name: 'step-03-success'
description: 'Define comprehensive success criteria covering user, business, and technical success'
File References
nextStepFile: './step-04-journeys.md'
outputFile: '{planning_artifacts}/prd.md'
Task References
advancedElicitationTask: '{project-root}/_bmad/core/workflows/advanced-elicitation/workflow.xml'
partyModeWorkflow: '{project-root}/_bmad/core/workflows/party-mode/workflow.md'
Step 3: Success Criteria Definition
Progress: Step 3 of 11 - Next: User Journey Mapping
MANDATORY EXECUTION RULES (READ FIRST):
🛑 NEVER generate content without user input
📖 CRITICAL: ALWAYS read the complete step file before taking any action - partial understanding leads to incomplete decisions
🔄 CRITICAL: When loading next step with 'C', ensure the entire file is read and understood before proceeding
✅ ALWAYS treat this as collaborative discovery between PM peers
📋 YOU ARE A FACILITATOR, not a content generator
💬 FOCUS on defining what winning looks like for this product
🎯 COLLABORATIVE discovery, not assumption-based goal setting
✅ YOU MUST ALWAYS SPEAK OUTPUT In your Agent communication style with the config {communication_language}
EXECUTION PROTOCOLS:
- 🎯 Show your analysis before taking any action
- ⚠️ Present A/P/C menu after generating success criteria content
- 💾 ONLY save when user chooses C (Continue)
- 📖 Update output file frontmatter, adding this step name to the end of the list of stepsCompleted
- 🚫 FORBIDDEN to load next step until C is selected
CONTEXT BOUNDARIES:
- Current document and frontmatter from previous steps are available
- Executive Summary and Project Classification already exist in document
- Input documents from step-01 are available (product briefs, research, brainstorming)
- No additional data files needed for this step
- Focus on measurable, specific success criteria
- LEVERAGE existing input documents to inform success criteria
YOUR TASK:
Define comprehensive success criteria that cover user success, business success, and technical success, using input documents as a foundation while allowing user refinement.
SUCCESS DISCOVERY SEQUENCE:
1. Begin Success Definition Conversation
Check Input Documents for Success Indicators:
Analyze product brief, research, and brainstorming documents for success criteria already mentioned.
If Input Documents Contain Success Criteria:
Guide user to refine existing success criteria:
- Acknowledge what's already documented in their materials
- Extract key success themes from brief, research, and brainstorming
- Help user identify gaps and areas for expansion
- Probe for specific, measurable outcomes: When do users feel delighted/relieved/empowered?
- Ask about emotional success moments and completion scenarios
- Explore what "worth it" means beyond what's already captured
If No Success Criteria in Input Documents:
Start with user-centered success exploration:
- Guide conversation toward defining what "worth it" means for users
- Ask about the moment users realize their problem is solved
- Explore specific user outcomes and emotional states
- Identify success "aha!" moments and completion scenarios
- Focus on user experience of success first
2. Explore User Success Metrics
Listen for specific user outcomes and help make them measurable:
- Guide from vague to specific: NOT "users are happy" → "users complete [key action] within [timeframe]"
- Ask about emotional success: "When do they feel delighted/relieved/empowered?"
- Identify success moments: "What's the 'aha!' moment?"
- Define completion scenarios: "What does 'done' look like for the user?"
3. Define Business Success
Transition to business metrics:
- Guide conversation to business perspective on success
- Explore timelines: What does 3-month success look like? 12-month success?
- Identify key business metrics: revenue, user growth, engagement, or other measures?
- Ask what specific metric would indicate "this is working"
- Understand business success from their perspective
4. Challenge Vague Metrics
Push for specificity on business metrics:
- "10,000 users" → "What kind of users? Doing what?"
- "99.9% uptime" → "What's the real concern - data loss? Failed payments?"
- "Fast" → "How fast, and what specifically needs to be fast?"
- "Good adoption" → "What percentage adoption by when?"
5. Connect to Product Differentiator
Tie success metrics back to what makes the product special:
- Connect success criteria to the product's unique differentiator
- Ensure metrics reflect the specific value proposition
- Adapt success criteria to domain context:
- Consumer: User love, engagement, retention
- B2B: ROI, efficiency, adoption
- Developer tools: Developer experience, community
- Regulated: Compliance, safety, validation
- GovTech: Government compliance, accessibility, procurement
6. Smart Scope Negotiation
Guide scope definition through success lens:
- Help user distinguish MVP (must work to be useful) from growth (competitive) and vision (dream)
- Guide conversation through three scope levels:
- MVP: What's essential for proving the concept?
- Growth: What makes it competitive?
- Vision: What's the dream version?
- Challenge scope creep conversationally: Could this wait until after launch? Is this essential for MVP?
- For complex domains: Ensure compliance minimums are included in MVP
7. Generate Success Criteria Content
Prepare the content to append to the document:
Content Structure:
When saving to document, append these Level 2 and Level 3 sections:
## Success Criteria
### User Success
[Content about user success criteria based on conversation]
### Business Success
[Content about business success metrics based on conversation]
### Technical Success
[Content about technical success requirements based on conversation]
### Measurable Outcomes
[Content about specific measurable outcomes based on conversation]
## Product Scope
### MVP - Minimum Viable Product
[Content about MVP scope based on conversation]
### Growth Features (Post-MVP)
[Content about growth features based on conversation]
### Vision (Future)
[Content about future vision based on conversation]
8. Present MENU OPTIONS
Present the success criteria content for user review, then display menu:
- Show the drafted success criteria and scope definition (using structure from section 7)
- Ask if they'd like to refine further, get other perspectives, or proceed
- Present menu options naturally as part of the conversation
Display: "Select: [A] Advanced Elicitation [P] Party Mode [C] Continue to User Journey Mapping (Step 4 of 11)"
Menu Handling Logic:
- IF A: Execute {advancedElicitationTask} with the current success criteria content, process the enhanced success metrics that come back, ask user "Accept these improvements to the success criteria? (y/n)", if yes update content with improvements then redisplay menu, if no keep original content then redisplay menu
- IF P: Execute {partyModeWorkflow} with the current success criteria, process the collaborative improvements to metrics and scope, ask user "Accept these changes to the success criteria? (y/n)", if yes update content with improvements then redisplay menu, if no keep original content then redisplay menu
- IF C: Append the final content to {outputFile}, update frontmatter by adding this step name to the end of the stepsCompleted array, then load, read entire file, then execute {nextStepFile}
- IF Any other: help user respond, then redisplay menu
EXECUTION RULES:
- ALWAYS halt and wait for user input after presenting menu
- ONLY proceed to next step when user selects 'C'
- After other menu items execution, return to this menu
APPEND TO DOCUMENT:
When user selects 'C', append the content directly to the document using the structure from step 7.
SUCCESS METRICS:
✅ User success criteria clearly identified and made measurable
✅ Business success metrics defined with specific targets
✅ Success criteria connected to product differentiator
✅ Scope properly negotiated (MVP, Growth, Vision)
✅ A/P/C menu presented and handled correctly
✅ Content properly appended to document when C selected
FAILURE MODES:
❌ Accepting vague success metrics without pushing for specificity
❌ Not connecting success criteria back to product differentiator
❌ Missing scope negotiation and leaving it undefined
❌ Generating content without real user input on what success looks like
❌ Not presenting A/P/C menu after content generation
❌ Appending content without user selecting 'C'
❌ CRITICAL: Reading only partial step file - leads to incomplete understanding and poor decisions
❌ CRITICAL: Proceeding with 'C' without fully reading and understanding the next step file
❌ CRITICAL: Making decisions without complete understanding of step requirements and protocols
DOMAIN CONSIDERATIONS:
If working in regulated domains (healthcare, fintech, govtech):
- Include compliance milestones in success criteria
- Add regulatory approval timelines to MVP scope
- Consider audit requirements as technical success metrics
NEXT STEP:
After user selects 'C' and content is saved to document, load ./step-04-journeys.md to map user journeys.
Remember: Do NOT proceed to step-04 until user explicitly selects 'C' from the A/P/C menu and content is saved!