Phase 3b - Commercial Definition
Synthesize validated inputs into commercial strategy: value proposition, business model, metrics, and the PRD that drives everything downstream.
Duration: Hours to a few sessions (AI-assisted synthesis sprint) · Gate type: Implicit gate - entry requires Phase 3a GO verdict · Playbooks: Greenfield
How to read this page
Steps run mostly in sequence, with one branch point (Lean Canvas vs. Business Model Canvas) and one full-phase alternative (commissioned builds → pm-scope-brief).
When to enter this phase
Enters only after a GO verdict from Phase 3a - no workaround.
Exception - commissioned builds: when the mandate is already given (a client commissioned the build, an exec directed it), Phase 3a is skipped and this phase reduces to /pm-scope-brief - the market risk sits with the commissioner, and the definition (not a Go/No-Go) is what you owe them. Canvas/KPI/business-case skills are optional in that mode.
"Done elsewhere" rule: if you have an existing Lean Canvas or business model from prior work, bring it via Path A in the relevant skill - you don't need to rebuild from scratch.
What you need before entering: Phase 3a GO verdict, Phase 2 outputs (market analysis, personas, JTBD, problem validation), and optionally existing business model artifacts to import.
Step 1 - Product Definition
- When to run / skip: always run - this frames everything after it.
- Gather first: Phase 2 outputs.
- Command:
/pm-kotler - What you get: the product defined through Kotler's Five Levels (core benefit → augmented/potential product).
- What it does NOT give you: a business model - that's Step 2.
- Done when: all five levels are filled with product-specific content, not generic placeholders.
Step 2 - Business Model (branch: Lean Canvas vs. Business Model Canvas)
- When to run / skip: always run one of the two. Decision point:
| Lean Canvas | Business Model Canvas | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Problem-solution fit | Full business operations |
| Best for | Early-stage startups validating PMF | Established or operationally complex businesses |
| Command | /pm-lean-canvas | /pm-business-model |
Default: Lean Canvas for most products at this stage - use Business Model Canvas only if operational complexity (multi-sided market, complex partnerships, regulated operations) genuinely requires the fuller model.
- Gather first: Product Definition (Step 1), any existing business model to import.
- What you get: one-page business model - problem, solution, channels, revenue, cost structure.
- What it does NOT give you: metrics or financial projections - those are Steps 3-4.
- Done when: every block has real content, not "TBD".
Step 3 - KPI Framework
- When to run / skip: always run.
- Gather first: Business Model (Step 2).
- Command:
/pm-kpis - What you get: North Star Metric, AARRR Funnel Metrics, OKRs.
- What it does NOT give you: the financial case - that's Step 4. KPIs measure product health, not investment viability.
- Done when: the North Star Metric is a single, unambiguous number you can track from day one.
Step 4 - Business Case
- When to run / skip: run for every product where a financial commitment is being made. Skip only in commissioned-build mode with no independent financial stake.
- Gather first: Business Model + KPIs.
- Command:
/pm-business-case - What you get: 3-year financial projections, unit economics, a Go/No-Go investment decision.
- What it does NOT give you: a market-validated demand signal - that already happened in Phase 3a. This is the financial math on top of validated demand.
- Done when: unit economics are positive under stated assumptions, or the gap is named explicitly.
Step 5 - Product Roadmap (v1)
- When to run / skip: always run.
- Gather first: Business Case.
- Command:
/pm-product-roadmap - What you get: a strategic roadmap - the first of three versions (v2 in Phase 4, v3 in Phase 5).
- What it does NOT give you: feature-level detail - that arrives in v3, after Phase 5.
- Done when: major milestones are dated or sequenced, not just listed.
Step 6 - PRD (phase exit)
- When to run / skip: always run - this is the phase's exit artifact.
- Gather first: all of Phase 2 + 3a + Steps 1-5 above.
- Command:
/pm-prd - What you get: the PRD - synthesizes Phase 2+3a+3b into the primary product specification. Frozen immediately after this phase - all subsequent changes go through a formal change request tracked in the PRD changelog.
- What it does NOT give you: domain/entity detail - Phase 4 builds the Live Registers from this PRD's Business Capabilities.
- Done when: the PRD is complete and you're ready to freeze it - there's no partial-freeze state.
Commissioned-build alternative: /pm-scope-brief replaces the PRD when the mandate is already given - Business Capabilities, edge-case register, non-goals, acceptance criteria + Change Log. Phase 4-5 consume it exactly like a PRD.
Optional - Pitch Deck
- When to run / skip: run only if raising capital or pitching to partners. Skip if neither - this produces no delivery value otherwise.
- Command:
/pm-pitch-deck - What you get: slide-by-slide pitch deck content brief.
What you exit with
- Product Definition (Kotler) - five-level product structure
- Lean Canvas or Business Model Canvas - one-page business model
- KPI Framework - North Star Metric, AARRR, OKRs
- Business Case - financial projections and unit economics
- Product Roadmap v1 - strategic roadmap
- PRD - the master product specification; frozen after this phase
Phase exit gate
Exit criteria: PRD frozen + Business Case complete + Roadmap v1 complete.
Run /pureinn to check the Phase 3b exit gate and advance to Phase 4.