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Value Creation Flows: The Canonical Workflow

Product development in Masterminds is not linear; it is a Persona-Centric Cycle. We model this through a rigorous "Value Creation Chain" that ensures you are building the right thing for the right person before you write a single line of code.

Note: This canonical flow illustrates the core path using key agents. Other experts may be employed depending on your specific needs.

1. The Full Canonical Flow​

For high-confidence product development, we follow a sequential "Relay Race" between specialized Masters. This flow revolves around the Job Executor (your target persona).

Phase 0: Customer Discovery (Master Steve)​

Goal: Identify the Job Executor (Persona) and their unmet needs.

  • Why Steve First? You cannot build a roadmap without knowing who it is for. Steve identifies your "High Expectation Customer" (HXC)—the person most desperate for your solution.
  • Input: Your initial hypothesis, Business OKRs, and Target Region.
  • Interaction: Provide your inputs. Steve will guide you through identifying niche audiences, validating online sources, and analyzing pain/gain sentiment.
  • Output: Detailed Personas (HXC), Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD), and Pain/Gain analysis.

Phase 1: Innovation Strategy (Master Tony)​

Goal: Define the Outcome-Driven Roadmap.

  • Input: The Job Executor from Steve.
  • The Action: Create a New Chat with Tony. Import context from Steve's session.
  • Interaction: Tony applies Ulwick’s Outcome-Driven Innovation (ODI) framework. He prioritizes opportunities based on "Customer Underserved Outcomes" and identifies "Table Stakes" features required to give the product a "Right to Play" in the market.
  • Key Deliverables: An Outcome-Driven Roadmap prioritized by Opportunity Score.

Phase 2: Solution Discovery (Master Teresa)​

Goal: Define the Solution Architecture.

  • Input: The Roadmap from Tony.
  • The Action: Create a New Chat with Teresa. Import context from Tony's session.
  • Interaction: Teresa will analyze the "Desired Outcome Statements" (DOS) and propose solution candidates through OSTs and multi-agents ideation sessions.
  • Key Deliverables:
    • Solution Playbook: Including the Feature Roadmap and recommendation for the first roadmap to execute.
    • Comprehensive PRD: Detailed requirements for the selected solutions.

Phase 3: Product Design (Master Jony)​

Goal: Visualize the User Experience.

  • Input: The Solution Playbook from Teresa.
  • The Action: Create a New Chat with Jony. Import context from Teresa's session.
  • Interaction: Jony will translate requirements into a coherent product experience.
  • Key Deliverables:
    • Design System: (Optional, if not already existing).
    • Job Story Map & Job Stories: Connecting features to user motivation.
    • Information Architecture (IA): Product/Feature structure.
    • UX Flows & UI Wireframes: Detailed visual blueprints.
    • Prototype Prompts: Instructions for generating high-fidelity prototypes in tools like Figma, AI Studio, or Lovable.

Phase 4: Product Delivery (Master Linus)​

Goal: Engineering Specifications & Build.

  • Input: The Designs and Specs from Jony.
  • The Action: Create a New Chat with Linus. Import context from Jony's session.
  • Interaction: Linus will architect the system and prepare it for construction.
  • Key Deliverables:
    • TAD & TED: Technical Architecture Document and Technical Engineering Design.
    • Delivery Plan: Epics breakdown into atomic tasks.
    • Setup & Build Prompts: Comprehensive instructions for execution.
    • IDE Instructions: Specific guides for professional platforms like Cursor or VSCode.

2. The Iterative Loop: Expanding the Market​

Once you have built the roadmap for your first Job Executor (HXC), you don't stop. You expand.

  1. Return to Steve: Go back to the Customer Discovery phase.
  2. Select Next Persona: Choose the next most valuable Job Executor (e.g., the "Early Majority").
  3. Re-Run the Flow: Execute Strategy -> Solution -> Design -> Delivery for this new persona.

This ensures your product evolves methodically, conquering one market segment at a time.

3. The Fast-Track: Master Eric (VCM)​

Use Case: New Product Ideas or Single Features.

Master Eric is the "Value Creation Master". He is designed for speed. He runs a compressed version of the entire lifecycle (Idea -> Strategy -> Specs) in a single flow.

  • When to use: You have a new idea and want to go from "Napkin Sketch" to "Build Specs" rapidly.
  • Outcome: A validated plan ready for design and delivery.
  • Note: Eric is an alternative to the full flow, not a prerequisite.

4. Future Capabilities & Strategic Planning​

The Masterminds team is growing. Look out for these upcoming experts:

  • Master Kaplan: Business Planning.
  • Master Doerr: OKR Planning.
  • Master Oster: Business Model Generation & Growth Strategy.
  • Master Julie: Launch & Go-to-Market (GTM) Strategy.
  • Master Valentine: Product-Market Fit (PMF) Validation.

Strategic Planning Hierarchy (Abstraction Levels):

Masterminds scales from the C-Suite to the Codebase. Different levels of the organization engage different agents to maintain strategic alignment.

  • Company Level (Yearly Business Strategy Planning):

    • Steve (Define Personas to Focus) → Tony (Outcome-Driven Innovation Strategy) → Kaplan (Business Planning).
    • Outcome: A validated Annual Business Strategy aligned with market opportunities.

  • Product Group Level (Strategic Planning):

    • Steve → Tony → Oster (Group Business Model & Growth Strategy) → Doerr (OKR Cycle Planning).
    • Outcome: A viable Business Model and clear OKRs (Objectives and Key Results).

  • Product Team Level (Execution):

    • Steve → Tony → Oster/Doerr (Product Strategy + OKR Cycle Planning) → Teresa → Jony → Linus → Julie → Valentine.