Workflow Overview#

Goal: Conduct comprehensive research and provide actionable insights

Phase: Cross-phase (supports all BMAD phases)

Agent: Creative Intelligence

Inputs: Research topic, research type, specific questions

Output: Structured research report with findings, analysis, and recommendations

Duration: 30-90 minutes

Pre-Flight#

1. Load context per helpers.md#Combined-Config-Load
2. Explain purpose:

   "I'll conduct comprehensive research on your topic. This produces a structured report with findings, competitive analysis (if applicable), and actionable recommendations."

Research Process#

Use TodoWrite to track: Define Scope → Select Research Type → Gather Information → Analyze Findings → Create Competitive Matrix → Extract Insights → Generate Report → Update Status

Part 1: Define Research Scope#

Ask user:

Q1: Research Topic

"What are we researching?"

Examples:

• Market size for fitness apps
• Competitors in project management space
• Best practices for authentication
• User needs for accessibility features
• Technology options for real-time features

Store as: {{research_topic}}

Q2: Research Type

"What type of research?"

Options:

1. Market Research - Market size, trends, growth, customer segments
2. Competitive Research - Competitors, features, positioning, gaps
3. Technical Research - Technologies, frameworks, best practices, patterns
4. User Research - User needs, pain points, behaviors, journeys
5. Mixed - Combination of above

Store as: {{research_type}}

Q3: Specific Questions

"What specific questions should this research answer?"

List 3-7 key questions to guide research.

Store as: {{research_questions}}

Q4: Constraints

"Any constraints or focus areas?"

Examples:

• Geographic region (US market only)
• Industry segment (B2B SaaS)
• Technology stack (React ecosystem)
• Budget range ($0-50K tools)

Store as: {{constraints}}

Part 2: Select Research Methods#

Based on research type, determine methods:

For Market Research:

• WebSearch for industry reports, market analysis, trends
• WebFetch for analyst reports and whitepapers
• Document secondary research sources
• Quantify market size, growth rate, segments

For Competitive Research:

• WebSearch for competitor websites, reviews, comparisons
• WebFetch for product pages, pricing, documentation
• Create competitive feature matrix
• Identify gaps and opportunities

For Technical Research:

• WebSearch for documentation, tutorials, comparisons
• WebFetch for official docs, GitHub repos
• Task tool with Explore subagent for codebase research
• Evaluate technologies against criteria

For User Research:

• WebSearch for user forums, reviews, surveys
• WebFetch for user studies, accessibility guidelines
• Analyze pain points and needs
• Map user journeys

Inform user:

"Research approach:

• Method 1: {{method}}
• Method 2: {{method}}
• Method 3: {{method}}

Starting research..."

Part 3: Gather Information#

Execute research using appropriate tools.

Market Research

Use WebSearch for:

-  " {{market}} market size 2025 " 
 -  " {{market}} industry trends " 
 -  " {{market}} growth projections " 
 -  " {{market}} customer segments "

Capture:

• Market size (TAM, SAM, SOM if available)
• Growth rate (CAGR)
• Key trends
• Major players
• Customer segments
• Revenue models

Competitive Research

For each competitor (3-7 competitors):

Use WebSearch:

-  " {{competitor_name}} features " 
 -  " {{competitor_name}} pricing " 
 -  " {{competitor_name}} reviews " 
 -  " {{competitor_name}} vs alternatives "

Use WebFetch on:

• Product pages
• Pricing pages
• Documentation
• Feature lists
• Customer reviews

Capture per competitor:

### {{Competitor Name}}

**Overview:** {{description}}
**Target Market:** {{target}}
**Pricing:** {{pricing_model}}
**Key Features:**
- Feature 1
- Feature 2
- Feature 3

**Strengths:**
- Strength 1
- Strength 2

**Weaknesses:**
- Weakness 1
- Weakness 2

**Unique Differentiators:** {{what_makes_them_unique}}

**Source:** {{url}}

Technical Research

For each technology/framework:

Use WebSearch:

-  " {{technology}} documentation " 
 -  " {{technology}} best practices " 
 -  " {{technology}} vs {{alternative}} " 
 -  " {{technology}} performance benchmarks "

Use WebFetch for:

• Official documentation
• GitHub repo (stars, issues, activity)
• Performance comparisons
• Community size

If researching internal codebase:

• Use Task tool with Explore subagent
• Search for usage patterns
• Identify dependencies
• Analyze architecture

Capture per technology:

### {{Technology Name}}

**Purpose:** {{what_it_does}}
**Maturity:** {{stable/beta/experimental}}
**Community:** {{size_indicators}}
**Performance:** {{benchmarks}}

**Pros:**
- Pro 1
- Pro 2

**Cons:**
- Con 1
- Con 2

**Best For:** {{use_cases}}
**Avoid If:** {{anti_patterns}}

**Source:** {{url}}

User Research

Use WebSearch for:

-  " {{user_type}} pain points {{domain}} " 
 -  " {{user_type}} needs {{domain}} " 
 -  " user reviews {{related_products}} " 
 -  " accessibility requirements {{domain}} "

Use WebFetch for:

• User forums and discussions
• Product reviews
• Accessibility guidelines (WCAG, etc.)
• User research reports

Capture:

• User personas
• Pain points
• Needs and goals
• Behavior patterns
• Accessibility requirements
• User journey insights

Part 4: Analyze Findings#

Synthesize all gathered information.

For each research question from Part 1:

### Q: {{research_question}}

**Answer:** {{synthesis_from_research}}

**Supporting Evidence:**
- {{source_1}}: {{finding}}
- {{source_2}}: {{finding}}
- {{source_3}}: {{finding}}

**Confidence:** High | Medium | Low
**Gaps:** {{what_we_still_dont_know}}

Identify patterns:

• Common themes across sources
• Conflicting information (note discrepancies)
• Gaps in available information
• Surprising findings

Part 5: Create Competitive Matrix (if applicable)#

If research type is Competitive or Mixed, create feature comparison.

Matrix format:

## Competitive Feature Matrix

| Feature | Our Product | Competitor 1 | Competitor 2 | Competitor 3 |
|---------|-------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|
| Feature 1 | ✓ Planned | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Feature 2 | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Feature 3 | ✓ Unique | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |

Legend:
- ✓ = Available
- ✗ = Not available
- ✓ Planned = On roadmap
- ✓ Unique = Our differentiator

Pricing comparison (if applicable):

## Pricing Comparison

| Competitor | Entry Tier | Mid Tier | Enterprise | Notes |
|------------|------------|----------|------------|-------|
| Competitor 1 | $10/mo | $50/mo | Custom | Free tier available |
| Competitor 2 | $0 | $25/mo | $200/mo | Freemium model |
| Competitor 3 | $15/mo | $75/mo | Custom | 14-day trial |

Part 6: Extract Key Insights#

Identify 5-10 actionable insights from research.

Format each insight:

### Insight {{N}}: {{title}}

**Finding:** {{what_research_revealed}}

**Implication:** {{what_this_means_for_our_project}}

**Recommendation:** {{what_we_should_do}}

**Priority:** High | Medium | Low

**Supporting Data:** {{sources_and_specifics}}

Categorize insights:

• Market insights
• Competitive insights
• Technical insights
• User insights
• Risk insights
• Opportunity insights

Part 7: Generate Research Report#

Create research report per helpers.md#Apply-Variables-to-Template

Use template: research-report.md (or generate inline)

Report structure:

# Research Report: {{research_topic}}

**Date:** {{date}}
**Research Type:** {{research_type}}
**Duration:** {{duration}}

## Executive Summary

{{2-3_paragraph_summary}}

Key findings:
- Finding 1
- Finding 2
- Finding 3

## Research Questions

{{questions_from_part_1}}

## Methodology

**Research approach:**
- {{method_1}}
- {{method_2}}
- {{method_3}}

**Sources:** {{count}} sources consulted

**Time period:** {{date_range_of_research}}

## Findings

### Research Question 1: {{question}}
{{answer_from_part_4}}

### Research Question 2: {{question}}
{{answer_from_part_4}}

[All questions...]

## Detailed Analysis

{{If market research:}}
### Market Overview
- Market Size: {{size}}
- Growth Rate: {{rate}}
- Key Trends: {{trends}}
- Customer Segments: {{segments}}

{{If competitive research:}}
### Competitive Landscape
{{competitive_matrix_from_part_5}}

#### Competitor Profiles
{{detailed_competitor_analysis_from_part_3}}

#### Competitive Gaps
- Gap 1: {{what_competitors_lack}}
- Gap 2: {{opportunity_for_differentiation}}

{{If technical research:}}
### Technology Evaluation
{{technology_comparisons_from_part_3}}

#### Recommended Technology Stack
- Technology 1: {{rationale}}
- Technology 2: {{rationale}}

{{If user research:}}
### User Insights
- Pain Points: {{findings}}
- Needs: {{findings}}
- Behavior Patterns: {{findings}}
- Accessibility: {{requirements}}

## Key Insights

{{insights_from_part_6}}

## Recommendations

### Immediate Actions (Next 2 weeks)
1. {{action_1}}
2. {{action_2}}

### Short-term (Next 1-3 months)
1. {{action_1}}
2. {{action_2}}

### Long-term (3+ months)
1. {{action_1}}
2. {{action_2}}

## Research Gaps

**What we still don ' t know:**
- Gap 1: {{unanswered_question}}
- Gap 2: {{area_needing_deeper_research}}

**Recommended follow-up research:**
- Follow-up 1
- Follow-up 2

## Sources

1. {{source_1}} - {{url}}
2. {{source_2}} - {{url}}
3. {{source_3}} - {{url}}

[All sources...]

## Appendix

{{Any additional data, charts, or detailed comparisons}}

---

*Generated by BMAD Method v6 - Creative Intelligence*
*Research Duration: {{duration}} minutes*
*Sources Consulted: {{count}}*

Save to: {{output_folder}}/research-{{topic}}-{{date}}.md

Inform user:

✓ Research Complete!

Research Type: {{type}}
Sources Consulted: {{count}}
Key Insights: {{count}}

Document: {{file_path}}

Top 3 Insights:
1. {{insight_1_title}}
2. {{insight_2_title}}
3. {{insight_3_title}}

Top Recommendation: {{top_recommendation}}

Update Status#

Per helpers.md#Update-Workflow-Status

Update bmm-workflow-status.yaml:

last_workflow: research
last_workflow_date: {{current_date}}
research:
  reports_completed: {{increment_count}}
  last_research_topic: {{research_topic}}
  last_research_type: {{research_type}}
  total_sources: {{total_count}}

Recommend Next Steps#

Based on research type and findings:

If Market Research → Business Analyst or Product Manager

Next: Use market insights for product positioning
Run: /product-brief or /prd
Incorporate market trends and customer segments

If Competitive Research → Product Manager

Next: Define competitive differentiation
Run: /prd
Use competitive gaps to inform feature prioritization

If Technical Research → System Architect

Next: Incorporate technology recommendations
Run: /architecture
Use evaluated technologies in system design

If User Research → Product Manager or UX Designer

Next: Create user-centered requirements
Run: /prd or /create-ux-design
Use pain points and needs to inform design

If Research revealed gaps → Creative Intelligence

Next: Conduct follow-up research
Run: /research again with refined questions
Fill knowledge gaps

If Research supports hypothesis → Continue to planning

Next: Move to planning phase
Run: /prd or /tech-spec
Use research insights to inform requirements

Helper References#

• Load config: helpers.md#Combined-Config-Load
• Apply template: helpers.md#Apply-Variables-to-Template
• Save document: helpers.md#Save-Output-Document
• Update status: helpers.md#Update-Workflow-Status
• Determine next: helpers.md#Determine-Next-Workflow

Notes for LLMs#

• Use TodoWrite to track 8 research steps
• Use appropriate tools: WebSearch (market/competitive), WebFetch (documentation), Task with Explore (codebase)
• Cite all sources with URLs
• Quantify findings when possible (market size, feature counts, etc.)
• Create competitive matrix for competitive research
• Note confidence level for each finding
• Identify research gaps and recommend follow-up
• Extract actionable insights, not just raw data
• Provide specific recommendations with priorities
• Use helpers.md references for all common operations
• Format report for readability (tables, lists, sections)
• Include executive summary for quick reference
• Recommend logical next workflow based on research type

Remember: Research should answer specific questions with evidence-based findings and actionable recommendations. Always cite sources and quantify when possible.