derive-questions

Extract and validate preventative planning questions from software project failure post-mortems.

Updated Jul 27, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/whichguy/skill-craft --skill derive-questions
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: derive-questions
Source: https://github.com/whichguy/skill-craft/tree/main/plugins/derive-questions/skills/derive-questions
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/whichguy/skill-craft --skill derive-questions

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve?

This skill addresses the recurring issue of software project failures by systematically mining post-mortems and applying 5-whys analysis to generate a library of preventative planning questions.

Core Features & Use Cases

  • Automated Research: Uses parallel agents to mine real-world failure post-mortems and success patterns across eight engineering domains.
  • Quality Validation: Employs a judge agent to score questions on effectiveness, generality, and specificity, ensuring only high-impact questions are added to your library.
  • Use Case: Before starting a new project, use this skill to generate a tailored checklist of questions that help your team identify and mitigate risks related to architecture, security, and operations early in the planning phase.

Quick Start

Invoke the derive-questions skill to research failure modes and update your planning question library with a three-iteration run.

Frequently Asked Questions about derive-questions

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I generate preventative planning questions from software project failure post-mortems?▼

You can systematically research software project failure post-mortems using automated agents that apply 5-whys analysis to extract and validate actionable planning questions across multiple engineering domains. This builds a language-agnostic library of risk mitigation questions.

What is the best way to identify and mitigate software architecture and security risks before starting a project?▼

The best way to mitigate architecture and security risks is to run a multi-iteration research process that mines real-world failure modes to generate a tailored checklist. This validates questions for effectiveness, generality, and specificity to ensure high-impact risk identification early.

Does this failure analysis approach work across different programming languages and engineering domains?▼

Yes, this failure analysis approach systematically operates across eight engineering domains including requirements, architecture, and security to build a language-agnostic question library. It extracts preventative planning questions independent of specific programming languages.

How do you ensure the quality and novelty of extracted post-mortem questions?▼

Quality and novelty are ensured through a judge agent that scores extracted questions on effectiveness, generality, and specificity. This synthetic plan validation and quality-controlled refinement process filters outputs to guarantee only actionable, high-novelty questions are added.

Can I use 5-whys analysis to automatically research software engineering failure modes?▼

Yes, you can use parallel agents to automatically mine real-world failure post-mortems and success patterns, applying 5-whys analysis to extract root causes. This automated research generates a validated library of preventative planning questions.

What are the limitations of using automated agents for software planning risk mitigation?▼

A key limitation is that automated agents require iterative, multi-iteration runs to achieve high-novelty outputs. The process demands synthetic plan validation and quality-controlled refinement, meaning a single pass may not yield sufficient actionable questions.