BMAD-METHOD/bmm/workflows/2-plan-workflows/prd/steps/step-03-success.md

name	description	workflow_path	thisStepFile	nextStepFile	workflowFile	outputFile	advancedElicitationTask	partyModeWorkflow
step-03-success	Define comprehensive success criteria covering user, business, and technical success	{project-root}/_bmad/bmm/workflows/2-plan-workflows/prd	{workflow_path}/steps/step-03-success.md	{workflow_path}/steps/step-04-journeys.md	{workflow_path}/workflow.md	{planning_artifacts}/prd.md	{project-root}/_bmad/core/workflows/advanced-elicitation/workflow.xml	{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 frontmatter stepsCompleted: [1, 2, 3] before loading next step
• 🚫 FORBIDDEN to load next step until C is selected

COLLABORATION MENUS (A/P/C):

This step will generate content and present choices:

• A (Advanced Elicitation): Use discovery protocols to develop deeper insights about success metrics
• P (Party Mode): Bring multiple perspectives to define comprehensive success criteria
• C (Continue): Save the content to the document and proceed to next step

PROTOCOL INTEGRATION:

• When 'A' selected: Execute {project-root}/_bmad/core/workflows/advanced-elicitation/workflow.xml
• When 'P' selected: Execute {project-root}/_bmad/core/workflows/party-mode/workflow.md
• PROTOCOLS always return to this step's A/P/C menu
• User accepts/rejects protocol changes before proceeding

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: "Looking at your product brief and research, I see some initial success criteria already defined:

From your brief: {{extracted_success_criteria_from_brief}}

From research: {{extracted_success_criteria_from_research}}

From brainstorming: {{extracted_success_criteria_from_brainstorming}}

This gives us a great foundation. Let's refine and expand on these initial thoughts:

User Success First: Based on what we have, how would you refine these user success indicators:

• {{refined_user_success_from_documents}}
• Are there other user success metrics we should consider?

What would make a user say 'this was worth it' beyond what's already captured?"

If No Success Criteria in Input Documents: Start with user-centered success: "Now that we understand what makes {{project_name}} special, let's define what success looks like.

User Success First:

• What would make a user say 'this was worth it'?
• What's the moment where they realize this solved their problem?
• After using {{project_name}}, what outcome are they walking away with?

Let's start with the user experience of success."

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: "Now let's look at success from the business perspective.

Business Success:

• What does success look like at 3 months? 12 months?
• Are we measuring revenue, user growth, engagement, something else?
• What metric would make you say 'this is working'?

Help me understand what success means for your business."

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: "So success means users experience [differentiator] and achieve [outcome]. Does that capture it?"

Adapt success criteria to 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: "The Scoping Game:

1. What must work for this to be useful? → MVP
2. What makes it competitive? → Growth
3. What's the dream version? → Vision

Challenge scope creep conversationally:

• Could that wait until after launch?
• Is that essential for proving the concept?

For complex domains, include compliance minimums 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 Content and Menu

Show the generated content and present choices: "I've drafted our success criteria and scope definition based on our conversation.

Here's what I'll add to the document:

[Show the complete markdown content from step 7]

What would you like to do? [A] Advanced Elicitation - Let's dive deeper and refine these success metrics [P] Party Mode - Bring in different perspectives on success criteria [C] Continue - Save success criteria and move to User Journey Mapping (Step 4 of 11)"

9. Handle Menu Selection

If 'A' (Advanced Elicitation):

• Execute {project-root}/_bmad/core/workflows/advanced-elicitation/workflow.xml 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 return to A/P/C menu
• If no: Keep original content, then return to A/P/C menu

If 'P' (Party Mode):

• Execute {project-root}/_bmad/core/workflows/party-mode/workflow.md 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 return to A/P/C menu
• If no: Keep original content, then return to A/P/C menu

If 'C' (Continue):

• Append the final content to {outputFile}
• Update frontmatter: add this step to the end of the steps completed array
• Load ./step-04-journeys.md

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!