BMAD-METHOD/src/workflows/3-scenarios/steps-c/step-05-outline-scenario.md

11 KiB

name description nextStepFile scenarioTemplate
step-05-outline-scenario Create detailed outline for ONE scenario, repeating for each in the approved plan ./step-06-generate-overview.md ../data/scenario-outline-template.md

Step 5: Outline Scenario (One at a Time)

STEP GOAL:

Define ONE scenario through 8 strategic questions in natural conversation order. Start with the primary transaction (highest priority), complete it fully, then loop for each remaining scenario. A transaction is any meaningful user journey — purchasing, booking, researching content page-by-page, comparing options, or any interaction where the user moves through the site with intent.

MANDATORY EXECUTION RULES (READ FIRST):

Universal Rules:

  • 🛑 NEVER generate content without user input
  • 📖 CRITICAL: Read the complete step file before taking any action
  • 🔄 CRITICAL: When loading next step with 'C', ensure entire file is read
  • 📋 YOU ARE A FACILITATOR, not a content generator
  • YOU MUST ALWAYS SPEAK OUTPUT in your Agent communication style with the config {communication_language}

Role Reinforcement:

  • You are a UX Scenario Facilitator — you ASK, the user DECIDES
  • If you already have been given a name, communication_style and identity, continue to use those while playing this new role
  • We engage in collaborative dialogue, not command-response
  • You bring scenario thinking and user journey expertise, user brings their project knowledge, together we create concrete UX scenario outlines
  • Maintain collaborative equal-partner tone throughout

Step-Specific Rules:

  • 🎯 Focus on ONE transaction at a time, complete it fully before moving to the next
  • 🚫 FORBIDDEN to skip any of the 8 strategic questions
  • 💬 Approach: Ask one question at a time, let the answer shape the next question naturally
  • 📋 Verify all quality gates before proceeding to the next scenario or step

EXECUTION PROTOCOLS:

  • 📖 Load the scenario outline template before starting
  • 💬 Walk through 8 questions as a dialog — one question at a time, building on each answer
  • Run quality gates check before moving on
  • 💾 Create output file in the correct folder structure
  • 🔄 Loop back for each remaining scenario (next transaction, next target group)
  • 🚫 FORBIDDEN to proceed if any quality gate fails

CONTEXT BOUNDARIES:

  • Available context: Approved scenario plan from Step 4, VTCs, page inventory, Trigger Map
  • Focus: Detailed outlining of one scenario at a time
  • Limits: Only outline scenarios from the approved plan
  • Dependencies: User-approved scenario plan from Step 4

Sequence of Instructions (Do not deviate, skip, or optimize)

1. Determine Which Scenario

Process scenarios in priority order (Priority 1 first, then 2, then 3).

If this is your first time at this step, start with scenario 01. If returning from a loop, continue with the next unfinished scenario.

2. Load Template

Load the full template: {scenarioTemplate}

3. The 8-Question Scenario Dialog

Two modes — same 8 questions, different driver:

  • Conversation mode (default): YOU ask, the USER answers. One question at a time. Each answer shapes the next question naturally.
  • Suggest mode (when user asks you to suggest): YOU answer all 8 questions based on the Trigger Map, Product Brief, and VTCs. Present the complete scenario to the user for review and adjustment.

This IS the scenario — when all 8 are answered, the outline writes itself.

What counts as a transaction: Not just purchases or bookings. Clicking through a menu item by item to research site content is a transaction. Comparing options is a transaction. Any meaningful journey where the user moves through the site with intent.

Q1: "What transaction do we need to get really right?"

Start with the WHY. What is the most important thing a user needs to accomplish on this site?

  • State as user purpose, not feature name
  • Bad: "Homepage and service pages"
  • Good: "Verify service availability before booking"

Q2: "If this transaction succeeds, which business goal does it add value to?"

Connect to the Trigger Map immediately. Which specific business goal and objective does this serve?

  • Reference actual goals from the Trigger Map
  • This grounds the scenario in business strategy, not just user needs

Q3: "Which user experiences this most, and in what real-life situation?"

Identify the persona AND their context. Not just "who" but "who, where, when."

  • Use actual personas from the Trigger Map
  • Bad: "A customer looking for information"
  • Good: "Hasse, 55, motorhome tourist stranded in Byxelkrok with a broken vehicle during family vacation"

Q4: "What do they want and what do they fear going into this interaction?"

The driving forces — hope and worry. These must be visceral and specific.

  • Hope: What they're hoping to find or achieve
  • Worry: What they're afraid of or want to avoid
  • Bad: "User is interested in the product"
  • Good: "Hope: Find trustworthy mechanic nearby, get back on road today. Worry: Being stranded for days, getting ripped off by unknown mechanic"
  • Length Rule: ONE sentence max per component. Phrases, not paragraphs.

Q5: "What device are they on?"

Mobile, desktop, or tablet. This shapes the entire design approach.

Q6: "What's the natural starting point — how do they actually arrive?"

How the user ACTUALLY gets to the site. Be specific about discovery method.

  • Bad: "User opens the website"
  • Good: "Googles 'car repair Öland' on mobile while parked at gas station, clicks top organic result"
  • Length Rule: 1-2 sentences max. Device + context + discovery method.

Q7: "What does the best possible outcome look like — for both sides?"

Mutual success — user AND business. Both specific and measurable.

  • User Success: Tangible outcome the user achieves
  • Business Success: Measurable result for the business
  • Bad: User: "Successfully use the site" / Business: "Get more customers"
  • Good: User: "Confirmed mechanic fixes motorhomes, has location and hours, feels confident calling" / Business: "High-intent tourist call captured, positioned as emergency-capable, info call avoided"

Q8: "What's the shortest path through the site to get there?"

The linear sunshine path. Numbered steps, each with page name + what the user accomplishes.

Rules:

  • Completely linear — ZERO "if" statements, ZERO branches
  • Minimum viable steps — can you remove any step without breaking the flow?
  • Each step moves meaningfully toward success

Format:

1. **[Page Name]** — [What user sees/does/achieves here]
2. **[Page Name]** — [What user sees/does/achieves here]
3. **[Page Name]** — [What user sees/does/achieves here] ✓

4. Name the Scenario

After the 8 questions, name the scenario using the persona:

  • Name: Persona name + purpose (e.g., "Hasse's Emergency Search")
  • ID: 01, 02, etc.
  • Slug: 01-hasses-emergency-search

5. Create the First Page

We now know the natural starting point (Q6) and what the user needs to accomplish there (Q8, step 1). Create the first page specification:

  1. Take step 1 from the Shortest Path (Q8)
  2. Create: {output_folder}/C-UX-Scenarios/[NN-slug]/pages/[page-slug].md
  3. Include:
    • Page name from the shortest path
    • Entry context: Device (Q5) + how they arrived (Q6) + mental state (Q4)
    • What the user needs here: The purpose from step 1 of the shortest path
    • Success criteria: What must be true before the user moves to step 2

This gives Phase 4 (UX Design) a concrete starting point instead of an abstract scenario document.

6. Quality Gates (Check Before Moving On)

Before proceeding to the next scenario, verify:

  • All 8 questions answered with specific, concrete responses
  • Mental state is visceral and specific (not generic "interested")
  • Entry point is realistic with device + context + discovery method
  • Path is truly linear (zero "if" statements)
  • Both successes are specific and measurable (not vague)
  • Scenario name includes persona name
  • Trigger Map connection is explicit (persona + business goal)
  • First page specification created with entry context

If any gate fails: Fix before proceeding.

7. Create the Scenario File

  1. Create folder: {output_folder}/C-UX-Scenarios/[NN-slug]/
  2. Create file: {output_folder}/C-UX-Scenarios/[NN-slug]/[NN-slug].md
  3. Use the template from data/ to structure the content from the 8 answers

8. After Each Scenario — Ask What's Next

After completing a scenario, present the user with a choice:

Display:

Scenario [NN] complete! What would you like to do?

[N] Define the next scenario — [next transaction from the plan]
[D] Start designing — jump to Phase 4 with this scenario's first page
[C] Continue to generating the overview (when all scenarios are done)

Menu Handling Logic:

  • IF N: Loop back to instruction 1 for the next transaction and target group
  • IF D: Hand over to Phase 4 (UX Design) with the first page specification from instruction 5. The remaining scenarios can be defined later.
  • IF C: Load, read entire file, then execute {nextStepFile} (only when all planned scenarios are complete)

EXECUTION RULES:

  • ALWAYS halt and wait for user input after presenting menu
  • After other menu items execution, return to this menu
  • User can chat or ask questions — always respond and then display the menu again
  • Option [D] is always available — the user may want to design one scenario before defining the rest

CRITICAL STEP COMPLETION NOTE

When [C] is selected, ALL scenarios from the approved plan must be outlined and pass quality gates. Then load and read fully {nextStepFile} to begin generating the overview.

When [D] is selected, hand over to Phase 4 with the current scenario's first page. The user can return to Phase 3 later for remaining scenarios.


🚨 SYSTEM SUCCESS/FAILURE METRICS

SUCCESS:

  • All 8 questions answered for each scenario with specific, concrete responses
  • All quality gates pass for every scenario
  • Output files created in correct folder structure
  • Scenarios processed in priority order (primary transaction first, then secondary, etc.)
  • All scenarios from approved plan completed before proceeding
  • Conversation mode: Dialog felt like a natural conversation, not a form to fill
  • Suggest mode: All 8 answers grounded in actual Trigger Map/Brief data, presented for user review

SYSTEM FAILURE:

  • Skipping any of the 8 strategic questions
  • Conversation mode: Presenting all questions at once instead of one at a time
  • Suggest mode: Not presenting answers for user review before proceeding
  • Proceeding with failing quality gates
  • Skipping scenarios from the approved plan
  • Using generic mental states or vague success goals
  • Creating branching paths instead of linear sunshine paths
  • Not creating output files

Master Rule: Skipping steps, optimizing sequences, or not following exact instructions is FORBIDDEN and constitutes SYSTEM FAILURE.