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Problem Definition Guide - Sharing Ideas and Defining Features

This guide explains how to share ideas, explore problems, and create feature requests for Thunder.

🎯 When to Use This Guide​

Use this guide when:

  • ✅ You have an idea or problem to share
  • ✅ You want to propose a new feature or capability
  • ✅ You're exploring whether something is worth pursuing
  • ✅ You want community input on a problem

Don't use this guide for:

📝 Two Ways to Share​

Choose the approach that fits your situation:

Option 1: Discussion (Idea Not Fully Formed) 💭​

Use when:

  • Problem needs refinement or exploration
  • You want community input before formal request
  • The idea is complex and needs discussion
  • You're not sure if it's worth pursuing

Process: Create a discussion → Collaborate → Create issue (if validated)

→ Jump to Discussion Guide

Option 2: Issue (Clear Feature Request) 🎯​

Use when:

  • You have a clear, well-defined problem
  • You can answer: What? Why? Who?
  • The feature is ready for formal consideration
  • You've already validated the need

Process: Create an issue directly

→ Jump to Feature Issue Guide

Not Sure Which to Use?​

Start with a discussion if:

  • You're exploring an idea
  • The problem isn't clearly defined yet
  • You want feedback before formal submission

Create an issue directly if:

  • The problem is specific and observable
  • You have clear answers to What/Why/Who
  • The need is validated (you or others experience it)

When in doubt: Start with a discussion. You can always create an issue later!

💡 Creating a Discussion​

Use discussions to explore problems and refine ideas with the community.

Step 1: Identify the Problem​

Before sharing, crystallize your thinking:

Ask yourself:

  • What problem am I observing?
  • Who is experiencing this problem?
  • How often does this happen?
  • What's the impact when it happens?
  • Have I searched for existing discussions/issues?

Good problems are:

  • Specific (not "Thunder needs better UX")
  • Observable (not theoretical)
  • Impactful (affects real users)
  • Current (not solved elsewhere)

Step 2: Create the Discussion​

  1. Go to GitHub Discussions
  2. Select "Ideas" category
  3. Fill in your idea

Step 3: Community Collaboration​

Once posted, the community will help refine your idea.

Expect questions like:

  • "Have you considered...?"
  • "How would this work for...?"
  • "What about existing users who...?"
  • "Is this similar to...?"

Your role:

  • ✅ Respond to questions promptly
  • ✅ Clarify the problem (not the solution)
  • ✅ Share more context if needed
  • ✅ Be open to alternative perspectives
  • ✅ Update the original post as thinking evolves

Community's role:

  • 🤝 Ask clarifying questions
  • 💡 Share similar experiences
  • 🔍 Identify edge cases
  • 📚 Point to related issues/discussions
  • 🎯 Help scope the problem

Timeline: Most discussions reach clarity within 1-2 weeks.

Step 4: Discussion Outcomes​

After community discussion, the idea will evolve:

✅ Valid Feature Idea​

What it means: Clear problem, valuable to solve, worth pursuing.

Next steps:

  1. Create a Feature Request issue
  2. Link back to this discussion
  3. Close the discussion with: 
    Thanks everyone! Created feature request: #123
    Closing this discussion as we're moving to formal feature definition.

You can stop here! Someone (could be you or others) will take it forward.

🐛 It's Actually a Bug​

Next steps:

  1. Create a Bug Report
  2. Close the discussion

Outcome: Bug fix process (faster than feature development).

🔧 It's a Minor Improvement​

Next steps:

  1. Create an Improvement Issue
  2. Close the discussion

Outcome: Faster path to implementation.

❌ Not Viable / Out of Scope​

What it means: Good idea, but not appropriate for Thunder.

Reasons:

  • Out of Thunder's scope
  • Already solved differently
  • Technical infeasibility
  • Conflicts with Thunder's vision

Outcome: Maintainer explains reasoning, discussion closed and documented.

This is okay! Not all ideas should be implemented.

🎯 Creating a Feature Issue​

Use feature issues to formally define problems that need solving.

Before You Create​

Ensure you can answer these three critical questions:

Question 1: What problem are we solving?​

Be specific about the problem, not the solution.

Bad ❌: "Thunder needs SAML support"
Good ✅: "Enterprise customers cannot integrate Thunder with their existing SAML-based SSO systems, forcing them to maintain duplicate user identities."

Template:

When [user type] wants to [goal], they [current limitation/problem], 
which causes [negative impact].

Question 2: Why should we solve this now?​

Provide justification for prioritization.

Consider:

  • User impact: How many users? How severely affected?
  • Business value: Revenue? Customer requests? Competitive gap?
  • Technical debt: Does delaying make it harder later?
  • Compliance: Regulatory or security requirements?

Example:

Why now:
- 12 enterprise customers requested this in Q3 (3 deals blocked)
- Competitors have this as standard (Okta, Auth0)
- Largest prospect requires this by end of year
- Estimated $500K annual revenue impact

Question 3: Who are we solving this for?​

Identify user personas and their goals.

Personas to consider:

  • End Users: People using the application
  • Administrators: Configure and manage Thunder
  • Developers: Integrate applications with Thunder
  • Security Teams: Ensure compliance and security

Example:

Primary: Enterprise IT administrators
- Goal: Onboard 1000+ users quickly with minimal effort
- Pain: Manual account creation takes days
- Success metric: 1000 users onboarded in <1 hour

Secondary: End users
- Goal: Use existing corporate credentials
- Pain: Need to remember separate Thunder password
- Success metric: Single sign-on with LDAP credentials

Create the Issue​

  1. Navigate to Issues → New Issue
  2. Select "Feature Request" template
  3. Fill in all sections

✨ What Happens Next?​

After you create your issue:

Triage​

Maintainers will review and:

  • Evaluate strategic fit and priority
  • Assess scope and effort
  • Add appropriate labels
  • Decide if approved for work

Assignment​

If approved:

  • Available for community or maintainers to work on
  • You (or others) can express interest
  • Maintainers will assign to someone
  • Work begins on design

Questions?​

Note: Not all issues will be accepted. High-priority issues move faster.

Want to Work On This?​

After your issue is approved, anyone can work on it!

To express interest:

  1. Comment: "I'd like to work on this"
  2. Share relevant experience (optional but helpful)
  3. Estimate your timeline
  4. Wait for maintainer to assign you

Once assigned: Move to the Design Guide to start designing the solution.

You can stop here! Let someone else design and implement if you prefer.

💡 Tips for Success​

Do's ✅​

Focus on the problem, not the solution:

  • ❌ "Add LDAP integration using ldapjs library"
  • ✅ "Users cannot sync from existing LDAP directories"

Be specific and quantify impact:

  • ❌ "Login is slow"
  • ✅ "Token validation takes 450ms (target: <200ms), affecting 5000 req/s"

Provide context and data:

  • ❌ "Customers want this"
  • ✅ "12 customers requested in Q3, 3 deals blocked"

Consider all affected users:

  • Think beyond just end users
  • Include admins, developers, security teams

Don'ts ❌​

Don't prescribe the solution:

  • Let the community collaborate on approach
  • Focus on what/why, not how

Don't skip the "why now?":

  • Justification helps with prioritization
  • Explain urgency and impact

Don't forget to search first:

  • Check existing issues and discussions
  • Reference related work

Don't ghost the discussion:

  • Respond to questions
  • Update as thinking evolves

❓ FAQ​

Q: Should I create a discussion or an issue?
A: Discussion if exploring, issue if problem is clear.

Q: How long does triage take?
A: Usually within 1 week. Complex features may take longer.

Q: What if my issue is declined?
A: Ask why in the issue. Sometimes timing is wrong, sometimes there's a better approach.

Q: Can I work on my own issue?
A: Absolutely! Express interest after it's approved.

Q: What if no one claims my approved issue?
A: It stays in backlog. We'll reassess quarterly. You can help recruit contributors!

Q: Can I create an issue for someone else's discussion?
A: Yes, if the discussion reached consensus and the original author hasn't done it.

Q: How do I know if my problem qualifies as a "feature"?
A: If it requires architectural changes or new capabilities, it's a feature. When in doubt, ask!

📞 Next Steps​

After Creating a Discussion​

  • Engage with community feedback
  • Refine the problem
  • Create an issue when ready (or let someone else)

After Creating an Issue​

  • Wait for triage
  • Respond to maintainer questions
  • Express interest in working on it (optional)
  • Move to Design Guide if assigned

Thank you for helping shape Thunder's roadmap! Every problem definition makes Thunder better. 🙏⚡

Questions? Ask in Discussions

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