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Tutorial 05C: Synthesize from Documentation

Transform existing research into an actionable Trigger Map

Overview

This tutorial walks you through synthesizing your existing documentation into a complete Trigger Map with Saga the Analyst. Instead of starting from scratch, you'll validate and organize what you already have, filling gaps through focused conversation.

Time: 30-45 minutes
Prerequisites: Existing documentation (vision docs, user research, plans, or interviews)
What you'll create: Synthesized Trigger Map + gap analysis

When to Use This Approach

Documentation Synthesis is ideal for:

  • ✅ You have extensive vision/strategy documents
  • ✅ User research or interview transcripts exist
  • ✅ Project plans or roadmaps already created
  • ✅ Need to make existing documentation actionable
  • ✅ Documentation is too long for anyone to read

Use Full Trigger Mapping instead if:

  • ❌ Starting from scratch with no documentation
  • ❌ Documentation is minimal or non-existent

Use Value Trigger Chain instead if:

  • ❌ Need quick validation (under 20 minutes)
  • ❌ Single user journey focus

Not sure which to use? See Lesson 2: Heritage & Evolution

The Problem This Solves

Common scenario:

  • Organization spends thousands on research
  • 200-page reports nobody reads
  • Interview transcripts gathering dust
  • Vision documents lost in shared drives
  • Designers paste 100+ pages into AI chats (hitting token limits)

The solution: Transform that investment into a single-slide strategic artifact you can actually use in daily design work and AI conversations.

Before You Start

What You Need

Documentation (any combination of):

  • Vision or strategy documents
  • User research reports
  • Interview transcripts
  • Target group analysis
  • Project plans or roadmaps
  • Feature specifications
  • Market research

Also need:

  • ✅ WDS installed and Saga activated
  • ✅ 30-45 minutes of focused time
  • ✅ Ability to share documentation (paste, upload, or describe)

What to Expect

Saga will:

  • Analyze your documentation
  • Frame questions based on what your material suggests
  • Validate findings with you
  • Fill gaps through conversation
  • Identify documentation strengths and weaknesses
  • Create your Trigger Map

You will:

  • Share your documentation
  • Validate what Saga extracts
  • Fill gaps where documentation is incomplete
  • Make prioritization decisions
  • Confirm strategic alignment

Important: Documentation may only answer part of the Trigger Map questions. That's normal. Saga will frame questions as "Your material suggests X, is this correct?" and fill gaps collaboratively.

Workshop Flow

Starting the Workshop

In your IDE, activate Saga:

@saga I have existing documentation I want to synthesize into a Trigger Map. I have [describe what you have: vision docs, user research, plans, etc.].

Then share your documentation:

  • Paste content directly into chat
  • Upload files
  • Provide links to documents
  • Describe what's available

Workshop 1: Business Goals (5-10 minutes)

What Saga Will Do

Analyze your documentation for:

  • Vision statements (explicit or implied)
  • Strategic objectives (SMART or vague)
  • Business goals and success criteria

Three Scenarios

Scenario 1: Clear vision and objectives found

Saga: "Your documentation suggests this vision:
'Be the most trusted platform for dog owners in Sweden'

Is this accurate?"

Scenario 2: Vague or implied vision

Saga: "I found aspirational language in your docs. 
It seems like your vision is: [interpreted vision]
But this isn't explicitly stated. Is this accurate?"

Scenario 3: No vision found (reverse engineering)

Saga: "I don't see an explicit vision statement. 
However, based on your objectives and plans, 
the implied vision seems to be: [inferred vision]

This is reverse-engineered from what you're trying to achieve. 
Does this capture your aspirational goal?"

Your Task

Validate or refine:

  • Does the extracted vision capture your aspirational goal?
  • Are the objectives truly SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound)?
  • Do objectives connect to the vision?

Fill gaps:

  • If vision is missing, define it
  • If objectives are vague, sharpen them using SMART method

Workshop 2: Target Groups (5-10 minutes)

What Saga Will Do

Analyze your documentation for:

  • User segments or personas
  • Behavioral descriptions
  • User contexts and situations
  • Demographics (but will push for psychology)
  • User quotes or interview insights

Three Scenarios

Scenario 1: Target groups found

Saga: "Your documentation identifies these user groups:
1. Dog Trainers - Professional trainers with 1000+ followers
2. Dog Owners - First-time owners seeking guidance
3. Veterinarians - Professionals recommending resources

I found 3 groups total. Should we focus on the top 3-4 most critical for your objectives?"

Scenario 2: Demographics only (needs behavioral depth)

Saga: "Your documentation mentions:
- Women aged 25-40
- Urban professionals
- Pet owners

However, these are demographic descriptions. 
For Trigger Mapping, we need behavioral profiles.

For each group, what's their context and situation when using your product?"

Scenario 3: No clear target groups

Saga: "I don't see clear target group definitions. 
Based on the context, these groups might be relevant:
- [Inferred group 1]: [reasoning]
- [Inferred group 2]: [reasoning]

Who are the 3-4 key user groups whose product usage will drive your objectives?"

Your Task

Validate or refine:

  • Are these the right target groups?
  • Do descriptions capture behavioral context (not just demographics)?
  • Is there psychological depth (goals, frustrations, context)?

Fill gaps:

  • Transform demographics into behavioral profiles
  • Add context and situation
  • Include user quotes from research if available

Workshop 3: Driving Forces (5-10 minutes)

What Saga Will Do

For each persona, analyze documentation for:

  • Positive drivers (wants, desires, aspirations)
  • Negative drivers (fears, frustrations, anxieties)
  • Pain points and desired outcomes

Common Pattern: Missing Negative Drivers

Most documentation focuses on positive wants:

Saga: "Your documentation suggests Dog Trainers want to:
- Build their professional reputation
- Share training techniques
- Connect with potential clients

But I don't see explicit fears or frustrations.

Let's think about the flip side: What do they fear or want to avoid?
- Fear of looking unprofessional?
- Fear of wasting time on ineffective platforms?
- Frustration with current solutions?"

Your Task

Validate or refine:

  • Do positive drivers capture what users want to achieve?
  • Are negative drivers identified? (Often missing in docs)
  • Are drivers specific to usage context (not general life goals)?

Fill gaps:

  • Transform pain points into psychological drivers
  • Identify fears and frustrations (loss aversion is powerful!)
  • Make drivers specific to product usage context

Remember: Negative drivers are often MORE powerful than positive ones.

Workshop 4: Prioritization (5-10 minutes)

What Saga Will Do

Check documentation for priority signals:

  • Explicit priority statements
  • Resource allocation (budget, team focus)
  • Timeline emphasis (what's first)
  • Frequency of mention
  • Depth of research on certain groups

Then prioritize through conversation:

Saga: "For each group, let's assess:

Impact on objectives: If this group succeeds with your product, 
how much does it drive your objectives? (High/Medium/Low)

Feasibility: How easy is it to reach and serve this group? 
(High/Medium/Low)

Let's start with Dog Trainers:
- Impact on objectives?
- Feasibility?"

Your Task

Assess each group:

  • Impact on objectives (High/Medium/Low)
  • Feasibility to reach and serve (High/Medium/Low)

Validate prioritization:

  • Does the ranking align with your strategic thinking?
  • Are top drivers the most critical to address?
  • Does the focus statement capture where design efforts should go?

Gap Analysis & Validation (5-10 minutes)

What Saga Will Do

Identify documentation strengths:

✅ Clear vision statement
✅ Deep user research with interview quotes
✅ Behavioral personas with psychological depth

Identify gaps:

⚠️ Objectives are vague (not fully SMART)
   - Impact: Hard to measure success
   - What we did: Sharpened through conversation

⚠️ Negative drivers not explicitly mentioned
   - Impact: Missing powerful motivators
   - What we did: Inferred from pain points and validated

Validate strategic alignment:

Saga: "Your documentation says you want:
'Be the most trusted platform for dog owners'

Your plan/features suggest:
'Focus on professional trainers and monetization'

⚠️ Potential misalignment detected:
- Documentation emphasizes trust and all dog owners
- Plan focuses on professional segment and revenue
- Recommendation: Clarify if vision should be narrowed or plan broadened

Your Task

Review gaps:

  • Accept gaps and note for future research?
  • Fill critical gaps now through focused conversation?

Validate alignment:

  • Does your plan support your vision?
  • Are there contradictions between docs and plans?
  • Should anything be adjusted?

What You'll Receive

Trigger Map Documentation

Same comprehensive output as full Trigger Mapping:

  • Vision statement
  • Strategic objectives (SMART)
  • Prioritized target groups with personas
  • Driving forces (positive and negative)
  • Mermaid diagram visualization
  • Strategic focus statement

Plus additional synthesis artifacts:

  • Gap analysis (what's strong vs. weak in documentation)
  • Alignment check (does plan match vision?)
  • Recommendations for future research

How to Use Your Trigger Map

Daily design work:

  • Reference it when making design decisions
  • Validate features against prioritized drivers
  • Keep team aligned on strategic priorities

AI conversations:

  • Share single-slide Trigger Map instead of 200-page reports
  • Provide strategic context without hitting token limits
  • Much more useful than pasting extensive documentation

Team alignment:

  • Single source of truth for strategy
  • Clear priorities everyone understands
  • Defensible design decisions

Future research:

  • Gap analysis guides what to research next
  • Identifies assumptions to validate
  • Prevents redundant research

Tips for Success

Prepare Your Documentation

Before starting:

  • Gather all relevant documents
  • Know what you have (vision, research, plans, etc.)
  • Be ready to share (paste, upload, or describe)

Don't worry if:

  • Documentation is incomplete (normal!)
  • Some sections are vague (we'll sharpen them)
  • Negative drivers aren't mentioned (we'll add them)
  • Prioritization isn't explicit (we'll determine it)

During the Workshop

Be honest about gaps:

  • "I don't know" is a valid answer
  • Gaps help identify future research needs
  • Better to acknowledge than guess

Validate actively:

  • Don't just accept what Saga extracts
  • Correct misinterpretations
  • Refine vague statements

Think psychologically:

  • Move beyond demographics to behavior
  • Consider both positive and negative drivers
  • Focus on usage context, not general life goals

After the Workshop

Use your Trigger Map:

  • Reference it in design decisions
  • Share it in AI chats for context
  • Keep it updated as strategy evolves

Address gaps:

  • Plan research to fill critical gaps
  • Validate assumptions with users
  • Update Trigger Map as you learn

Common Questions

Q: What if my documentation is really extensive (100+ pages)? A: Perfect use case! Saga will extract the strategic elements and create a single-slide reference. Much more useful than reading hundreds of pages.

Q: What if documentation contradicts itself? A: Saga will identify contradictions during alignment check. You'll discuss and resolve them.

Q: What if I only have partial documentation (e.g., just user research, no vision)? A: No problem. Saga will extract what's there and fill gaps through conversation. You'll end up with a complete Trigger Map.

Q: Can I update the Trigger Map later if documentation changes? A: Yes! You can re-run synthesis or update specific sections as your strategy evolves.

Q: How is this different from just reading my documentation? A: Trigger Map organizes research into actionable structure, identifies gaps, validates alignment, and creates a single-slide reference you can actually use daily.

Next Steps

After completing this tutorial:

  1. Review your Trigger Map - Does it accurately represent your strategy?
  2. Address critical gaps - Plan research to fill important missing pieces
  3. Share with team - Get alignment on strategic priorities
  4. Use in design work - Reference it when making design decisions
  5. Proceed to Module 06 - UX Design (where Trigger Map guides your work)

Related Resources

Ready to transform your documentation into an actionable Trigger Map? Activate Saga and begin! 🎯