domains / families / software-engineering / before-you-build

before-you-build

authentic

Review product risk before coding by checking demand, alternatives, channels, switching costs, and failure signals.

When to use

• Use when a user asks an AI coding assistant to build a new app, feature, internal tool, SaaS, or side project.
• Use when the idea sounds plausible but the buyer, workflow, distribution path, or switching reason is still vague.
• Use before writing code so the assistant can turn the request into sharper assumptions, risk checks, and validation steps.

When not to use

• This skill does not replace customer research, legal review, financial advice, or domain expert review.
• It cannot prove demand by itself; it helps the assistant surface assumptions and choose a smaller validation step.
• If the user already has strong evidence and a clear spec, keep the review short and move into implementation.

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