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BMAD-METHOD/docs/explanation/features/advanced-elicitation.md
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Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-01-12 00:23:05 -05:00

6.1 KiB

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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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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