Pipeline Stages

Type: Pipeline structure

The Six Stages

Stage Name Gate
1 Intake
2 Research (CIS loop) READY / NOT-READY
3 Planning PASS / FAIL
4 Implementation
5 Testing (TEA audit) PASS / PASS-WITH-FOLLOWUPS / REMEDIATE
6 Release SHIP / NO-SHIP

Stage Details

Stage 1 — Intake: Project directory created, intake.md written with classification. Determines whether full pipeline or quick path is used.

Stage 2 — Research: CIS loop (Context → Information → Synthesis). Produces a READY/NOT-READY gate decision.

Stage 3 — Planning: Documents: product-brief.md, prd.md, architecture.md, ux-design.md, planning-summary.md. Gate: PASS or FAIL. The prd.md follows the 9-section structure from bmad-method — tools like sharpener can generate this format from a single-sentence idea, making intake faster for solo builders.

Stage 4 — Implementation: User stories (user-story sized), sprint execution, per-story validation. Implementation summaries written per story.

Stage 5 — Testing: TEA audit. Tests against requirements, evaluates non-functional requirements, assesses overall quality. Three outcomes.

Stage 6 — Release: Operator decision to SHIP or NO-SHIP.