Product-org-os lean-canvas

Document Intelligence

This skill supports three modes: Create, Update, and Find.

Mode Detection

@path/to/lean-canvas.md

Threshold: >=85% auto-proceed | 70-84% state assumption | <70% ask user

Mode Behaviors

CREATE: Facilitate filling all 9 boxes. Start with Problem and Customer Segments (the two most critical). Generate complete canvas.

UPDATE:

1. Read existing canvas (search if path not provided)
2. Preserve unchanged boxes exactly
3. Update specific boxes based on new learnings
4. Show diff summary: "Updated: [boxes]. Unchanged: [boxes]."
5. Re-evaluate riskiest assumption if boxes changed

FIND:

1. Search paths below for lean canvas documents
2. Present results: title, product, date, path
3. Ask: "Update one of these, or create new?"

Search Locations

• product/

• strategy/

• canvas/

• planning/

Gotchas

• Problem/Solution fit must be validated, not assumed — lean canvas is a hypothesis, not a plan
• Key metrics should be actionable (not vanity metrics) — 'users' is vague, 'weekly active users' is better
• Unfair advantage must be genuinely hard to copy — 'great team' and 'passion' are not unfair advantages

Vision to Value Phase

Phase 1: Strategic Foundation - The Lean Canvas is a lightweight tool for early-stage business model validation, before investing in full business cases.

Prerequisites: A product idea or venture concept Outputs used by:

/business-case

/strategic-bet

/assumption-map

Methodology

The 9 Boxes

Fill the canvas in this recommended order (risk-first):

Riskiest Assumption Identification

After completing the canvas, identify the single riskiest assumption:

1. Review each box for implicit assumptions
2. Score each assumption: Impact if wrong (High/Med/Low) x Confidence (High/Med/Low)
3. The assumption with highest impact and lowest confidence is the riskiest
4. This assumption should be tested FIRST before investing further

Output Structure

# Lean Canvas: [Product/Venture Name]

**Date**: [YYYY-MM-DD]
**Owner**: [Who owns this canvas]
**Iteration**: [1, 2, 3...]
**Status**: [Draft / Validated / Pivoted]

## The Canvas

### Problem
Top 1-3 problems:
1. [Problem 1]
2. [Problem 2]
3. [Problem 3]

**Existing Alternatives**: [How customers solve this today]

### Customer Segments
**Target customers**: [Who has this problem]

**Early adopters**: [Specific subset who will adopt first and why]

### Unique Value Proposition
**Single clear message**: [One sentence — why different AND worth attention]

**High-level concept**: [X for Y analogy, e.g., "Uber for laundry"]

### Solution
Top features for each problem:
1. [Solution for Problem 1]
2. [Solution for Problem 2]
3. [Solution for Problem 3]

### Channels
- [Channel 1]: [Free/Paid] — [How it works]
- [Channel 2]: [Free/Paid] — [How it works]

### Revenue Streams
- **Model**: [Subscription / Transaction / Freemium / etc.]
- **Price point**: [TBD — or user-provided]
- **Revenue drivers**: [What drives revenue growth]

### Cost Structure
- **Fixed costs**: [Team, infrastructure, etc.]
- **Variable costs**: [Per-customer costs, CAC, etc.]
- **Break-even indicator**: [What needs to be true to break even]

### Key Metrics
1. [Metric 1] — [Why it matters]
2. [Metric 2] — [Why it matters]
3. [Metric 3] — [Why it matters]

### Unfair Advantage
[What cannot be easily copied or bought — be honest, "none yet" is acceptable]

---

## Riskiest Assumption

**Assumption**: [Statement]
**Box**: [Which canvas box it comes from]
**Impact if wrong**: [High/Med/Low]
**Confidence**: [High/Med/Low]
**Proposed test**: [How to validate quickly]
**Timeline**: [When you'll know]

## Canvas Summary (Visual)

| Problem | Solution | UVP | Unfair Advantage | Customer Segments |
|---------|----------|-----|------------------|-------------------|
| [P1] | [S1] | [Single message] | [Advantage] | [Target] |
| [P2] | [S2] | | | [Early adopters] |
| [P3] | [S3] | | | |
| **Existing Alternatives** | | | | |
| [How solved today] | | | | |

| Key Metrics | Channels | Cost Structure | Revenue Streams |
|-------------|----------|---------------|-----------------|
| [M1] | [C1] | [Fixed] | [Model] |
| [M2] | [C2] | [Variable] | [Price] |
| [M3] | | [Break-even] | [Drivers] |

## Next Steps

- [ ] Test riskiest assumption via `/experiment-design`
- [ ] If validated, develop full `/business-case`
- [ ] Map all assumptions via `/assumption-map`
- [ ] Revisit canvas after each learning cycle (target: weekly iterations)

Instructions

1. Start by asking for the product/venture concept if not provided
2. Fill Problem and Customer Segments FIRST — these are the foundation
3. Be honest about Unfair Advantage — "none yet" is better than a fabricated moat
4. Challenge vague UVPs — push for a single, specific, compelling sentence
5. For Key Metrics, focus on leading indicators of product-market fit, not vanity metrics
6. Always identify the riskiest assumption and propose a test
7. Encourage iteration — the canvas is designed to change frequently
8. Save output as markdown file
9. Offer

   /assumption-map

   for deeper assumption analysis or

   /business-case

   when ready to invest

Integration

• Links to

  /assumption-map

  (deeper analysis of canvas assumptions)
• Links to

  /experiment-design

  (test the riskiest assumption)
• Links to

  /business-case

  (graduate from canvas to full business case when validated)
• Links to

  /strategic-bet

  (frame the venture as a strategic bet)
• Links to

  /market-segment

  (refine Customer Segments box)
• Links to

  /context-save

  (save canvas iterations for learning tracking)