Epic Hypothesis
Frame an epic as a testable hypothesis with target user, expected outcome, and validation method. Use when defining a major initiative before roadmap, discovery, or delivery planning.
Install
npx skills add deanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills --skill epic-hypothesisgit clone --depth 1 https://github.com/deanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills.git /tmp/Product-Manager-Skills
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills
cp -r /tmp/Product-Manager-Skills/skills/epic-hypothesis ~/.claude/skills/epic-hypothesisPersonal skills live in ~/.claude/skills. Use .claude/skills in a project folder to share a skill with your team.
From the SKILL.md
## Purpose
Frame epics as testable hypotheses using an if/then structure that articulates the action or solution, the target beneficiary, the expected outcome, and how you'll validate success. Use this to manage uncertainty in product development by making assumptions explicit, defining lightweight experiments ("tiny acts of discovery"), and establishing measurable success criteria before committing to full build-out.
This is not a requirements spec—it's a hypothesis you're testing, not a feature you're committed to shipping.
## Input
**Works best with:** The initiative or epic idea, in whatever form it currently exists — a sentence is enough.
**Also useful:** The target user, the outcome you expect, and how you might measure it (the skill helps you sharpen all three).
Anything supplied with the invocation itself — text after the skill name, a pasted context dump, or an appended `ARGUMENTS:` line — counts as answers already given. Use it and skip whatever it covers; don't re-ask.
**Arriving empty-handed? That works too.** The skill asks what the initiative is and who it's for, then builds the if/then hypothesis with you.
**Example invocation:** `Frame as an epic hypothesis: adding usage-based alerts so account admins catch overages before invoice shock.`
## Key Concepts
### The Epic Hypothesis Framework
Inspired by Tim Herbig's Lean UX hypothesis format, the structure is:
**If/Then Hypothesis:**
- **If we** [action or solution on behalf of target persona]Details
- Skill name
epic-hypothesis- Repository
- deanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills
- Path
skills/epic-hypothesis/SKILL.md- Repo updated
- 16 October 2026
FAQ
What does the Epic Hypothesis skill do?
Frame an epic as a testable hypothesis with target user, expected outcome, and validation method. Use when defining a major initiative before roadmap, discovery, or delivery planning.
How do I install the Epic Hypothesis skill?
skills CLI (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and more): npx skills add deanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills --skill epic-hypothesis. Skills go in ~/.claude/skills (personal) or .claude/skills (project), and Claude loads them automatically when a task matches the description.
Is Epic Hypothesis popular?
It lives in deanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills, which has 7,800 GitHub stars and 940 forks, and is included in 3 curated skill lists.
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