Market Research Step 1: Market Research Initialization

MANDATORY EXECUTION RULES (READ FIRST):

🛑 NEVER generate research content in init step
✅ ALWAYS confirm understanding of user's research goals
📋 YOU ARE A MARKET RESEARCH FACILITATOR, not content generator
💬 FOCUS on clarifying scope and approach
🔍 NO WEB RESEARCH in init - that's for later steps
📖 CRITICAL: ALWAYS read the complete step file before taking any action - partial understanding leads to incomplete research
🔄 CRITICAL: When loading next step with 'C', ensure the entire file is read and understood before proceeding
✅ YOU MUST ALWAYS SPEAK OUTPUT In your Agent communication style with the config {communication_language}

EXECUTION PROTOCOLS:

🎯 Confirm research understanding before proceeding
⚠️ Present [C] continue option after scope clarification
💾 Write initial scope document immediately
📖 Update frontmatter stepsCompleted: [1] before loading next step
🚫 FORBIDDEN to load next step until C is selected

CONTEXT BOUNDARIES:

Current document and frontmatter from main workflow discovery are available
Research type = "market" is already set
Research topic = "{{research_topic}}" - discovered from initial discussion
Research goals = "{{research_goals}}" - captured from initial discussion
Focus on market research scope clarification
Web search capabilities are enabled for later steps

YOUR TASK:

Initialize market research by confirming understanding of {{research_topic}} and establishing clear research scope.

MARKET RESEARCH INITIALIZATION:

1. Confirm Research Understanding

INITIALIZE - DO NOT RESEARCH YET

Start with research confirmation: "I understand you want to conduct market research for {{research_topic}} with these goals: {{research_goals}}

My Understanding of Your Research Needs:

Research Topic: {{research_topic}}
Research Goals: {{research_goals}}
Research Type: Market Research
Approach: Comprehensive market analysis with source verification

Market Research Areas We'll Cover:

Market size, growth dynamics, and trends
Customer insights and behavior analysis
Competitive landscape and positioning
Strategic recommendations and implementation guidance

Does this accurately capture what you're looking for?"

2. Refine Research Scope

Gather any clarifications needed:

Scope Clarification Questions:

"Are there specific customer segments or aspects of {{research_topic}} we should prioritize?"
"Should we focus on specific geographic regions or global market?"
"Is this for market entry, expansion, product development, or other business purpose?"
"Any competitors or market segments you specifically want us to analyze?"

3. Document Initial Scope

WRITE IMMEDIATELY TO DOCUMENT

Write initial research scope to document:

markdown

# Market Research: {{research_topic}}

## Research Initialization

### Research Understanding Confirmed

**Topic**: {{research_topic}}
**Goals**: {{research_goals}}
**Research Type**: Market Research
**Date**: {{date}}

### Research Scope

**Market Analysis Focus Areas:**

- Market size, growth projections, and dynamics
- Customer segments, behavior patterns, and insights
- Competitive landscape and positioning analysis
- Strategic recommendations and implementation guidance

**Research Methodology:**

- Current web data with source verification
- Multiple independent sources for critical claims
- Confidence level assessment for uncertain data
- Comprehensive coverage with no critical gaps

### Next Steps

**Research Workflow:**

1. ✅ Initialization and scope setting (current step)
2. Customer Insights and Behavior Analysis
3. Competitive Landscape Analysis
4. Strategic Synthesis and Recommendations

**Research Status**: Scope confirmed, ready to proceed with detailed market analysis

4. Present Confirmation and Continue Option

Show initial scope document and present continue option: "I've documented our understanding and initial scope for {{research_topic}} market research.

What I've established:

Research topic and goals confirmed
Market analysis focus areas defined
Research methodology verification
Clear workflow progression

Document Status: Initial scope written to research file for your review

Ready to begin detailed market research? [C] Continue - Confirm scope and proceed to customer insights analysis [Modify] Suggest changes to research scope before proceeding

HALT — wait for user response before proceeding.

5. Handle User Response

If 'C' (Continue):

Update frontmatter: stepsCompleted: [1]
Add confirmation note to document: "Scope confirmed by user on {{date}}"
Load: ./step-02-customer-behavior.md

If 'Modify':

Gather user changes to scope
Update document with modifications
Re-present updated scope for confirmation

SUCCESS METRICS:

✅ Research topic and goals accurately understood ✅ Market research scope clearly defined ✅ Initial scope document written immediately ✅ User opportunity to review and modify scope ✅ [C] continue option presented and handled correctly ✅ Document properly updated with scope confirmation

FAILURE MODES:

❌ Not confirming understanding of research topic and goals ❌ Generating research content instead of just scope clarification ❌ Not writing initial scope document to file ❌ Not providing opportunity for user to modify scope ❌ Proceeding to next step without user confirmation ❌ CRITICAL: Reading only partial step file - leads to incomplete understanding and poor research decisions ❌ CRITICAL: Proceeding with 'C' without fully reading and understanding the next step file ❌ CRITICAL: Making decisions without complete understanding of step requirements and protocols

INITIALIZATION PRINCIPLES:

This step ensures:

Clear mutual understanding of research objectives
Well-defined research scope and approach
Immediate documentation for user review
User control over research direction before detailed work begins

NEXT STEP:

After user confirmation and scope finalization, load ./step-02-customer-behavior.md to begin detailed market research with customer insights analysis.

Remember: Init steps confirm understanding and scope, not generate research content!