generates {role}/analysis.md
• Optional: Sub-documents (max 5)

Phase 3: Synthesis Integration

/workflow:brainstorm:synthesis --session {sessionId}

Steps:

1. Collect all role analyses
2. Integrate perspectives into synthesis
3. Generate synthesis-specification.md
4. Identify key decisions and trade-offs

Available Roles

Role	Description
system-architect	System Architect - Overall system design
ui-designer	UI Designer - User interface design
ux-expert	UX Expert - User experience optimization
product-manager	Product Manager - Product requirements
product-owner	Product Owner - Business value
data-architect	Data Architect - Data structure design
scrum-master	Scrum Master - Process and team
subject-matter-expert	Domain Expert - Subject matter expertise
test-strategist	Test Strategist - Testing strategy

Artifact Structure

.workflow/active/WFS-realtime-notifications/
├── workflow-session.json
└── .brainstorming/
    ├── guidance-specification.md      # Framework (Phase 1)
    ├── system-architect/
    │   ├── analysis.md                # Main document
    │   └── analysis-scale-{}.md       # Sub-documents (optional, max 5)
    ├── ux-expert/
    │   ├── analysis.md
    │   └── analysis-accessibility.md
    ├── data-architect/
    │   ├── analysis.md
    │   └── analysis-storage.md
    └── synthesis-specification.md     # Integration (Phase 3)

Use Cases

When to Use

• New feature design
• System architecture refactoring
• Exploratory requirements
• Uncertain implementation approach
• Multi-dimensional trade-offs needed

When NOT to Use

• Clear requirements (use Level 2-3)
• Time-sensitive tasks (use Level 2)
• Single-perspective sufficient (use Level 2-3)

Examples

Example 1: Architecture Design

/workflow:brainstorm:auto-parallel "Microservices architecture for e-commerce platform" --count 5

Roles: system-architect, data-architect, ux-expert, product-manager, test-strategist

Output:

• Multiple architectural perspectives
• Data flow considerations
• User experience implications
• Business requirements alignment
• Testing strategy recommendations

Example 2: Feature Exploration

/workflow:brainstorm:auto-parallel "AI-powered recommendations" --count 3

Roles: system-architect, product-manager, subject-matter-expert

Output:

• Technical feasibility analysis
• Business value assessment
• Domain-specific considerations

With-File Workflows

With-File workflows provide documented exploration with multi-CLI collaboration. They are self-contained and generate comprehensive session artifacts.

Workflow	Purpose	Level	Key Features
brainstorm-with-file	Multi-perspective ideation	4	Gemini/Codex/Claude perspectives, diverge-converge cycles
debug-with-file	Hypothesis-driven debugging	3	Gemini validation, understanding evolution, NDJSON logging
analyze-with-file	Collaborative analysis	3	Multi-round Q&A, CLI exploration, documented discussions

brainstorm-with-file

Multi-perspective ideation with documented exploration

/workflow:brainstorm-with-file "Notification system redesign"

Output Folder: .workflow/.brainstorm/

Characteristics:

• Diverge-converge cycles
• Multiple CLI perspectives (Gemini, Codex, Claude)
• Built-in post-completion options (create plan, issue, deep analysis)

debug-with-file

Hypothesis-driven debugging with documented investigation

/workflow:debug-with-file "System randomly crashes under load"

Output Folder: .workflow/.debug/

Characteristics:

• Hypothesis-driven iteration
• Gemini validation for hypotheses
• Understanding evolution tracking
• NDJSON logging for reproducibility

analyze-with-file

Collaborative analysis with documented discussions

/workflow:analyze-with-file "Understand authentication architecture design decisions"

Output Folder: .workflow/.analysis/

Characteristics:

• Multi-round Q&A
• CLI exploration integration
• Documented discussion threads

Detection Keywords

Workflow	Keywords
brainstorm	头脑风暴, 创意, 发散思维, multi-perspective, compare perspectives, 探索可能
debug-file	深度调试, 假设验证, systematic debug, hypothesis debug, 调试记录
analyze-file	协作分析, 深度理解, collaborative analysis, explore concept, 理解架构

Comparison: With-File vs Standard Workflows

Aspect	With-File Workflows	Standard Workflows
Documentation	E evolving documents	Session artifacts
Multi-CLI	Built-in (Gemini/Codex/Claude)	Optional
Iteration	Self-contained loop	Manual continuation
Post-Completion	Built-in options	Manual next steps
Best For	Documented exploration	Structured execution

Level 4 Summary

Aspect	Value
Complexity	High
Artifacts	Multi-role analysis + Session
Planning	Multi-perspective convergence
Execution	Standard Level 3 execution
Best For	Complex, exploratory tasks

Related Workflows

• Level 3: Standard - Standard planning workflows
• Level 5: Intelligent - Automated orchestration
• FAQ - Common questions

Command Reference

See Commands Documentation for:

• /workflow:brainstorm:auto-parallel - Multi-role brainstorming
• /workflow:brainstorm-with-file - Documented ideation
• /workflow:debug-with-file - Hypothesis-driven debugging
• /workflow:analyze-with-file - Collaborative analysis