1 min lesson
Map the inputs before you map the solution
Name the parts in "Map the inputs before you map the solution" and give the practical job of each one.
Step 1 of 2
Map the inputs before you map the solution
Discovery isn't only about pain. You also have to know what you'll actually be allowed to touch, because that constrains every design you'll later propose.
Inputs to nail down in the first conversation
- Code access
- Repo, branch policy, read vs. write, how a sandbox gets stood up
- Data you can use
- Logs, traces, PR history, CI runs - and what's off-limits for compliance
- Conventions
- Lint rules, framework patterns, the .cursor/rules they'd want an agent to honor
- Existing stack
- CI provider, review tooling, identity (SSOSingle Sign-On. One company login (usually via SAML or OIDC) instead of a separate password per tool. Press Enter for the full definition.), where secrets live
- Definition of done
- What a senior engineer would have to see to actually adopt this
An MVP you can't get code access for is a slide, not a deliverable.