Workflow Management

Purpose

Coordinate the complete SDLC workflow across all 10 agents for StudyAbroad-v1, managing phase transitions, enforcing gate validations, and ensuring smooth project progression from requirements to production.

When to Use

• Starting a new feature or project
• Transitioning between SDLC phases
• Daily standup coordination
• When agents report completion or blocking issues
• Gate validation checkpoints
• Escalation decisions

Prerequisites

• Project initialized with CLAUDE.md
• .sdlc/workflow-state.json exists
• All agent definitions loaded
• 12 Factors configuration available

Process

Step 1: Initialize Workflow State

1. Check if .sdlc/workflow-state.json exists
2. If new project, create initial state:
   {
     "project": "studyabroad-v1",
     "current_phase": "requirements",
     "phases_completed": [],
     "gates_passed": [],
     "active_tasks": [],
     "blockers": []
   }
3. Load 12 Factors enforcement rules
4. Initialize agent communication channels

Step 2: Determine Current Phase

1. Read workflow-state.json
2. Identify current phase from:
   - requirements → architecture → design → test_design
   - implementation → testing → validation → deployment → operations
3. List pending gate requirements
4. Identify assigned agents for current phase

Step 3: Coordinate Agent Activities

1. For current phase, activate relevant agents:
   - Requirements: requirements-agent
   - Architecture: architecture-agent, security-agent
   - Design: design-agent
   - Test Design: test-manager-agent
   - Implementation: developer-agent, test-manager-agent
   - Testing: test-manager-agent, security-agent
   - Deployment: devops-agent
   - Operations: operations-agent
2. Distribute tasks based on agent capabilities
3. Monitor progress and collect outputs

Step 4: Validate Phase Gate

1. Collect all artifacts from current phase
2. Run gate checklist validation
3. Check all required approvals
4. Document validation results
5. If passed: transition to next phase
6. If failed: report blockers, assign remediation

Step 5: Handle Phase Transition

1. Update workflow-state.json:
   - Move current phase to phases_completed
   - Add gate to gates_passed
   - Set new current_phase
2. Notify all agents of transition
3. Archive phase artifacts
4. Initialize next phase requirements

Inputs

Input	Type	Required	Description
workflow-state.json	JSON	Yes	Current workflow state
project_brief	String	For new projects	Feature/project description
gate_id	String	For validation	Gate to validate (GATE-1 to GATE-8)
agent_report	JSON	For updates	Status report from agent

Outputs

Output	Type	Description
workflow-state.json	JSON	Updated workflow state
phase_report.md	Markdown	Summary of phase completion
gate_validation.json	JSON	Gate validation results
agent_assignments.json	JSON	Current task assignments

StudyAbroad-Specific Considerations

• User journey stages (discovery→application→preparation→abroad→return) map to feature groupings
• External API integrations require architecture review gate
• GDPR compliance checkpoint at design gate
• OAuth2/SSO implementation requires security sign-off

Integration Points

• Spec Kit: /speckit.specify, /speckit.plan, /speckit.implement commands
• BMAD: Orchestrator and Scrum Master agent coordination
• Ralph Wiggum: /ralph-loop for autonomous task iteration until completion
• Superpowers: /superpowers:execute-plan for implementation
• 12 Factors: Enforcement rules checked at each gate

Examples

# Start new feature
/orchestrate start "Implement university search with filtering"

# Check status
/orchestrate status
> Current Phase: design
> Gate 2 (Architecture): PASSED
> Gate 3 (Design): 3/5 items complete
> Blockers: None
> Active Agents: design-agent

# Validate gate
/orchestrate validate GATE-3
> Checking Design Gate...
> ✓ OpenAPI spec complete
> ✓ Module designs documented
> ✗ Wireframes pending approval
> ✗ Error taxonomy incomplete
> Gate GATE-3: NOT PASSED (2 items remaining)

Validation

• All phase artifacts exist in expected locations
• Gate checklist 100% complete
• No unresolved blockers
• Agent acknowledgment of phase transition
• Audit log updated with transition record