Workflow Phases

B-PHASES (Build)

B4_DEPLOY PHASES

B5 (Enhancement)

Scope: ≤3 days work, triggered by GitHub issue or user feedback Process: Follow B4_DEPLOY for deployment Protocol: /Users/shaunbuswell/.claude/protocols/ENHANCEMENT_LIFECYCLE.md

Phase Descriptions

D0: Ideation Setup

Purpose: Capture raw idea, explore possibilities, determine viability Lead: sessions-manager Entry: New idea or concept Deliverable: Graduation package with manifest.json Location: /Volumes/HestAI-Projects/0-ideation/{topic}/

Key Activities:

• Create session directory structure
• Exploration and research
• Feasibility assessment
• Graduation decision

D1: North Star Definition

Purpose: Define problem, requirements, success criteria Lead: idea-clarifier Entry: Graduated D0 package Deliverable: 2xx-PROJECT-NORTH-STAR.md Location: coordination/workflow-docs/

Key Activities:

• Problem statement clarity
• Success criteria definition
• Constraint identification
• North Star documentation

D1 PARALLEL EXPLORATION PATTERN (RECOMMENDED)

Purpose: Accelerate D1 understanding through parallel codebase exploration

When to Use:

• D1 phase for projects involving existing codebase
• Understanding patterns, architecture, or prior art needed
• Multiple aspects require investigation

Pattern:

# Launch 2-3 agents in parallel (max 3 for context overhead)
Task(subagent_type='Explore', prompt="Find similar features/patterns in codebase relevant to [problem]")
Task(subagent_type='Explore', prompt="Map high-level architecture relevant to [problem area]")
Task(subagent_type='research-analyst', prompt="Investigate external solutions/prior art for [problem type]")

# After all return:
# 1. Collect findings from all agents
# 2. Read key files identified by explorers
# 3. Synthesize into comprehensive picture for idea-clarifier

Agent Prompts (Examples):

• "Find features similar to [feature] and trace their implementation comprehensively"
• "Map the architecture and abstractions for [feature area], tracing through the code comprehensively"
• "Analyze the current implementation of [existing feature/area], tracing through the code comprehensively"
• "Identify UI patterns, testing approaches, or extension points relevant to [feature]"

Benefits:

• Breadth: Multiple perspectives simultaneously
• Speed: Parallel ≠ sequential exploration
• Coverage: Architecture + patterns + external prior art

Constraint: Max 3 parallel agents (context overhead)

Output: Each agent should return list of 5-10 key files to read for deep understanding

D2: Design Generation

Purpose: Generate solution alternatives, evaluate options Lead: ideator → validator → synthesizer Entry: D1 North Star complete Deliverable: 2xx-PROJECT-D2-DESIGN.md Location: coordination/workflow-docs/

Key Activities:

• Solution brainstorming (ideator)
• Option validation (validator)
• Approach synthesis (synthesizer)
• Design documentation

D3: Blueprint Creation

Purpose: Detailed technical design, architecture specification Lead: design-architect → visual-architect Entry: D2 Design complete Deliverable: 2xx-PROJECT-D3-BLUEPRINT.md Location: coordination/workflow-docs/ → moves to dev/docs/architecture/ at B1 gate

Key Activities:

• Architecture design (design-architect)
• Visual mockups (visual-architect)
• Technical specification
• Blueprint documentation

B0: Design Validation

Purpose: GO/NO-GO gate, validate D3 Blueprint before build Lead: critical-design-validator Entry: D3 Blueprint complete Deliverable: GO/NO-GO decision document Location: coordination/workflow-docs/

Key Activities:

• Technical feasibility validation
• Architecture review
• Risk assessment
• GO/NO-GO decision

B1: Build Planning

Purpose: Decompose work, setup workspace, create build plan Lead: task-decomposer → workspace-architect Entry: B0 GO decision Deliverable: Build plan + workspace infrastructure Location: coordination/phase-reports/

Key Activities:

• Task decomposition (task-decomposer)
• Workspace setup (workspace-architect)
• Quality gates configuration
• B1 migration gate (D3 Blueprint → dev/)

Critical: B1_02 completes in ideation/, B1_03 starts in dev/ after manual migration

B2: Implementation

Purpose: Write code, implement features, create tests Lead: implementation-lead Entry: B1 complete, workspace ready Deliverable: Working code + passing tests Location: dev/

Key Activities:

• TDD implementation (test first)
• Feature development
• Code review (code-review-specialist)
• Quality gate validation

Hub Pattern: implementation-lead coordinates specialist agents

B3: Integration

Purpose: System integration, end-to-end testing, polish Lead: completion-architect Entry: B2 complete, features implemented Deliverable: Integrated, tested system Location: dev/

Key Activities:

• Component integration
• System testing (universal-test-engineer)
• Bug fixes and polish
• Integration documentation

B4: Delivery

Purpose: Package solution, documentation, handoff preparation Lead: solution-steward Entry: B3 complete, system integrated Deliverable: Production-ready package Location: dev/ + coordination/

Key Activities:

• Documentation finalization
• User guides creation
• Handoff preparation
• Success metrics definition

B4_D1: Staging Deployment

Purpose: Deploy to staging, validate configuration Lead: system-steward Entry: B4 complete Deliverable: Staging deployment validated Location: staging/

Key Activities:

• Staging configuration
• Deployment validation
• Environment testing
• Configuration documentation

B4_D2: Production Deployment

Purpose: Deploy to production, operational handoff Lead: solution-steward Entry: Staging validated Deliverable: Production deployment Location: production/

Key Activities:

• Production deployment
• Smoke testing
• Operational confirmation
• User notification

B4_D3: Operational Confirmation

Purpose: Verify production operation, monitoring setup Lead: system-steward Entry: Production deployed Deliverable: Operational confirmation Location: production/

Key Activities:

• Production monitoring
• Issue tracking setup
• Documentation final review
• Operational handoff complete

B5: Enhancement

Purpose: Small improvements, bug fixes, feature enhancements Scope: ≤3 days work Entry: GitHub issue or user feedback Deliverable: Enhancement deployed Location: dev/ + deployment via B4_DEPLOY

Key Activities:

• Requirement analysis (requirements-steward)
• Implementation (implementation-lead)
• Testing and validation
• Deployment via B4_DEPLOY process

Coordination Discovery Pattern

ALWAYS check for coordination first:

if [ -e ".coord" ]; then
  COORD=$(readlink .coord)
elif [ -d "coordination" ]; then
  COORD="./coordination"
elif [ -d "../../../coordination" ]; then
  COORD="../../../coordination"
else
  echo "WARNING: No coordination found"
fi

Read status before any work:

Read("$COORD/PROJECT_STATUS.md")
# Extract: Current Phase: [phase]
# Extract: Active Issues: [list]
# Extract: Blocking Issues: [list]

Project Structure Template

{project-name}/
├── build/              # Development (worktree)
│   └── .coord → ../coordination
├── staging/            # Staging deployment
│   ├── claude_desktop_config_staging.json
│   └── .coord → ../coordination
├── production/         # Production deployment
│   ├── claude_desktop_config.json
│   └── .coord → ../coordination
└── coordination/       # All documentation
    ├── workflow-docs/  # Phase deliverables (D1, D2, D3, B0)
    ├── phase-reports/  # Phase reports (B1-B4)
    ├── planning-docs/  # CHARTER, ASSIGNMENTS, PROJECT-CONTEXT
    └── ACTIVE-WORK.md  # Status board

Phase Transition Validation

Before Starting Phase

Checklist:

1. ✅ Previous phase deliverable complete
2. ✅ Entry requirements met
3. ✅ Coordination context read
4. ✅ Current phase understood
5. ✅ Lead agent identified

Before Completing Phase

Checklist:

1. ✅ Deliverable created and documented
2. ✅ Quality gates passed (where applicable)
3. ✅ Phase report written
4. ✅ Next phase entry requirements met
5. ✅ Handoff to next lead agent prepared

Common Phase Transitions

D3 → B0 → B1

# D3 complete: Blueprint created in coordination/
# B0: Validate blueprint, GO/NO-GO decision
# B1: Create build plan, setup workspace
# B1 Migration Gate: Move D3 Blueprint to dev/docs/architecture/

B1 → B2

# B1 complete: Workspace ready, quality gates passing
# Verify: npm run lint && npm run typecheck && npm run test → ALL PASSING
# B2: Start implementation with TDD

B2 → B3 → B4

# B2 complete: Features implemented, tests passing
# B3: Integration and system testing
# B4: Package for delivery, documentation finalized

B4 → B4_D1 → B4_D2 → B4_D3

# B4 complete: Production-ready package
# B4_D1: Deploy to staging, validate
# B4_D2: Deploy to production
# B4_D3: Operational confirmation

Critical Rules

1. Work stops when user unavailable (no assumptions)
2. Read coordination before ANY work
3. Phase deliverables are mandatory (no skipping)
4. Quality gates must pass before phase transitions
5. B1 migration gate requires human checkpoint
6. B4_DEPLOY required for ALL deployments
7. B5 scope limited to ≤3 days or new project

Agent Invocation Pattern

ALWAYS include context:

Task(subagent_type="agent-name",
     prompt="""
     CONTEXT PATHS:
     - Protocols: /Users/shaunbuswell/.claude/protocols/
     - Workflow: /Volumes/HestAI/docs/workflow/001-WORKFLOW-NORTH-STAR.md
     - Coordination: {readlink .coord || ./coordination}
     - Current Phase: {from PROJECT_STATUS.md}

     TASK: [actual task description]
     """)

Key Takeaways

1. Phase sequence: D0→D1→D2→D3→B0→B1→B2→B3→B4→B4_D1→B4_D2→B4_D3→B5
2. Lead agents assigned: Each phase has designated lead agent
3. Entry requirements mandatory: Cannot skip phase prerequisites
4. Deliverables required: Each phase produces specific artifact
5. Coordination first: Always read PROJECT_STATUS.md before work
6. B1 migration gate: Human checkpoint moves D3 Blueprint
7. Quality gates critical: B1→B2 requires passing tests
8. Deployment structured: B4_DEPLOY phases for all deployments
9. B5 scope limited: ≤3 days or start new project
10. Phase transitions validated: Checklist before starting/completing