plugins 7 min read

Planning Interview Plugin

flowchart TD

#planning #interview #multi-agent #market #spec #learning
Table of Contents

Transform vague product ideas into comprehensive PRDs through AI-powered, adaptive interviews

Process Flow

flowchart TD
    A([User Trigger]) -->|"planning interview / 기획해줘"| B[Context Detection]
    B --> C{Role & Complexity?}

    C -->|Solo developer| D["Solo Mode · 15-20 min"]
    C -->|Startup founder| E["Startup Mode · 25-30 min"]
    C -->|Product manager| F["Team Mode · 35-45 min"]

    D --> D1["3-4 Rounds<br/>Problem → Solution → Revenue → Risks"]
    E --> E1["5-6 Rounds<br/>Problem → Solution → GTM → Team/Risks"]
    F --> F1["8-9 Rounds<br/>Background → Users → Stories → Reqs → UX/Tech"]

    subgraph Scoring ["Answer Completeness Scoring (1-5)"]
        direction LR
        SC1{Score < 3?} -->|Yes| SC2[Targeted Follow-up] --> SC1
        SC1 -->|No| SC3[Next Question]
    end

    D1 & E1 & F1 -.- Scoring

    D1 --> G["Lean Canvas · 1-2 pages"]
    E1 --> H["Product Brief · 3-5 pages"]
    F1 --> I["Full PRD · 8-12 pages"]

    G & H & I --> J([Saved Markdown PRD])

Overview

The planning-interview plugin conducts context-aware product planning interviews to create structured PRDs in 15-45 minutes. It adapts to your role and project complexity with three modes:

  • Solo Mode (15-20 min): Lean Canvas for indie developers and solo builders
  • Startup Mode (25-30 min): Product Brief for startup founders and small teams
  • Team Mode (35-45 min): Full PRD for product managers and established teams

Key Features

  • Context-Aware: Automatically detects your role and recommends the right mode
  • Business-Focused: Emphasizes WHY and WHAT (not HOW) - saves technical details for spec-interview
  • Adaptive Questioning: Uses 1-5 completeness scoring to drive smart follow-ups
  • Template-Based Output: Generates professional, structured documents ready to share
  • Session Management: Save and resume long interviews (Team mode)
  • Bilingual: Supports English and Korean
  • Smart Helpers: Optional MoSCoW prioritization, Persona builder, Lean Canvas deep-dive

Installation

Prerequisites

  • Claude Desktop app installed
  • Claude agent plugin support enabled

Quick Setup

  1. Clone repository:
git clone https://github.com/your-org/claude-plugins.git
cd claude-plugins/planning-interview
  1. Locate Claude plugins directory:

macOS / Linux:

~/.config/claude-desktop/plugins/

Windows:

%APPDATA%\Claude\plugins\
  1. Install plugin (symlink recommended):
# macOS / Linux
ln -s /full/path/to/planning-interview ~/.config/claude-desktop/plugins/planning-interview

# Windows (PowerShell as Administrator)
New-Item -ItemType SymbolicLink -Path "$env:APPDATA\Claude\plugins\planning-interview" -Target "C:\path\to\planning-interview"
  1. Verify installation:
# Check structure
ls ~/.config/claude-desktop/plugins/planning-interview/

# Should show:
# .claude-plugin/plugin.json
# skills/planning-interview/SKILL.md
# templates/ (lean-canvas.md, product-brief.md, full-prd.md)
# examples/

  1. Restart Claude Desktop (Quit completely, not just close window)

  2. Test plugin:

In Claude, type: planning interview

You should see context detection questions.

Quick Start

Basic Usage

Simply say one of the trigger phrases:

English:

  • “planning interview”
  • “help me plan a product”
  • “create a PRD for [your idea]”

Korean:

  • “기획해줘”
  • “제품 기획 도와줘”

Quick Mode (Skip Context Detection)

If you know which mode you want:

  • “planning interview for B2B SaaS” → Startup mode
  • “Lean Canvas for mobile app” → Solo mode
  • “Full PRD for enterprise feature” → Team mode

Modes Comparison

FeatureSolo ModeStartup ModeTeam Mode
Duration15-20 min25-30 min35-45 min
OutputLean Canvas (1-2 pages)Product Brief (3-5 pages)Full PRD (8-12 pages)
Sections10 sections12 sections13 sections
Interview Rounds3-4 rounds5-6 rounds8-9 rounds
Target UserSolo developer, indie builderStartup founder, small teamPM, product team, enterprise
Use CasesMVP validation, side projectsFundraising, GTM strategyStakeholder alignment, roadmapping
HelpersLean Canvas builderMoSCoW, Persona builderAll helpers + detailed requirements

What You’ll Get

Solo Mode: Lean Canvas

10 Sections:

  1. Problem (top 3 problems)
  2. Customer Segments (target users, early adopters)
  3. Unique Value Proposition
  4. Solution (top 3 features, MVP scope)
  5. Channels (path to customers)
  6. Revenue Streams
  7. Cost Structure
  8. Key Metrics
  9. Unfair Advantage
  10. Assumptions & Risks

Example: See examples/solo-example.md (TaskFlow CLI tool)

Startup Mode: Product Brief

12 Sections: Executive Summary, Problem & Opportunity, Solution Overview, Target Market & Users, Competitive Landscape, Product Strategy, Go-to-Market Strategy, Success Metrics, Team & Resources, Timeline & Milestones, Risks & Mitigation, Appendix

Team Mode: Full PRD

13 Sections: Executive Summary, Background & Context, Problem Statement, Goals & Objectives, Target Users & Market, User Personas, User Stories & Jobs-to-be-Done, Requirements & Prioritization (MoSCoW), User Experience & Design, Technical Considerations, Success Metrics & KPIs, Rollout Plan & Timeline, Risks/Assumptions/Dependencies

Differentiation vs spec-interview

Use planning-interview BEFORE spec-interview in your workflow:

Aspectplanning-interviewspec-interview
FocusBusiness value, market fitTechnical implementation
QuestionsWHY build? WHO needs it? WHAT value?HOW to build? WHAT architecture? WHERE deploy?
OutputPRD (business requirements)Technical Specification
UsersFounders, PMs, business stakeholdersDevelopers, architects, engineers
StageBefore development (planning)After planning (implementation)

Workflow:

  1. Use planning-interview → Generate Product Brief with market validation
  2. Review with stakeholders → Get buy-in on WHY and WHAT
  3. Use spec-interview → Create Technical Spec with architecture details
  4. Hand off to engineering → Build with clear business context + technical blueprint

Advanced Features

Answer Completeness Scoring (1-5 Scale)

Inspired by Alpha’s pragmatic approach, the plugin scores each answer:

  • 5: Detailed with concrete examples and metrics
  • 4: Good specificity, minor gaps
  • 3: Acceptable but could be more specific
  • 2: Too vague or generic
  • 1: Very short or circular

If score < 3, Claude asks a targeted follow-up from the same category.

Example:

You: "It makes things easier for users."
Score: 2 (vague, no specifics)

Claude: "Can you provide a concrete example? What specific scenario illustrates this?"

You: "Developers waste 2-3 hours/day searching across 5 tools for API docs. This consolidates them."
Score: 5 (specific metrics, concrete example)

Session Save & Resume (Team Mode)

For long interviews (35-45 min), Claude offers auto-save every 3 rounds:

Claude: We're 40% through the interview. Want to take a break?
- Continue now (we'll finish in ~25 min)
- Save and resume later

If you choose “Save”:

  • Progress saved to planning-interview-draft-{project}-{timestamp}.md
  • Resume anytime with: “continue planning interview”

Optional Helpers

MoSCoW Prioritization (All modes)

Classify features as Must/Should/Could/Won’t have. Takes 5 min, creates clear prioritization section in PRD.

Persona Builder (Startup & Team modes)

Create detailed user personas with structured fields: Name/Role, Demographics, Goals, Pain Points, Current Tools, Quote. Adds 3-5 min per persona.

Lean Canvas Builder (Solo mode)

Deep-dive into all 10 Lean Canvas sections with guided questions. Adds 5-10 min.

Tips for Best Results

1. Be Specific

  • Vague: “It’s a productivity tool.”
  • Good: “It’s a task management CLI for developers who work across 3+ projects simultaneously.”

2. Include Metrics

  • Vague: “Users will be happier.”
  • Good: “Reduce time spent on task switching from 15 min/day to < 2 min/day.”

3. Describe Real Pain Points

  • Vague: “Current tools are bad.”
  • Good: “Current tools require 5-7 clicks to create a task, don’t support keyboard shortcuts. Power users spend 30% more time managing tasks than completing them.”

4. Quantify Outcomes

  • Vague: “We’ll know it works if users like it.”
  • Good: “Success = 1000+ monthly active users with 40%+ weekly retention within 6 months.”

Troubleshooting

Plugin Not Loading

  1. Check path: ls ~/.config/claude-desktop/plugins/planning-interview/
  2. Verify plugin.json: cat ~/.config/claude-desktop/plugins/planning-interview/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
  3. Check permissions: chmod -R 755 ~/.config/claude-desktop/plugins/planning-interview/
  4. Restart Claude Desktop completely

Trigger Phrase Not Working

Try exact phrases:

  • “planning interview” (not “start planning interview”)
  • “기획해줘” (not “기획 해줘” with space)

Or use Quick Mode:

  • “PRD for [your idea]”
  • “Lean Canvas for [domain]“

Interview Questions Seem Off-Topic

This plugin focuses on business planning (WHY, WHAT), not technical implementation (HOW).

Use planning-interview to answer:

  • What problem does this solve?
  • Who needs it?
  • What’s the market opportunity?
  • How will we measure success?

Use spec-interview to answer:

  • What’s the API design?
  • What’s the data model?
  • What tech stack?
  • How do we deploy?

Customization

See CLAUDE.md for detailed guide on:

  • Adding new question categories
  • Modifying templates
  • Adjusting round counts per mode
  • Tuning vague answer detection heuristics
  • Adding new language support

Examples

Solo Mode Example

Input: Indie developer building CLI tool for task management

Output: lean-canvas-taskflow-cli-20260215.md (1-2 pages)

  • 10 sections covering problem, solution, users, metrics
  • Focus on MVP validation and early adopters

See full example: examples/solo-example.md

FAQ

Q: How is this different from just chatting with Claude about my product idea?

A: This plugin provides structured, repeatable interviews with proven frameworks (Lean Canvas, PRD templates). It ensures you cover all critical business questions and outputs a professional document ready to share, not just chat history.

Q: Can I use this for multiple products?

A: Yes! Each interview is independent. PRDs are saved with unique filenames based on project name and date.

Q: What if I don’t know the answer to a question?

A: Claude will mark it as [TODO: Add details] in the final PRD. You can fill it in later or use the TODO as a reminder to do research.

Q: Can I edit the PRD after it’s generated?

A: Absolutely! The PRD is a markdown file. Edit it in any text editor. It’s designed as a starting point, not a final document.

Q: How do I add my company’s specific PRD format?

A: See CLAUDE.md → “Template Customization”. You can create custom templates with your company’s section structure.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file

Support

Changelog

v1.0.0 (2026-02-15)

  • Initial fused release (Alpha Pragmatist + Beta Architect)
  • 3 modes (Solo, Startup, Team)
  • 3 templates (Lean Canvas, Product Brief, Full PRD)
  • Answer completeness scoring (1-5 scale)
  • Bilingual support (English, Korean)
  • Session save/resume for Team mode
  • Optional helpers (MoSCoW, Persona Builder)
  • Comprehensive examples and documentation

Generated with planning-interview v1.0.0 - Fused Implementation