Tool Foundation Sprint Differentiation

What the source does

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Five audit layers

Gates applied: no behavioural pass.

Audit 0.4.1 · source sha 2abfbb961d31 · 19 Oct 2026Report an issue or request a re-scan

• Publisherproduct-on-purpose GitHub organizationOwner of the repository this skill is read from
• Source folderproduct-on-purpose/pm-skills/skills/tool-foundation-sprint-differentiationThe exact folder we audited
• LicenceApache-2.0As the repository states it
• Commit pinned for this verdict2abfbb961d31A new audit runs when the source changes
• Repository statusNot archivedLast push 1 day ago
• Sandboxed runNot runSkills are read, not executed; layer L4 is skipped

Its description: Day 1 afternoon move of a Foundation Sprint. Converts the morning's Basics frame into a defensible strategic position by scoring differentiator candidates against customer-perceived value, choosing two committed…

---
name: tool-foundation-sprint-differentiation
description: Day 1 afternoon move of a Foundation Sprint. Converts the morning's Basics frame into a defensible strategic position by scoring differentiator candidates against customer-perceived value, choosing two committed differentiators, plotting alternatives on a 2x2 chart, writing decision principles, and producing a one-page Mini Manifesto. Use after Basics is signed; before Approach Options the next morning.
license: Apache-2.0
metadata:
  classification: tool
  version: "1.0.0"
  updated: 2026-07-04
  tool: foundation-sprint
  move: differentiation
  category: problem-framing
  frameworks:
    - foundation-sprint
    - click
    - character-note-and-vote
  timebox_minutes: 150
  roles:
    - facilitator
    - decider
    - pm
    - design
  prerequisites:
    - tool-foundation-sprint-basics
  inputs:
    - basics bundled artifact
    - differentiation candidates
  outputs:
    - scored differentiator candidates
    - 2 chosen differentiators
    - 2x2 differentiation chart with competitors plotted
    - decision principles list
    - one-page Mini Manifesto
  author: product-on-purpose
---

<!-- PM-Skills | https://github.com/product-on-purpose/pm-skills | Apache 2.0 -->

# Foundation Sprint Differentiation

Day 1 afternoon of a Foundation Sprint. The team converts the morning's Basics frame (customer, problem, advantage, competitors) into a defensible strategic position. The output is a one-page Mini Manifesto that the team and Decider sign as the Day 1 strategic summary.

Family contract: [`docs/reference/skill-families/foundation-sprint-skills-contract.md`](../../docs/reference/skill-families/foundation-sprint-skills-contract.md). This skill is a member of `foundation-sprint-skills`.

## When to Use

- Day 1 afternoon of a Foundation Sprint, immediately after lunch.
- The Basics bundled artifact is signed by the Decider; the customer, problem, advantage, and competitor map are committed.
- The team is ready to commit to a strategic position the product will occupy.

## When NOT to Use

- Basics is unresolved or under negotiation. Differentiation depends on a stable input frame.
- The team has already pre-chosen differentiators and just wants ratification. The skill is built for genuine decision-making; ratification theater wastes the afternoon.
- The team has lost the room: low energy, no Decider, time pressure. Postpone or split into shorter blocks rather than rush.
- This is a follow-up sprint and the existing differentiation still holds. Use Magic Lenses directly with the existing position.

## What This Skill Produces

A single bundled artifact with five sections:

1. **Scored differentiator candidates**: a table of 8-15 candidate differentiators scored on three customer-perceived dimensions (customer pull, team can deliver, hard to copy). The top scorers advance to the 2x2 chart.
2. **Two chosen differentiators**: the two the team commits to as the strategic position.
3. **2x2 differentiation chart**: a customer-perceived chart plotting the chosen differentiators against the competitor set from Basics. The team's product position is named.
4. **Decision principles**: 3-5 principles operationalizing the differentiation. Each principle is a future-product rule ("we will always prefer X over Y").
5. **Mini Manifesto**: a one-page strategic summary written in the team's voice, naming the customer, problem, position, and what the product is NOT.

See `references/TEMPLATE.md` for the canonical structure and `references/EXAMPLE.md` for the Brainshelf example.

## Sequence (150 minutes)

### Step 1: Generate differentiator candidates (15-25 min)

Each team member produces 3-5 candidate differentiators silently. Cluster duplicates, then surface the full set (8-15 candidates is typical). The candidates can be classic (speed, price, simplicity, breadth, depth, trust) or custom (specific to this product or market).

### Step 2: Score candidates (25-40 min)

Score each candidate on three dimensions, 1-5 scale:

- **Customer pull**: would this customer-perceived dimension actually drive a switch?
- **Team can deliver**: can this team build and operate at this dimension competitively?
- **Hard to copy**: how durable is the advantage if a competitor pivots?

Sum the three for a rough score. Top 5-7 candidates advance.

### Step 3: Choose two differentiators (30-45 min via note-and-vote)

The team narrows to two differentiators through `tool-note-and-vote`. The two MUST be observable to the customer (not internal-team values) and deliverable by the team (not aspirational). The Decider supervotes if scoring produces a tie or the team is split.

### Step 4: Plot the 2x2 chart (15-25 min)

Place the two differentiators as the chart axes. Plot the competitor set from Basics (including "do nothing"). Position the product where it can occupy unoccupied space. If the unoccupied position is too far from where competitors cluster, the team may be drifting into a niche that customers don't recognize; if the position overlaps with a strong competitor, the differentiation is not strong enough.

### Step 5: Write decision principles (20-30 min)

Convert the two differentiators into 3-5 operational principles. Examples:

- "Capture is the first-class action. Every other feature waits behind a fast capture path."
- "Private by default. Sharing is opt-in."
- "Surface what's relevant when it matters. Not on a notification schedule."

Principles are NOT marketing copy. They are decision-making rules for future product calls.

### Step 6: Mini Manifesto (15-25 min)

The Decider drafts a one-page Mini Manifesto in the team's voice. Tone is plain, declarative, and direct about what the product is NOT (this is the part teams skip and shouldn't).

## Inference Inputs

| Input | What the skill does with it |
|---|---|
| Basics bundled artifact | Reads target customer (for "customer-perceived" check), problem (for "would this differentiator solve the problem"), ad

Excerpt, first 6,000 characters of SKILL.md, verbatim from the audited commit. It is text from someone else’s repository, quoted so you can judge it before your agent reads it.

git clone https://github.com/product-on-purpose/pm-skills
git -C pm-skills checkout 2abfbb961d31

Works in

1. 2026-10-19
   ✓SAFE B 89 / 100

   first audit · source 2abfbb961d31

Questions about Tool Foundation Sprint Differentiation

• github.com/product-on-purpose/pm-skills/tree/main/skills/tool-fo — the audited source at commit 2abfbb961d31 and every finding aboveObserved · 19 Oct 2026

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