BMAD-METHOD/docs/explanation/features/advanced-elicitation.md

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Advanced Elicitation

Push the LLM to rethink its work through 50+ reasoning methods—essentially, LLM brainstorming.

Advanced Elicitation is the inverse of Brainstorming. Instead of pulling ideas out of you, the LLM applies sophisticated reasoning techniques to re-examine and enhance content it has just generated. It's the LLM brainstorming with itself to find better approaches, uncover hidden issues, and discover improvements it missed on the first pass.

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When to Use It

• After a workflow generates a section of content and you want to explore alternatives
• When the LLM's initial output seems adequate but you suspect there's more depth available
• For high-stakes content where multiple perspectives would strengthen the result
• To stress-test assumptions, explore edge cases, or find weaknesses in generated plans
• When you want the LLM to "think again" but with structured reasoning methods

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How It Works

1. Context Analysis

The LLM analyzes the current content, understanding its type, complexity, stakeholder needs, risk level, and creative potential.

2. Smart Method Selection

Based on context, 5 methods are intelligently selected from a library of 50+ techniques and presented to you:

Option	Description
1-5	Apply the selected method to the content
[r] Reshuffle	Get 5 new methods selected randomly
[a] List All	Browse the complete method library
[x] Proceed	Continue with enhanced content

3. Method Execution & Iteration

• The selected method is applied to the current content
• Improvements are shown for your review
• You choose whether to apply changes or discard them
• The menu re-appears for additional elicitations
• Each method builds on previous enhancements

4. Party Mode Integration (Optional)

If Party Mode is active, BMAD agents participate randomly in the elicitation process, adding their unique perspectives to the methods.

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Method Categories

Category	Focus	Example Methods
Core	Foundational reasoning techniques	First Principles Analysis, 5 Whys, Socratic Questioning
Collaboration	Multiple perspectives and synthesis	Stakeholder Round Table, Expert Panel Review, Debate Club
Advanced	Complex reasoning frameworks	Tree of Thoughts, Graph of Thoughts, Self-Consistency
Competitive	Adversarial stress-testing	Red Team vs Blue Team, Shark Tank Pitch, Code Review Gauntlet
Technical	Architecture and code quality	Decision Records, Rubber Duck Debugging, Algorithm Olympics
Creative	Innovation and lateral thinking	SCAMPER, Reverse Engineering, Random Input Stimulus
Research	Evidence-based analysis	Literature Review Personas, Thesis Defense, Comparative Matrix
Risk	Risk identification and mitigation	Pre-mortem Analysis, Failure Mode Analysis, Chaos Monkey
Learning	Understanding verification	Feynman Technique, Active Recall Testing
Philosophical	Conceptual clarity	Occam's Razor, Ethical Dilemmas
Retrospective	Reflection and lessons	Hindsight Reflection, Lessons Learned Extraction

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Key Features

• 50+ reasoning methods — Spanning core logic to advanced multi-step reasoning frameworks
• Smart context selection — Methods chosen based on content type, complexity, and stakeholder needs
• Iterative enhancement — Each method builds on previous improvements
• User control — Accept or discard each enhancement before proceeding
• Party Mode integration — Agents can participate when Party Mode is active

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Workflow Integration

Advanced Elicitation is a core workflow designed to be invoked by other workflows during content generation:

Parameter	Description
Content to enhance	The current section content that was just generated
Context type	The kind of content being created (spec, code, doc, etc.)
Enhancement goals	What the calling workflow wants to improve

Integration Flow

When called from a workflow:

1. Receives the current section content that was just generated
2. Applies elicitation methods iteratively to enhance that content
3. Returns the enhanced version when user selects 'x' to proceed
4. The enhanced content replaces the original section in the output document

Example

A specification generation workflow could invoke Advanced Elicitation after producing each major section (requirements, architecture, implementation plan). The workflow would pass the generated section, and Advanced Elicitation would offer methods like "Stakeholder Round Table" to gather diverse perspectives on requirements, or "Red Team vs Blue Team" to stress-test the architecture for vulnerabilities.

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Advanced Elicitation vs. Brainstorming

	Advanced Elicitation	Brainstorming
Source	LLM generates ideas through structured reasoning	User provides ideas, AI coaches them out
Purpose	Rethink and improve LLM's own output	Unlock user's creativity
Methods	50+ reasoning and analysis techniques	60+ ideation and creativity techniques
Best for	Enhancing generated content, finding alternatives	Breaking through blocks, generating new ideas