Phase 3: Refinement | Bootspring Docs

Duration: 1-2 hours

Review generated documents and refine until they accurately represent your vision.

Overview#

Generated documents are starting points, not final products. The Refinement phase is where you critically review each document, identify gaps, and improve until everything is accurate and complete.

Refinement Process#

┌─────────────┐     ┌─────────────┐     ┌─────────────┐
│   Review    │────▶│   Update    │────▶│ Regenerate  │
│  Documents  │     │   Config    │     │  & Verify   │
└─────────────┘     └─────────────┘     └─────────────┘
       ▲                                       │
       └───────────────────────────────────────┘
                    (Iterate)

Step 1: Check Status#

Start by understanding what was generated:

bootspring preseed status

Output:

⚡ Bootspring Preseed Status

Configuration: .bootspring/preseed/PRESEED_CONFIG.json
Preset: startup (7 documents)
Created: 2026-02-20T10:30:00Z
Last sync: 2026-02-20T10:30:00Z

Documents:
  ✓ VISION.md           (1.2 KB, synced)
  ✓ AUDIENCE.md         (2.4 KB, synced)
  ✓ MARKET.md           (1.8 KB, synced)
  ✓ COMPETITORS.md      (1.6 KB, synced)
  ✓ BUSINESS_MODEL.md   (2.1 KB, synced)
  ✓ PRD.md              (3.5 KB, synced)
  ✓ ROADMAP.md          (1.4 KB, synced)

Config sections filled: 8/8 (100%)

Step 2: Review Each Document#

Read through each document critically:

# Open in your editor
code .bootspring/preseed/

# Or read individually
cat .bootspring/preseed/VISION.md
cat .bootspring/preseed/AUDIENCE.md
# ...

Review Checklist#

For each document, ask:

Is the information accurate?
Is anything missing?
Are there contradictions with other documents?
Would someone unfamiliar understand this?
Does this match my current thinking?

Common Issues to Fix#

Issue	Example	Solution
Vague statements	"Many users"	Add specific numbers
Missing personas	Only 1 persona	Add 2-3 more
Unrealistic pricing	$5/mo for AI	Research competitors
Generic features	"User management"	Be more specific
Missing competitors	Only 2 listed	Research more
No differentiation	Features only	Add unique value

Step 3: Update Configuration#

Fix issues by updating the configuration, not the documents directly:

Using CLI#

# Update simple values
bootspring preseed update identity.name "TaskFlow Pro"
bootspring preseed update business.pricing.pro 15

# Update arrays
bootspring preseed update solution.keyFeatures '["AI Prioritization", "Code Context", "Team Sync"]'

# Update nested objects
bootspring preseed update audience.icp.companySize "50-500 employees"

Using Editor#

Edit PRESEED_CONFIG.json directly:

code .bootspring/preseed/PRESEED_CONFIG.json

{
  "identity": {
    "name": "TaskFlow Pro",  // Updated
    "tagline": "AI-powered task management for developers"
  },
  "business": {
    "pricing": {
      "pro": 15  // Updated from 12
    }
  }
}

Update Path Reference#

Path	Description
`identity.name`	Project name
`identity.tagline`	One-line tagline
`problem.statement`	Problem statement
`problem.painPoints`	Array of pain points
`solution.overview`	Solution description
`solution.keyFeatures`	Array of features
`solution.uniqueValue`	Differentiation
`audience.primary`	Primary audience
`audience.personas`	Array of personas
`audience.icp`	Ideal customer profile object
`market.tam`	Total addressable market
`market.sam`	Serviceable addressable market
`market.som`	Serviceable obtainable market
`competitors.direct`	Array of direct competitors
`competitors.positioning`	Positioning statement
`business.model`	Revenue model
`business.pricing`	Pricing structure
`product.mvpFeatures`	MVP feature list
`product.userStories`	User stories array
`roadmap.phases`	Development phases

Step 4: Regenerate Documents#

After updating the config, regenerate:

# Regenerate all documents
bootspring preseed sync

# Or regenerate specific document
bootspring preseed generate --doc=prd

Output:

⚡ Regenerating documents...

  ✓ VISION.md           (updated)
  ✓ AUDIENCE.md         (no changes)
  ✓ MARKET.md           (no changes)
  ✓ COMPETITORS.md      (no changes)
  ✓ BUSINESS_MODEL.md   (updated)
  ✓ PRD.md              (updated)
  ✓ ROADMAP.md          (no changes)

Sync complete. 3 documents updated.

Step 5: Verify Changes#

Review the regenerated documents to verify your changes:

# Check diff
git diff .bootspring/preseed/

# Or review specific document
cat .bootspring/preseed/BUSINESS_MODEL.md

Step 6: Iterate#

Repeat steps 2-5 until satisfied:

Review → Update → Regenerate → Verify → (Repeat if needed)

Refinement Tips#

1. Cross-Reference Documents#

Ensure consistency across documents:

Pain points in VISION should map to features in PRD
Audience in AUDIENCE should match market in MARKET
Pricing in BUSINESS_MODEL should align with ICP budget

2. Add Specificity#

Replace vague language with specifics:

Vague	Specific
"Many developers"	"28M developers globally"
"Saves time"	"Saves 2-3 hours daily"
"Fast"	"Response time under 100ms"
"Affordable"	"$12/month"

3. Validate Assumptions#

Flag assumptions that need validation:

{
  "market": {
    "tam": "$5B (VALIDATE: need industry report)",
    "som": "$10M (ASSUMPTION: 1% market share)"
  }
}

4. Include Sources#

Add sources for market data:

{
  "market": {
    "tam": "$5B",
    "tamSource": "Gartner 2025 Developer Tools Report",
    "growth": "25% CAGR",
    "growthSource": "IDC Productivity Software Forecast"
  }
}

5. Get Outside Review#

Before moving to validation:

Share documents with a co-founder
Get feedback from a mentor
Have a friend read for clarity

Common Refinement Patterns#

Adding a Competitor#

# Get current competitors
bootspring preseed export | jq '.competitors.direct'

# Add new competitor
bootspring preseed update competitors.direct '[
  {"name": "Linear", "funding": "$50M", "focus": "Teams"},
  {"name": "Height", "funding": "$8M", "focus": "AI"},
  {"name": "Shortcut", "funding": "$20M", "focus": "Engineering"}
]'

# Regenerate competitors document
bootspring preseed generate --doc=competitors

Adding a Persona#

bootspring preseed update audience.personas '[
  {
    "name": "Sarah",
    "role": "Senior Engineer",
    "company": "Series B startup",
    "painPoints": ["Too many tools", "No focus time"],
    "goals": ["Ship faster", "Work-life balance"]
  },
  {
    "name": "Mike",
    "role": "Team Lead",
    "company": "Growth startup",
    "painPoints": ["No visibility", "Priority conflicts"],
    "goals": ["Team coordination", "Predictable delivery"]
  }
]'

Updating Pricing#

bootspring preseed update business.pricing '{
  "free": {"price": 0, "features": ["1 project", "Basic AI"]},
  "pro": {"price": 15, "features": ["Unlimited", "Full AI", "Integrations"]},
  "team": {"price": 10, "perUser": true, "features": ["SSO", "Teams", "Analytics"]}
}'

Version Control#

Track your refinements with git:

# After each major refinement session
git add .bootspring/preseed/
git commit -m "Refine preseed: add personas, update pricing"

This creates a history of how your thinking evolved.

Completion Criteria#

You're ready for Phase 4 when:

All 8 sections have complete data
No "TODO" or "TBD" markers remain
Numbers are specific, not vague
Documents are internally consistent
A stranger could understand your vision
You're confident enough to share externally

What Happens Next#

After refinement:

Version control - Commit your refined documents
Share for review - Get feedback before validation
Move to Phase 4 - Validation with real users

# Commit refined preseed
git add .bootspring/preseed/
git commit -m "Complete preseed refinement"

# Move to validation
# (Next phase guide)