epic-hypothesis
Frame an epic as a testable hypothesis with target user, expected outcome, and validation method. Use when defining a major initiative before roadmap, discovery, or delivery planning.
npx skills add deanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills --skill epic-hypothesis --agent claude-code
Same command for any agent — swap --agent for codex, cursor, copilot.
Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.
## Purpose Frame epics as testable hypotheses using an if/then structure that articulates the action or solution, the target beneficiary, the expected outcome, and how you'll validate success. Use this to manage uncertainty in product development by making assumptions explicit, defining lightweight experiments ("tiny acts of discovery"), and establishing measurable success criteria before committing to full build-out. This is not a requirements spec—it's a hypothesis you're testing, not a feature you're committed to shipping. ## Input **Works best with:** The initiative or epic idea, in whatever form it currently exists — a sentence is enough. **Also useful:** The target user, the outcome you expect, and how you might measure it (the skill helps you sharpen all three). Anything supplied with the invocation itself — text after the skill name, a pasted context dump, or an appended `ARGUMENTS:` line — counts as answers already given. Use it and skip whatever it covers; don't re-ask. **Arriving empty-handed? That works too.** The skill asks what the initiative is and who it's for, then builds the if/then hypothesis with you. **Example invocation:** `Frame as an epic hypothesis: adding
- Purpose
- Input
- Key Concepts
- The Epic Hypothesis Framework
- Why This Structure Works
- Anti-Patterns (What This Is NOT)
- When to Use This
- When NOT to Use This
- Application
- Step 1: Gather Context
- Step 2: Draft the If/Then Hypothesis
- Step 3: Design Tiny Acts of Discovery Experiments
- Step 4: Define Validation Measures
- Step 5: Run Experiments and Evaluate
What does the epic-hypothesis skill do?
Frame an epic as a testable hypothesis with target user, expected outcome, and validation method. Use when defining a major initiative before roadmap, discovery, or delivery planning.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add deanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills --skill epic-hypothesis --agent claude-code` — it drops the skill into your project so the agent can pick it up. Swap the --agent value for codex, cursor or copilot if you use one of those.
Where does this skill come from?
From deanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills, a repository with 6,255 stars. We read it straight from the repository tree rather than a submitted listing, so what you see here is what is actually published.
Is a popular skill a good skill?
Not necessarily. Stars measure attention, not adoption — a repository can trend for a week and be abandoned. That is why we show the weekly change from our own snapshots next to the total, instead of a single flattering number.