version: "1.0.1" name: foundation-persona description: Generates an evidence-calibrated product or marketing persona using the canonical v2.5 output contract. Use when shaping artifact perspective, stress-testing decisions, or framing product and GTM strategy. license: Apache-2.0 metadata: classification: foundation version: "2.6.1" updated: 2026-08-16 category: research frameworks: [triple-diamond, lean-startup, design-thinking] author: product-on-purpose

<!-- PM-Skills | https://github.com/product-on-purpose/pm-skills | Apache 2.0 -->

Persona Builder

This skill produces decision-usable personas from one canonical template pack.

Supported Modes

• product
• marketing
• buyer as input alias for marketing (output remains labeled Marketing)

Generated agent mode is out of scope for v2.5.0. If the user asks for agent, ask them to choose product or marketing.

When to Use

• Before drafting PM or GTM artifacts that need a clear persona viewpoint
• When teams disagree on priorities and need behavior-grounded tradeoff framing
• When assumptions and confidence levels must be explicit for decision review
• When tailoring downstream work (PRD, stories, launch, messaging, enablement) to a specific user or buyer profile

When NOT to Use

• You need the job context rather than the person -> use define-jtbd-canvas; the canvas captures what customers hire products to do, the persona captures who they are
• You are mapping internal stakeholders, not customers -> use discover-stakeholder-summary
• You have raw interviews to synthesize first -> use discover-interview-synthesis; a persona built on unsynthesized notes inherits their noise
• No evidence exists at all and a real decision rides on the persona: gather research first; the skill labels assumptions honestly but cannot substitute for evidence

Instructions

When asked to generate a persona, follow these steps:

1. Resolve mode and intent

Determine whether the request is product or marketing (buyer alias allowed). If mode is omitted, ask for mode selection. If execution must continue without reply, default to product and state that fallback explicitly.

1. Collect context and evidence

Use user-provided context first (goals, audience, domain, constraints, sources). If evidence is thin, continue generation but mark gaps and calibrate confidence.

1. Select exactly one template

Use references/TEMPLATE.md and choose exactly one of:

• Product Persona Template
• Marketing Persona Template

1. Generate a complete artifact

Fill the selected template end-to-end:

• header + one-sentence core-reality statement
• metadata table
• Persona Card
• sections 1 through 11
• Evidence & Confidence

1. Enforce mode boundaries

• Product mode: focus on workflow behavior, decision patterns, friction, quality bar, and product tradeoffs.
• Marketing mode: focus on buying triggers, evaluation criteria, committee dynamics, objections, messaging, and GTM implications.

1. Apply evidence and confidence policy

• Use High|Medium|Low confidence with rationale.
• Distinguish validated evidence from assumptions.
• State open questions and governance follow-up.

1. Finalize for direct use

Remove template guidance blockquotes (> notes) from the final output. Ensure narrative entries are concrete and decision-changing, not placeholder bullets.

Output Contract (v2.5.0)

• Use one mode only (Product or Marketing) per output.
• Keep section numbering and headings from the selected template.
• Preserve the evidence table plus validated/assumed/open-questions/governance blocks.

Quality Checklist

Before finalizing, verify:

• [ ] Exactly one mode is used and clearly labeled
• [ ] buyer inputs are normalized to Marketing
• [ ] Header, core-reality statement, metadata table, and Persona Card are present
• [ ] All 1 through 11 sections from the selected template are present and complete
• [ ] Includes/not-valid boundaries are explicit in the metadata and narrative
• [ ] Evidence table is populated with concrete sources
• [ ] Confidence is High, Medium, or Low with rationale
• [ ] Validated, Assumed, Open questions, and Governance blocks are present
• [ ] Template authoring notes (> guidance lines) are removed from the completed output

Examples

See references/EXAMPLE.md for a completed sample output.