The Algorithm
The Algorithm is a subtraction-first way to build products. Its value for builders is not the factory metaphor. It is the sequence:
- prove the requirement
- remove unnecessary work
- simplify the surviving path
- speed up learning and delivery
- automate only after the flow is stable
In product and application work, this usually means resisting extra layers and extra surfaces:
- no extra API when one server-driven flow can do the job
- no client state system when the database and server-provided data are enough
- no queue, socket, cache, search service, or microservice until the product truly needs it
- no second or third pricing idea before the first one proves itself
- no AI automation over a workflow humans do not yet understand
When to Use
Use this skill when:
- shaping an MVP, offer, feature spec, onboarding flow, pricing flow, internal tool, or launch plan
- reviewing a bloated plan and deciding what to cut before implementation
- deciding how narrow the first version should be
- simplifying positioning, product promise, or distribution flow
- choosing whether a page, action, helper, model, queue, websocket, or integration should exist
- deciding whether to build a public API, background job, realtime feature, or custom client state layer
- simplifying a tangled React, Vue, or Svelte experience into one clear happy path
- improving cycle time for prototyping, testing, QA, feedback, and release
- deciding what should stay manual, what should become a checklist, and what is ready for automation
- steering an AI coding agent away from premature complexity and toward product outcomes
- applying discipline to vibe coding so speed does not outrun judgment
Default Biases
When this skill is active, bias toward:
- one primary actor before many roles
- one painful job before many adjacent jobs
- one obvious path before many options
- one source of truth before mirrored state
- one vertical slice before broad platform work
- one manual proof before a permanent automation
Rules
Read the rule files that match the decision you are making:
- rules/five-steps.md - The five-step sequence translated from manufacturing into builder and product work
- rules/product-shaping.md - Applying the algorithm from problem selection through offer, MVP scope, UX, pricing, distribution, and launch
- rules/simplify-the-design.md - How to simplify the design before adding more layers
- rules/feedback-loops.md - How to accelerate learning, validation, testing, and release without speeding up waste
- rules/automation-last.md - What is actually ready for automation, and what should remain manual for now
- rules/review-prompts.md - Reusable questions for planning, code review, roadmap pruning, and agent prompts