Setting the foundation for your Capstone Project (external AI tools)

The Define stage is where your Capstone Project transforms from a rough concept into a clear, actionable development plan. This stage produces two essential documents that will guide your entire multi-agent AI application development: a Market Research Document (MRD) and a Product Requirements Document (PRD).

Think of this as establishing the "north star" for your project - everything that follows depends on having crystal-clear context about what you're building and why it matters.

What You'll Accomplish

By the end of the Define stage, you'll have:

• Market Research Document (MRD): Validates your use case addresses a real market need and establishes competitive positioning
• Product Requirements Document (PRD): Translates market insights into specific technical and functional requirements for your multi-agent system
• Shared Context: Documentation that enables all development agents to operate with unified understanding throughout the Build stage

These documents become your project's "context as code" - every decision and requirement captured as reviewable, reusable markdown artifacts.

Below is a list of steps you will execute to complete this stage

Step 1: Set Up Your Workspace

Ensure you have the AAMAD framework properly installed:

• Clone the AAMAD repository into your project directory
• Verify the .cursor rules are loaded in your agent chat window
• Confirm your project-context/Define/ folder is ready for artifacts

Step 2: Set up your preferred AI assistant

• Create a new Perplexity Space or a Custom GPT
• Upload the AAMAD templates for MRD and PRD as context
• Upload the system prompt available through the AAMAD framework
• Start a chat using the Use Case title as your user prompt

See the short demo on how this works in Perplexity

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Step 3: Execute Market Research (MRD Creation)

Focus your market research on your specific Capstone Project use case:

Core Research Areas:

• Validate that your chosen use case addresses genuine market pain points
• Identify your target user segments and their current workflow challenges
• Analyze existing solutions and document their limitations
• Assess the opportunity size and competitive landscape
• Determine key differentiators for your multi-agent approach

Output: A comprehensive MRD that establishes the business case and market context for your application.

Step 4: Define Product Requirements (PRD Creation)

Transform market insights into actionable development specifications:

Critical Requirements to Address:

• Agent roles, responsibilities, and interaction patterns
• Integration requirements with external systems and APIs
• User interface and experience specifications
• Technical architecture decisions for multi-agent coordination
• Success metrics and validation criteria
• Scope boundaries and feature prioritization

Output: A detailed PRD that provides unambiguous guidance for development agents.

Step 5: Validate, Iterate and Finalize

Make sure you review the AI generated documents until they represent the application you will build in your Capstone Project

Ensure your Define stage outputs meet production standards:

Quality Checklist:

• Both documents are stored as markdown files in project-context/Define/
• Requirements are specific enough for development agents to make consistent decisions
• Clear traceability exists between market insights (MRD) and technical requirements (PRD)
• Success criteria are measurable and tied to user value
• Scope is realistic for your Capstone Project timeline

Step 6: Transition Preparation

Set up your project for a smooth transition to the Build stage:

• Review your requirements with technical mentors or peers
• Validate that your scope aligns with course timeline and complexity expectations
• Ensure your PRD provides sufficient detail for the six Build stage epics (Solution Architecture, Setup, Frontend, Backend, Integration, QA)

Success Indicators

You've successfully completed the Define stage when:

• Clarity: Any team member could read your MRD/PRD and understand exactly what you're building and why
• Completeness: Your PRD contains sufficient detail for development agents to begin architecture work
• Alignment: Market opportunity (MRD) directly supports product decisions (PRD)
• Scope Management: Requirements are focused on core functionality that delivers clear Minimum Viable user value.

What's Next

With your Define stage complete, you'll move into the Build stage where specialized development agent personas will use your MRD and PRD as their primary context. The clarity you establish now directly impacts the efficiency and quality of your development process.

Your completed Define stage documents become the foundation that enables rapid, coordinated development while maintaining traceability back to business objectives throughout your Capstone Project.