Scope One-Pager

Write one sentence: who does what and what changes for them. Example: "Freelance designers upload client briefs and get an AI summary in under a minute."

If you need a paragraph to explain it, the idea is not sharp enough yet. Keep editing until a stranger gets it from one line.

Name one person, not a segment deck. "Solo marketing consultant with 5 to 15 clients" beats "SMBs."

List where they work today without your app. Spreadsheets, email, Notion, pen and paper. That tells you what you replace.

Describe the happy path in 3 to 5 steps. Sign up, add one item, run the main action, see the result, done.

Cut branches for v1. No settings maze, no admin panel, no "what if they want to invite a team." One user, one path.

List every screen by name. Landing, sign-in, dashboard, detail view, settings. Circle the three that matter for v1.

If you have more than five screens in v1, you are probably over-scoping. Move extras to "out of scope" below.

Bullet what ships in the first build. Be specific: "Google sign-in, upload PDF, AI summary on screen, copy to clipboard."

Every bullet should map to the core flow. If a feature does not serve the one action, it waits.

List what you are explicitly not building in v1. Payments, teams, mobile app, five AI models, custom admin.

Saying no on paper prevents scope creep when you talk to developers or agencies.

Pick one number you can measure in the first month. Signups, completed workflows, return visits, paid pilots.

Avoid vanity metrics. "People love it" is not a metric. "10 users complete the core action twice" is.

List what you still need to learn. Pricing, which AI provider, legal constraints, integration with client tools.

Open questions are fine. Hidden questions become expensive surprises mid-build.