fix: resolve inconsistencies in validation-first flow

Follow-up to #2: align phase counts (8 numbered phases + pre-flight +
customer discovery), fix Phase 0.5 saving files before the project
directory exists, close the 3/5 interview gate threshold gap, align
Fast Track interview minimums (5 full / 3 fast) between SKILL.md and
customer-interview.md, restore the 'Field definitions' header in
output-guidelines.md, and make the interview gate explicitly deferrable
with stated consequences (Stage A financials, dashboard note, playbook
experiment #1) so the one-afternoon flow stays intact.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

Author: ferdinandobons

startup-design/SKILL.md

@@ -9,15 +9,15 @@ A structured, multi-phase skill that takes a startup idea from raw concept to va
 
 ## How It Works
 
-The process has 9 phases executed sequentially (plus a Pre-Flight Check). Each phase produces output files and updates the progress tracker. If a session is interrupted, resume from the last completed checkpoint.
+The process has 8 numbered phases executed sequentially, plus a Pre-Flight Check (Phase 0.5) and a Customer Discovery gate (Phase 3.7). Each phase produces output files and updates the progress tracker. If a session is interrupted, resume from the last completed checkpoint.
 
 ```
 PRE-FLIGHT → INTAKE → BRAINSTORM → RESEARCH → [Research Gate] → CUSTOMER DISCOVERY → [Interview Gate] → STRATEGY → BRAND → PRODUCT → FINANCIAL → VALIDATION
 ```
 
 ### Modes
 
-**Full Mode (default):** Execute all 8 phases in order. Best for thoroughly designing a startup from scratch.
+**Full Mode (default):** Execute all phases in order, including Pre-Flight and Customer Discovery. Best for thoroughly designing a startup from scratch.
 
 **Fast Track Mode:** When the user says they want a "quick validation," "rapid assessment," or similar, or when time/budget is clearly limited, run a compressed version:
 1. Phase 0.5 (Pre-Flight Check) — always run, takes 5 minutes
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ Before investing time in the full process, run a fast sanity check — 2-3 targe
 → Ready to proceed to intake. The above is context, not a verdict.
 ```
 
-Keep it brief. This is a heads-up, not a full analysis. Save findings to `{project-name}/00-intake/preflight.md` and update PROGRESS.md.
+Keep it brief. This is a heads-up, not a full analysis. The project directory and PROGRESS.md don't exist yet at this point — present the findings in the conversation, then save them to `{project-name}/00-intake/preflight.md` during the Phase 1 output step, once the project directory is created.
 
 ---
 
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ Don't skip these — they set the tone for the entire process and signal that th
 
 Save the consolidated intake to `{project-name}/00-intake/brief.md` with all captured information organized clearly. The project name should be derived from the startup idea (kebab-case, e.g., `pet-health-tracker`).
 
-Create `PROGRESS.md` at the project root with: project name, start date, language, a checklist of all 8 phases (mark Phase 1 complete), and a Notes section for session state.
+Create `PROGRESS.md` at the project root with: project name, start date, language, a checklist of all phases including Pre-Flight (0.5) and Customer Discovery (3.7) — mark Pre-Flight and Phase 1 complete — and a Notes section for session state. Also save the Pre-Flight findings from Phase 0.5 to `00-intake/preflight.md` now that the directory exists.
 
 ---
 
@@ -309,15 +309,20 @@ Ask the founder: "Based on this, do you want to continue to full strategy, pivot
 
 ## Phase 3.7: Customer Discovery (Interviews)
 
-Research tells you what the market looks like from the outside. Customer interviews tell you what the problem feels like from the inside. **Do not skip this phase** — it is the single highest-signal validation step in the entire process and takes only 1-2 weeks in practice.
+Research tells you what the market looks like from the outside. Customer interviews tell you what the problem feels like from the inside. This is the single highest-signal validation step in the entire process — and the only one that requires real calendar time (typically 1-2 weeks).
 
 > **Reference:** Read `references/customer-interview.md` for the full interview protocol, question structure, notes template, and synthesis guide.
 
 ### When to run this phase
 
 Run this phase after the Research Gate green- or yellow-lights the idea. If the gate returned a red light and the founder chose to stop, skip this phase.
 
-**Exception — Fast Track Mode:** If the founder reported 5+ prior customer conversations in intake, document those conversations using the interview template and proceed. Flag all claims as `[Founder-reported]`. If fewer than 5 conversations happened, recommend running the full protocol.
+Because interviews interrupt the session flow, present the founder with an explicit choice:
+
+- **Run interviews now (recommended)** — pause here, conduct the interviews over the coming days, and resume from this checkpoint (PROGRESS.md preserves the state).
+- **Defer and continue** — proceed to Strategy on research data alone. State the consequences plainly: financial projections stay Stage A (assumption-based), the Final Assessment Dashboard will show "Customer Interviews: 0 conducted · deferred", and interviews become the #1 experiment in the Phase 8 validation playbook. A strategy built without customer contact is a hypothesis, not a validated direction — say this honestly, then respect the founder's decision without nagging.
+
+**Exception — Fast Track Mode:** If the founder reported 5+ prior customer conversations in intake, document those conversations using the interview template and proceed. Flag all claims as `[Founder-reported]`. If fewer than 5 conversations happened, recommend running fresh interviews — minimum 5 in Full Mode, minimum 3 in Fast Track.
 
 ### Process
 
@@ -336,7 +341,7 @@ After synthesis, present a brief finding to the founder and apply this gate:
 - Problem language is consistent across interviews
 
 **Pause and reassess if:**
-- Fewer than 3 confirm the problem
+- 3 or fewer of 5 confirm the problem (scale proportionally if more interviews were run)
 - Everyone says "interesting" but no behavior signals exist
 - The problem they describe doesn't match the proposed solution
 

startup-design/references/customer-interview.md

@@ -141,7 +141,7 @@ Save each interview summary to `{project-name}/00-intake/interviews/interview-{N
 After 5+ interviews, look for patterns in `{project-name}/00-intake/interview-synthesis.md`:
 
 **Problem validation:**
-- Do at least 3/5 interviewees describe the same core problem unprompted?
+- Do at least 4 of 5 interviewees describe the same core problem unprompted? (the Interview Gate threshold)
 - Do they use similar language to describe it?
 - Is the pain acute (happens often, costs time/money/stress) or mild (annoying but ignorable)?
 
@@ -154,7 +154,7 @@ After 5+ interviews, look for patterns in `{project-name}/00-intake/interview-sy
 Update the assumptions tracker in `06-validation/assumptions-tracker.md`. For each assumption the intake generated, note: **Confirmed**, **Contradicted**, or **Unclear**.
 
 **Red flags from interviews:**
-- Fewer than 3/5 confirm the problem exists → the problem may be invented, not discovered
+- 3 or fewer of 5 confirm the problem exists → the problem may be invented, not discovered
 - Nobody has paid for anything related → willingness-to-pay is unproven
 - All interviewees say "I'd use it" but nobody has ever tried to solve it → low urgency
 - The problem they describe is different from the one you designed for → pivot needed
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ Update the assumptions tracker in `06-validation/assumptions-tracker.md`. For ea
 - The problem language is consistent across interviews (sign that it's a real, shared pain)
 
 **Pause and reassess if:**
-- Fewer than 3 confirm the problem
+- 3 or fewer of 5 confirm the problem
 - Everyone says "interesting" but nobody has ever tried to solve it
 - The problem they describe doesn't match your proposed solution
 
@@ -186,4 +186,4 @@ If the founder has already spoken to 5+ potential customers before starting this
 3. Flag that interviews are founder-reported, not independently conducted: add `[Founder-reported — verify independently]` to any claims derived from this.
 4. Skip the interview structure above and proceed to Phase 4.
 
-If the founder has spoken to fewer than 5 people, treat it as 0 and recommend running the interviews.
+If the founder has spoken to fewer than 5 people, recommend running fresh interviews — minimum 5 in Full Mode, minimum 3 in Fast Track. Document any prior conversations as `[Founder-reported]` context anyway.

startup-design/references/output-guidelines.md

@@ -98,7 +98,9 @@ Pull each value from the actual phase outputs. Do not invent or approximate. If
 ═══════════════════════════════════════════════
 ```
 
-- **Customer Interviews**: Number of interviews conducted in Phase 3.7 and problem confirmation rate (e.g., "5 conducted · confirmed by 4/5"). If Fast Track with founder-reported conversations, note "[Founder-reported]".
+**Field definitions:**
+
+- **Customer Interviews**: Number of interviews conducted in Phase 3.7 and problem confirmation rate (e.g., "5 conducted · confirmed by 4/5"). If Fast Track with founder-reported conversations, note "[Founder-reported]". If the founder deferred interviews, write "0 conducted · deferred".
 - **Financial Stage**: A = Assumption-Based (no real traction data), B = Evidence-Based (projections anchored to interview signals or real traction data).
 - **Idea**: The specific variation selected after brainstorming, not the original raw input.
 - **Founder Fit**: From Phase 1 intake assessment. Strong = clear unfair advantage. Moderate = some relevant background. Weak = no domain edge.