Role Switch

Table of Contents

1. Purpose
2. When to Use
3. What Is It
4. Workflow
5. Role Selection Patterns
6. Synthesis Principles
7. Common Patterns
8. Guardrails
9. Quick Reference

Purpose

Role Switch helps uncover blind spots, align stakeholders, and make better decisions by systematically analyzing from multiple perspectives. It transforms single-viewpoint analysis into multi-stakeholder synthesis with explicit tradeoffs and alignment paths.

When to Use

Invoke this skill when you need to:

• Align stakeholders with conflicting priorities (eng vs PM vs sales vs legal)
• Uncover blind spots in decisions by viewing from multiple angles
• Pressure-test proposals before presenting to diverse audiences
• Build empathy for perspectives different from your own
• Navigate cross-functional tradeoffs (cost vs quality, speed vs thoroughness)
• Evaluate decisions with multi-dimensional impact (technical, business, user, regulatory)
• Find consensus paths when positions seem incompatible
• Validate assumptions by seeing what different roles would challenge

User phrases that trigger this skill:

• "What would [stakeholder] think about this?"
• "How do we get alignment across teams?"
• "I'm worried we're missing something"
• "See this from their perspective"
• "Conflicting priorities between X and Y"
• "Stakeholder buy-in strategy"

What Is It

A structured analysis that:

1. Identifies relevant roles (stakeholders with different goals, constraints, incentives)
2. Adopts each perspective (inhabits mindset, priorities, success criteria of that role)
3. Articulates viewpoint (what this role cares about, fears, values, measures)
4. Surfaces tensions (where perspectives conflict, tradeoffs emerge)
5. Synthesizes alignment (finds common ground, proposes resolutions, sequences decisions)

Quick example (API versioning decision):

• Engineer: "Deprecate v1 now—maintaining two versions doubles complexity and slows new features"
• Product Manager: "Keep v1 for 12 months—customers need migration time or we risk churn"
• Customer Success: "Offer v1→v2 migration service—customers value hand-holding over self-service docs"
• Finance: "Charge for extended v1 support—converts maintenance burden into revenue stream"
• Synthesis: Deprecate v1 in 12 months with 6-month free support + paid extended support option, PM owns migration docs + webinars, CS offers premium service

Workflow

Copy this checklist and track your progress:

Role Switch Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Frame the decision or situation
- [ ] Step 2: Select relevant roles
- [ ] Step 3: Inhabit each role's perspective
- [ ] Step 4: Surface tensions and tradeoffs
- [ ] Step 5: Synthesize alignment and path forward

Step 1: Frame the decision or situation

Clarify what's being decided, key constraints (time, budget, scope), and why alignment matters. See Common Patterns for decision framing by type.

Step 2: Select relevant roles

Choose 3-6 roles with different goals, incentives, or constraints. See Role Selection Patterns for stakeholder mapping. For complex multi-stakeholder decisions → Study resources/methodology.md for RACI + power-interest analysis.

Step 3: Inhabit each role's perspective

For each role, articulate: what they optimize for, what they fear, how they measure success, what constraints they face. Use resources/template.md for structured analysis. For realistic roleplay → See resources/methodology.md for cognitive empathy techniques.

Step 4: Surface tensions and tradeoffs

Identify where perspectives conflict, map incompatible goals, articulate explicit tradeoffs. See Synthesis Principles for tension analysis.

Step 5: Synthesize alignment and path forward

Find common ground, propose resolutions that address core concerns, sequence decisions to build momentum. Self-check using resources/evaluators/rubric_role_switch.json. Minimum standard: Average score ≥ 3.5.

Role Selection Patterns

Classic product triad (most common):

• Engineering: Feasibility, technical debt, system complexity, maintainability
• Product: User value, roadmap prioritization, market timing, feature completeness
• Design: User experience, accessibility, consistency, delight

Business decision quads:

• Finance: Cost, ROI, cash flow, unit economics, margin
• Sales: Customer acquisition, deal closure, competitive positioning, quota attainment
• Marketing: Brand perception, customer lifetime value, positioning, conversion funnel
• Operations: Scalability, process efficiency, risk management, resource

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