Getting Started

The SDLC pipeline is a set of prompts invoked as a Claude Code skill. You need Claude Code with the /sdlc skill installed. Once set up, you run commands in sequence to move from idea to implementation.

The Normal (Conversation) Path

The most thorough path. Have a conversation about each stage, then format it into a document.

1. Have a conversation about your product idea

   Describe what you want to build, who it is for, what it should do, and what it should not do. Discuss user stories, acceptance criteria, and constraints.

2. Run /sdlc draft-user

   Produces: sdlc/docs/draft.user.md — structured user stories, personas, functional requirements, and acceptance criteria extracted from the conversation.

3. Have a conversation about physical design

   Discuss architecture, components, data models, technology choices, platform decisions. Reference the user requirements document.

4. Run /sdlc draft-pdr

   Produces: sdlc/docs/draft.pdr.md — a Product Design Review with component interfaces, data model, dependencies, and configuration.

5. Have a conversation about implementation planning

   Discuss phase boundaries, priorities, risk ordering, milestones, and what to build first.

6. Run /sdlc draft-plan

   Produces: sdlc/docs/draft.plan.md — a phased release plan with task tables, dependencies, and acceptance criteria per phase.

7. Run /sdlc finalize

   Produces three final documents: sdlc/docs/final.user.md, sdlc/docs/final.pdr.md, sdlc/docs/final.plan.md. Performs gap analysis, adds traceability IDs, and cross-references all three documents.

8. Run /sdlc expand

   Produces: sdlc/plan/phase00/plan.md, sdlc/plan/phase01/plan.md, etc. — one self-contained execution plan per phase.

9. Run /sdlc implement

   Executes the next incomplete phase: writes code, updates task statuses with timestamps, runs verification, and commits. Run repeatedly or use /sdlc implement all for autonomous end-to-end execution.

The Fast Path

Conversation for user requirements only. The PDR and plan are generated directly from documents — faster, but the AI makes more design decisions autonomously.

1. Have a conversation about your product idea
2. Run /sdlc draft-user — produces sdlc/docs/draft.user.md
3. Run /sdlc gen-pdr — generates sdlc/docs/draft.pdr.md from user requirements
4. Run /sdlc gen-plan — generates sdlc/docs/draft.plan.md from the PDR
5. Run /sdlc finalize — same as normal path
6. Run /sdlc expand — same as normal path
7. Run /sdlc implement — same as normal path

The Mixed Path

Any combination of conversation (draft-*) and generation (gen-*) for the PDR and plan stages. User requirements always start from conversation — there is no gen-user.

Example: conversation for requirements, generated PDR, conversation for plan:

1. Conversation + /sdlc draft-user
2. /sdlc gen-pdr — generated from docs
3. Conversation + /sdlc draft-plan — discuss planning decisions
4. /sdlc finalize → /sdlc expand → /sdlc implement

What You Get at Each Step