The 6-Phase Lifecycle

Every project follows the same disciplined flow. No shortcuts. No skipped steps.

Visual Flow

DEFINE → PLAN → BUILD → VERIFY → REVIEW → SHIP

Phase 1: DEFINE

Write the spec before any code. Interview requirements. Lock scope.

Skills

spec-driven-development, architecture-analysis, interview-me, idea-refine

Output: SPEC.md, DESIGN.md, .gitignore

Gate: No code until contract exists (Rule 7).

Phase 2: PLAN

Break work into atomic tasks. Each task must be independently testable.

Skills

planning-and-task-breakdown

Output: Task list with acceptance criteria

Phase 3: BUILD

Implement one slice at a time. Test each slice before expanding.

Skills

incremental-implementation, test-driven-development, source-driven-development, doubt-driven-development

Output: Working code with tests

Gate: Each slice tested before expanding.

Phase 4: VERIFY

Run tests. Check builds. Verify behavior.

Skills

test-driven-development, debugging-and-error-recovery, browser-testing-with-devtools

Output: Passing tests, clean build

Phase 5: REVIEW

Code review. Security. Performance. Quality.

Skills

code-review-and-quality, security-and-hardening, performance-optimization

Output: Review report, quality gates passed

If UI work, run the 9-skill design review pipeline: critique → audit → clarify → hard → polish → typeset → adapt → optimize → delight

Phase 6: SHIP

Clean commits. CI/CD. Deploy.

Skills

git-workflow-and-versioning, ci-cd-and-automation, shipping-and-launch

Output: Deployed code, documentation updated

Purpose-Driven Execution

The lifecycle weights phases by session purpose:

Purpose	Primary Phases	Key Skills
Brainstorming	DEFINE	interview-me, idea-refine
Development	DEFINE → BUILD	spec-driven, incremental, TDD
Code Review	REVIEW	code-review, security, performance
Debugging	VERIFY	debugging-and-error-recovery
PR Review	REVIEW → SHIP	pr-review-checklist.sh