---
skill: tool-foundation-sprint-readiness
thread: brainshelf_book-catalog
scenario: Pre-sprint readiness assessment for the Brainshelf founding team
status: spec-validation draft
purpose: Sample output for design validation; not a library sample
spec_section: foundation-sprint-design-spec.md section 1
---

# Foundation Sprint Readiness Assessment: Brainshelf

## Inputs Captured

**Initiative description:**
> Brainshelf is a pre-seed B2C SaaS for personal book collection management. The founding team wants to launch a product that helps readers track what they've read and what they want to read next, but the team is divided on whether to optimize for individual collectors (private library) or social readers (community, recommendations, book clubs).

**Team composition draft:**
- Jamie (founder, PM, Decider)
- Alex (design)
- Sam (engineering)
- Riley (customer expert; runs a 12k-follower book-blogger Discord)

**Decider name and availability:** Jamie, available full days May 13-14 with no calendar conflicts confirmed.

**Existing customer/market knowledge level (self-assessed):** 7 of 10. The team has run 22 customer interviews with active readers in the last 8 weeks. Riley has deep network in social-reading. Less direct knowledge of pure private-collection users.

## Readiness Verdict: **Go**

The team meets the canonical readiness criteria for a Foundation Sprint:

| Criterion | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Initiative is named and concrete | PASS | Brainshelf product direction |
| Stakes are meaningful | PASS | Pre-seed founders deciding product direction; wrong choice is costly |
| Team has existing customer/market knowledge | PASS | 22 interviews + Riley's domain network |
| Decider is available | PASS | Jamie commits to both days |
| Team size is appropriate | PASS | 4 people including Decider, within Character's recommended max of 5 |
| Inputs are collected | PARTIAL | Interview notes ready; competitor research notes are scattered (see Diagnosis) |
| Output has a path to testing | PASS | Team intends to run a Design Sprint week of May 26 if hypothesis emerges |
| Organization tolerates explicit tradeoffs | PASS | Founders explicitly chartered the sprint to force a top bet |

## Diagnosis

One yellow flag worth surfacing before Day 1:

**Competitor and alternatives research is incomplete.** Goodreads is well-understood; paper journals and physical notebooks are understood as a popular alternative; but the team has not surfaced systematic notes on apps like StoryGraph, Bookly, or LibraryThing. A 90-minute prep window the evening before Day 1 should be used to compile a one-page competitive landscape with positioning notes per competitor.

No other risk factors found. The team is small enough, has enough context, and has a clear Decider.

## Recommended Pre-Sprint Activities

1. **Compile competitor one-pagers** (evening of May 12): one-page each for Goodreads, StoryGraph, Bookly, LibraryThing. Include: target user, primary jobs-to-be-done, monetization, why-people-leave signals. Riley owns; 90 minutes.
2. **Print or screen-share the 22 interview synthesis notes** for Day 1 morning reference.
3. **Block calendars** for both Decider and team: no Slack, no email during sprint hours (9am-5pm).
4. **Prepare the room** (or shared digital workspace): whiteboard, markers, sticky notes; Miro board pre-loaded with the canonical Foundation Sprint board template.
5. **Confirm Day 2 closing time** is unambiguous. Founding Hypothesis ratification cannot slip to Day 3.

## Recommended Attendees

| Attendee | Role | Required for which sections |
|---|---|---|
| Jamie | Decider, PM | All; especially Differentiation and Magic Lenses |
| Alex | Design lead | All; especially Differentiation (2x2 chart) |
| Sam | Engineering lead | All; especially Approach Options (feasibility) |
| Riley | Customer expert | All; especially Basics (target customer + competitors) |

No additional cameo experts recommended. The team has enough internal context.

## Decider Checkpoint

**Decider sign-off required before scheduling Day 1.**

- [ ] Jamie confirms Go verdict and accepts the diagnosis (competitor research gap)
- [ ] Jamie commits to attending both full days as Decider
- [ ] Jamie agrees the output should be a Founding Hypothesis ratifiable by end of Day 2
- [ ] Jamie acknowledges that the sprint will force a choice between social/community direction and personal-collection direction; the sprint does NOT preserve both paths

**Signed:** Jamie (founder, PM), 2026-05-12

---

*This sample represents the output a single invocation of `/tool-foundation-sprint-readiness` would produce. Spec section: `foundation-sprint-design-spec.md` section 1.*
