> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://productos.dev/docs/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Ideation > How the Ideation stage turns a raw idea into a sharp, testable product concept through Socratic questioning, not invention. Ideation is the first stage of the Build pipeline. Its job is to turn a raw idea into a concept sharp enough to research and build, before any money or build time is spent. ## What the stage produces * A concept brief that states the problem, the target user, and what must be true for the product to work * A log of the assumptions the concept depends on * A log of open questions for the Research Agent to answer in the next stage ## Who runs it The [Ideation Agent](/agents/ideation) is a Socratic thinking partner. Its own system prompt puts it plainly: "You are a QUESTIONER who draws the concept out of the user." It is explicitly not a writer that invents a concept for you. It asks, you answer, and the concept takes shape from your answers. While you talk, it works with a small, focused toolset: it records unresolved questions (`log_open_question`) and assumptions (`log_assumption`), checks claims against the live web as they come up, consults a peer agent (typically Research) for a quick fact-check, and maintains the rolling concept brief as a markdown document. ## What it reads * Your raw idea, in whatever shape you bring it * Any prior concept brief, if you are revisiting an existing project * The project wiki maintained by the Orchestrator ## How you steer it Ideation is the most conversational stage, and the steering is the conversation itself. A few things that help: * **Answer honestly, including "I don't know."** Unknowns are not failures here; they become logged open questions that Discover will investigate with real sources. * **Push back on framings that feel wrong.** The brief is rolling, so corrections are folded in as you go rather than requiring a rewrite. * **Name your assumptions when you notice them.** The agent logs assumptions it surfaces, but you can flag your own and they go into the same record. The open-questions log is the handoff contract with the next stage. The more precisely a question is stated during Ideation, the more useful the sourced answer from Research will be. ## What happens next When the concept is sharp, the [Orchestrator](/agents/orchestrator) proposes the transition to the Discover stage for your approval. The [Research Agent](/agents/research) then picks up the concept brief and the open-questions log as its starting inputs, and grounds each question in sources you can click. Continue to [Research](/build/research).