03 workflows typical project flow

Typical Project Flow - Software Development Lifecycle

Overview

This document outlines the standard software development lifecycle using the Coherence APM Framework v4.2.0, utilizing the actual 67 available slash commands and 11 specialized personas for unified context engineering.

🔄 Complete Project Lifecycle

Phase 1: Project Initiation & Planning

1.1 Requirements Gathering

/coherence → Project analysis → /analyst → Requirements discovery

Process:

1. Launch Coherence Orchestrator: /coherence for unified context engineering
2. Business Analysis: /analyst to gather and document requirements
3. Requirements Planning: /planning-requirements for structured requirement gathering
4. Stakeholder Review: /planning-stakeholder-review for requirement validation
5. Research Prompt: /research-prompt for deep analysis when needed

Deliverables:

• ✅ Requirements document with acceptance criteria
• ✅ Stakeholder sign-off
• ✅ Success metrics definition
• ✅ Risk assessment and mitigation plan

1.2 Architecture & Design Planning

/architect → System design → /design-architect → UI/UX design

Process:

1. System Architecture: /architect for technical design
2. Design Architecture: /design-architect for user experience
3. Architecture Planning: /planning-architecture for structured design process
4. Frontend Architecture: /frontend-architecture for UI/UX technical planning
5. Technology Stack: Document decisions using session notes

Deliverables:

• ✅ System architecture diagrams
• ✅ Database schema design
• ✅ API specifications
• ✅ UI/UX wireframes and prototypes
• ✅ Technology decision log

1.3 Project Planning & Estimation

/pm → Project planning → /po → Backlog creation → Sprint planning

Process:

1. Product Requirements: /planning-prd for comprehensive product requirements
2. Product Management: /pm for timeline and resource planning
3. Product Ownership: /po for backlog creation and prioritization
4. Epic Creation: /planning-epic for high-level feature planning
5. Project Brief: /planning-project-brief for project overview documentation

Deliverables:

• ✅ Project timeline with milestones
• ✅ Product backlog with user stories
• ✅ Sprint plans with story assignments
• ✅ Resource allocation matrix

Phase 2: Development Execution

2.1 Sprint Setup & Story Grooming

/po → Backlog grooming → /planning-groom → Story refinement

Weekly Process:

1. Backlog Grooming: /planning-groom for story refinement
2. Story Creation: /planning-stories or /user-stories for story development
3. Acceptance Criteria: /qa-acceptance-criteria for clear completion criteria
4. Sprint Planning: /sm for sprint coordination and story assignment
5. Validation Planning: /planning-validation for acceptance criteria verification

Success Criteria:

• ✅ All stories have clear acceptance criteria
• ✅ Story points are validated and agreed upon
• ✅ Sprint capacity matches team velocity
• ✅ Dependencies are identified and managed

2.2 Parallel Development Execution

/planning-stories → Story creation → /dev → Implementation → /qa-acceptance-criteria

Coordinated Development:

1. Parallel Story Planning: /planning-stories for batch story creation
2. Development Work: /dev or /developer for implementation
3. Quality Framework: /qa-framework for comprehensive testing setup
4. Continuous Integration: Regular code integration and testing
5. Next Story Planning: /planning-next-story for sprint continuation

Coordination Benefits:

• 🚀 Unified Context: Consistent story development across parallel work streams
• 🚀 Quality Integration: Coordinated QA processes with parallel execution
• 🚀 Session Continuity: Persistent context in .apm/session_notes/ directory

2.3 Quality Assurance & Testing

/qa → Quality planning → /qa-framework → Test execution → /test-strategy

QA Process:

1. Quality Assurance: /qa for quality planning and coordination
2. QA Framework: /qa-framework for comprehensive test setup
3. Test Strategy: /test-strategy for structured testing approach
4. Test Planning: /test-plan for detailed test case development
5. Quality Review: /qa-quality-review for test result validation
6. Automation Planning: /qa-automation-plan for test automation strategy

Quality Metrics:

• ✅ 90%+ test coverage
• ✅ Zero critical security vulnerabilities
• ✅ Performance benchmarks met
• ✅ All acceptance criteria validated

Phase 3: Integration & Deployment

3.1 System Integration

/architect → Integration review → /qa-framework → End-to-end testing

Integration Process:

1. Integration Planning: Coordinate component integration
2. End-to-End Testing: Full system validation
3. Performance Validation: System-wide performance testing
4. Security Hardening: Final security review and hardening

3.2 Deployment Preparation

/dev → Deployment scripts → /qa → Pre-prod validation

Deployment Process:

1. Deployment Automation: Create automated deployment scripts
2. Environment Setup: Configure production and staging environments
3. Data Migration: Plan and execute database migrations
4. Rollback Planning: Prepare rollback procedures

3.3 Go-Live & Monitoring

Production deployment → Monitoring setup → Support handoff

Go-Live Checklist:

• ✅ Production deployment successful
• ✅ Monitoring and alerting configured
• ✅ Support documentation complete
• ✅ User training materials ready

Phase 4: Post-Launch Support & Iteration

4.1 Production Support

/qa → Monitor issues → /dev → Bug fixes → /qa → Validation

Support Process:

1. Issue Monitoring: Track production issues and user feedback
2. Bug Triage: Prioritize and assign bug fixes
3. Hotfix Deployment: Rapid deployment for critical issues
4. Performance Monitoring: Ongoing performance optimization

4.2 Continuous Improvement

/analyst → Usage analysis → /po → Feature planning → Next sprint

Improvement Process:

1. Usage Analytics: Analyze user behavior and feature adoption
2. Feedback Collection: Gather user and stakeholder feedback
3. Feature Planning: Plan next iteration based on learnings
4. Process Optimization: Refine development processes

🎯 Decision Points & Branching

When to Use Parallel vs Sequential

Use Parallel Development When:

• ✅ Multiple independent components
• ✅ Tight delivery timelines
• ✅ Complex features with multiple acceptance criteria
• ✅ Team has capacity for parallel work

Use Sequential Development When:

• ✅ Simple, focused features
• ✅ Heavy dependencies between components
• ✅ Learning or prototype phase
• ✅ Limited development capacity

Persona Selection Guidelines

Project Phase → Primary Persona:

• Requirements: Analyst + Product Owner
• Architecture: System Architect + Design Architect
• Development: Developer + QA (parallel)
• Testing: QA + Performance specialist
• Deployment: Developer + System Administrator
• Support: QA + Developer (on-call rotation)

🚨 Common Pitfalls & Solutions

Pitfall 1: Requirements Drift

Problem: Requirements change during development Solution:

• Use /stakeholder-review at each sprint boundary
• Maintain traceability from requirements to code
• Regular /analyst reviews for requirement validation

Pitfall 2: Integration Hell

Problem: Components don't integrate smoothly Solution:

• Use /qa-framework at each integration point
• Continuous integration with automated testing
• Regular /architect reviews for integration planning

Pitfall 3: Technical Debt Accumulation

Problem: Code quality degrades over time Solution:

• Regular /qa-framework reviews
• Code review processes in development workflow
• Dedicated technical debt sprints

Pitfall 4: Communication Breakdown

Problem: Team members lose sync on project status Solution:

• Continuous session note updates
• Regular backlog.md maintenance
• Use /coherence for project coordination and status updates

📊 Success Metrics

Development Velocity

• Story Completion Rate: Target 85%+ sprint completion
• Cycle Time: From story start to deployment
• Lead Time: From requirement to delivery

Quality Metrics

• Defect Density: Bugs per feature or story point
• Test Coverage: Code coverage percentage
• Security Vulnerabilities: Critical and high-severity issues

Process Efficiency

• Parallel Execution Ratio: Percentage of work done in parallel
• Context Handoff Success: Smooth persona transitions
• Documentation Currency: How up-to-date project artifacts are

🛠️ Tools & Commands Summary

Essential Coherence Commands for Each Phase

Planning Phase:

• /coherence - Unified context engineering coordination
• /analyst - Requirements gathering
• /architect - System design
• /pm - Project planning
• /planning-requirements - Structured requirements gathering
• /planning-prd - Product requirements documentation

Development Phase:

• /planning-stories - Batch story creation
• /dev or /developer - Individual development work
• /qa-framework - Comprehensive testing setup
• /planning-groom - Backlog management
• /user-stories - Story development

Quality Assurance Phase:

• /qa - Quality coordination
• /test-strategy - Testing approach
• /test-plan - Detailed test planning
• /qa-regression-suite - Comprehensive testing
• /qa-quality-review - Quality validation

Support Phase:

• /qa - Issue detection and analysis
• /course-correction - Problem resolution
• /analyst - Post-launch analysis
• /monitor-tests - System monitoring

📚 Related Workflows

• Parallel Development - For performance-critical projects
• Session Management - For context continuity
• Team Collaboration - For multi-user environments
• Handoff Patterns - For smooth persona transitions

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Follow this workflow for consistent, high-quality software delivery using APM framework capabilities.