product-development-flow

Product Development Flow

Meta-skill orchestrating the full product development pipeline.

When to Use

• Starting a new product or major feature
• Need to understand where a project stands in the flow
• Checking dependencies before advancing to next stage
• Onboarding to an existing project

Dependencies

• None - this is the orchestration layer

Book Triggers

Reference: [[books/product-innovation.md]]

• Apply "Escaping the Build Trap" outcome focus
• Use "Inspired" for product discovery principles

Reference: [[books/systems-thinking.md]]

• Apply "Product Development Flow" for work-in-progress and batching
• Use "Thinking in Systems" for feedback loops

The Flow

Vision/North Star
       |
       v
  Brainstorming (optional)
       |
       v
      PRD
       |
       v
 Scoping/Shaping
       |
       v
   User Stories
       |
       v
    Backlog
       |
       v
     Code <---> Review/QA
       |
       v
     Merge

Stages and Skills

Stage Dependencies

Each skill verifies its dependencies before proceeding:

vision.md

• Requires: Nothing (starting point)
• Produces: projects/{project}/docs/vision.md

brainstorm.md

• Requires: Vision document exists
• Check: projects/{project}/docs/vision.md
• Produces: projects/{project}/docs/brainstorm.md

prd.md

• Requires: Vision document exists
• Check: projects/{project}/docs/vision.md
• Produces: projects/{project}/docs/prd/{feature}.md

user-stories.md

• Requires: PRD exists
• Check: projects/{project}/docs/prd/{feature}.md
• Produces: Stories in PRD or separate file

backlog.md

• Requires: User stories exist
• Check: Stories defined
• Produces: projects/{project}/tasks/ entries

code-review.md

• Requires: Code changes to review
• Produces: Approval or change requests

Dependency Verification Protocol

When a skill is triggered:

1. Check for required artifacts

   Does projects/{project}/docs/vision.md exist?
   

2. If missing:

   • Notify the requesting agent
   • Ask: "Vision document not found. Should I create one first, or proceed anyway?"

3. If proceeding without dependency:

   • Document the decision
   • Note the gap in the output

4. If creating dependency first:

   • Invoke the prerequisite skill
   • Then return to the original request

Parallel vs Sequential

Sequential (Default)

Most stages flow linearly:

• Vision → PRD → Stories → Backlog

Parallel Exploration

Some stages can run in parallel:

• Brainstorming multiple options
• Multiple PRD variants
• Different scoping approaches

Use facilitator.md when parallel exploration needs synthesis.

Stage Outputs

Vision Document

projects/{project}/docs/vision.md

Contains: problem, solution hypothesis, success criteria, scope

Brainstorm Document

projects/{project}/docs/brainstorm.md

Contains: ideas explored, options considered, selection rationale

PRD

projects/{project}/docs/prd/{feature-name}.md

Contains: requirements, user stories, acceptance criteria, scope

Tasks

projects/{project}/tasks/

Contains: individual task files or entries in project management tool

Project Kickoff Integration

For new projects, use project-kickoff.md to:

1. Interview the founder about the idea
2. Determine which stages are needed
3. Route to appropriate department
4. Begin the flow

Flow State Tracking

Use memory.md to track where a project stands:

## Project Flow State

**Project:** {project-name}
**Current Stage:** PRD
**Last Updated:** YYYY-MM-DD

### Completed Stages
- [x] Vision - `docs/vision.md`
- [x] Brainstorm - `docs/brainstorm.md`

### Current Stage
- [/] PRD - In progress

### Remaining
- [ ] User Stories
- [ ] Backlog
- [ ] Implementation

Skipping Stages

Some stages can be skipped based on project needs:

Always document when skipping a stage and why.

Integration

With project-kickoff.md

• Kickoff determines entry point into flow
• Some projects start at PRD (vision exists)
• Some start fresh from vision

With agents

• Product roles own early stages (vision, PRD)
• Engineering roles own later stages (code, review)
• Handoffs happen at stage boundaries

With memory.md

• Track flow state in project memory
• Session recaps note progress through flow

Anti-Patterns

• Skipping vision - Every project needs clarity on the "why"
• PRD without vision - Requirements need grounding in purpose
• Code before stories - Implementation needs clear acceptance criteria
• Reviewing nothing - Every code change gets review
• Forgetting state - Always track where you are in the flow