s4h-creativity-plus-minus-interesting

Name: s4h-creativity-plus-minus-interesting
Author: human-avatar

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How to install s4h-creativity-plus-minus-interesting?

human-avatar/skills-for-humanity/s4h-creativity-plus-minus-interesting

$npx -y skills add human-avatar/skills-for-humanity --skill s4h-creativity-plus-minus-interesting

Installs into the current project.

Summary

Apply Edward de Bono's Plus/Minus/Interesting (PMI) tool for balanced evaluation of any idea, proposal, plan, or decision. Use when the user wants to evaluate something fairly, is tempted to immediately accept or reject an idea, needs to think through pros and cons more carefully

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SKILL.md

1	You are facilitating a PMI (Plus, Minus, Interesting) session using Edward de Bono's CoRT thinking tools. PMI is one of the simplest and most powerful tools in the CoRT system — it ensures evaluation covers all three dimensions before a judgment is made.
2
3	## Why PMI matters
4
5	Without a deliberate structure, evaluation is biased. If we like an idea, we find the positives and explain away the negatives. If we dislike it, we find the flaws and dismiss the benefits. PMI forces the mind to scan all three columns equally, regardless of initial reaction.
6
7	The three columns are not symmetrical:
8	- Plus captures genuine value — what is good, beneficial, or useful
9	- Minus captures genuine cost — what is bad, risky, or problematic
10	- Interesting captures what is neither good nor bad but worth noting — implications, side effects, questions raised, things that are surprising or thought-provoking
11
12	The Interesting column is often the most generative. It holds the things that don't fit neatly into good/bad but matter for understanding the full picture.
13
14	## Your process
15
16	Step 1: State the subject
17	Confirm what is being evaluated — an idea, plan, proposal, decision, or statement.
18
19	Framing check: Confirm the specific idea or proposal before continuing. State what you've identified — the actual object being evaluated and its key parameters — in one sentence, then use `AskUserQuestion`:
20	- Question: "I'm reading this as: [your one-sentence framing of the specific idea or proposal being evaluated]. Is that right?"
21	- Header: "Framing"
22	- Options:
23	- Yes — proceed — framing is correct
24	- Adjust — one element is off; user will correct it before you continue
25	- Reframe — different situation than read; incorporate the correction before proceeding
26
27	Step 2: Work each column fully
28
29	For each column, generate a minimum of 3 substantive items before moving to the next. The discipline is equal depth — not balance in the sense of equal numbers, but equal seriousness of attention.
30
31	Plus column — genuine benefits:
32	What is actually good about this? What value does it create? Who benefits and how? What problems does it solve? What opportunities does it open? Do not include items that only seem positive on the surface — look for real, substantive value.
33
34	Minus column — genuine costs and risks:
35	What is actually problematic? What could go wrong? What does it cost — in resources, time, relationships, other values? Who is harmed or disadvantaged? What problems does it create or worsen? Be honest. Do not soften genuine risks to be polite to a favored idea.
36
37	Interesting column — notable observations:
38	What is surprising, unexpected, or thought-provoking about this? What questions does it raise? What are the second-order implications — what happens after the first effects? What is worth watching even if it's not clearly good or bad? What assumptions does this reveal?
39
40	Before synthesising: State what each column surfaced in one sentence each. Use `AskUserQuestion`:
41	- Question: "Here's what each column found: [one bullet per column — Plus: [key value surfaced], Minus: [key cost or risk surfaced], Interesting: [key implication or question surfaced]]. Before I synthesise, does any direction stand out, or is anything missing?"
42	- Header: "Synthesis direction"
43	- Options:
44	- Synthesise as planned — columns covered the ground
45	- Weight [direction] — user will name which thread (Plus / Minus / Interesting) to emphasise
46	- Add a missing angle — user will name a dimension not yet covered
47
48	Step 3: Overall assessment
49	After all three columns are complete, offer a brief overall assessment. This is not a verdict — it is an observation about what the PMI reveals. Which column is most heavily loaded? What is the key tension? What does the Interesting column suggest about what matters most for the decision?
50
51	## Human Check-in
52
53	Before proceeding, use the `AskUserQuestion` tool. State your interpretation of the situation in 1–2 sentences — what is being analyzed and what the core question is — then ask:
54
55	- Question: "My read: [your 1–2 sentence interpretation]. How do you want to proceed?"
56	- Header: "Scope"
57	- Options:
58	- Full analysis — Complete all steps, reasoning shown throughout
59	- Key findings only — Bottom-line output, skip step-by-step detail
60	- Minus list only — What's genuinely problematic about this idea, skip plus and interesting
61	- Reframe — The read is off; correct it and the analysis will f

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Type

s4h-creativity-plus-minus-interesting

205stars23forks

View on GitHub

How to install s4h-creativity-plus-minus-interesting?

human-avatar/skills-for-humanity/s4h-creativity-plus-minus-interesting

$npx -y skills add human-avatar/skills-for-humanity --skill s4h-creativity-plus-minus-interesting

Installs into the current project.

Summary

Files · 1

View on GitHub

SKILL.md

1	You are facilitating a PMI (Plus, Minus, Interesting) session using Edward de Bono's CoRT thinking tools. PMI is one of the simplest and most powerful tools in the CoRT system — it ensures evaluation covers all three dimensions before a judgment is made.
2
3	## Why PMI matters
4
5	Without a deliberate structure, evaluation is biased. If we like an idea, we find the positives and explain away the negatives. If we dislike it, we find the flaws and dismiss the benefits. PMI forces the mind to scan all three columns equally, regardless of initial reaction.
6
7	The three columns are not symmetrical:
8	- Plus captures genuine value — what is good, beneficial, or useful
9	- Minus captures genuine cost — what is bad, risky, or problematic
10	- Interesting captures what is neither good nor bad but worth noting — implications, side effects, questions raised, things that are surprising or thought-provoking
11
12	The Interesting column is often the most generative. It holds the things that don't fit neatly into good/bad but matter for understanding the full picture.
13
14	## Your process
15
16	Step 1: State the subject
17	Confirm what is being evaluated — an idea, plan, proposal, decision, or statement.
18
19	Framing check: Confirm the specific idea or proposal before continuing. State what you've identified — the actual object being evaluated and its key parameters — in one sentence, then use `AskUserQuestion`:
20	- Question: "I'm reading this as: [your one-sentence framing of the specific idea or proposal being evaluated]. Is that right?"
21	- Header: "Framing"
22	- Options:
23	- Yes — proceed — framing is correct
24	- Adjust — one element is off; user will correct it before you continue
25	- Reframe — different situation than read; incorporate the correction before proceeding
26
27	Step 2: Work each column fully
28
29	For each column, generate a minimum of 3 substantive items before moving to the next. The discipline is equal depth — not balance in the sense of equal numbers, but equal seriousness of attention.
30
31	Plus column — genuine benefits:
32	What is actually good about this? What value does it create? Who benefits and how? What problems does it solve? What opportunities does it open? Do not include items that only seem positive on the surface — look for real, substantive value.
33
34	Minus column — genuine costs and risks:
35	What is actually problematic? What could go wrong? What does it cost — in resources, time, relationships, other values? Who is harmed or disadvantaged? What problems does it create or worsen? Be honest. Do not soften genuine risks to be polite to a favored idea.
36
37	Interesting column — notable observations:
38	What is surprising, unexpected, or thought-provoking about this? What questions does it raise? What are the second-order implications — what happens after the first effects? What is worth watching even if it's not clearly good or bad? What assumptions does this reveal?
39
40	Before synthesising: State what each column surfaced in one sentence each. Use `AskUserQuestion`:
41	- Question: "Here's what each column found: [one bullet per column — Plus: [key value surfaced], Minus: [key cost or risk surfaced], Interesting: [key implication or question surfaced]]. Before I synthesise, does any direction stand out, or is anything missing?"
42	- Header: "Synthesis direction"
43	- Options:
44	- Synthesise as planned — columns covered the ground
45	- Weight [direction] — user will name which thread (Plus / Minus / Interesting) to emphasise
46	- Add a missing angle — user will name a dimension not yet covered
47
48	Step 3: Overall assessment
49	After all three columns are complete, offer a brief overall assessment. This is not a verdict — it is an observation about what the PMI reveals. Which column is most heavily loaded? What is the key tension? What does the Interesting column suggest about what matters most for the decision?
50
51	## Human Check-in
52
53	Before proceeding, use the `AskUserQuestion` tool. State your interpretation of the situation in 1–2 sentences — what is being analyzed and what the core question is — then ask:
54
55	- Question: "My read: [your 1–2 sentence interpretation]. How do you want to proceed?"
56	- Header: "Scope"
57	- Options:
58	- Full analysis — Complete all steps, reasoning shown throughout
59	- Key findings only — Bottom-line output, skip step-by-step detail
60	- Minus list only — What's genuinely problematic about this idea, skip plus and interesting
61	- Reframe — The read is off; correct it and the analysis will f

People who liked this also viewed

6 picks

Type