MAJOR BREAKING CHANGES: Phase 4 completely reengineered for developer efficiency and quality
🚀 **Phase 4 Streamlined & Supercharged:**
- **Reduced from 11 to 5 essential workflows** (55% reduction in complexity)
- **Eliminated redundant steps** that created token waste and confusion
- **Created single source of truth** story files with comprehensive implementation context
- **Achieved more reliable results** with fewer steps and better developer guidance
💡 **Revolutionary Dev Agent Behavior Fixes:**
- **Story file is now LAW:** Tasks/subtasks sequence is absolutely binding
- **Red-green-refactor enforcement:** Tests written first, validated, then implementation
- **Zero tolerance for cheating:** Tests must ACTUALLY exist and pass before marking complete
- **Sequential execution only:** No more "doing whatever you want" - follow the story exactly
- **Continuous execution:** No premature pausing until all tasks complete
🎯 **Quality Competition System:**
- **Enhanced story context engine** prevents common LLM development mistakes
- **Quality competition between LLMs** ensures optimal story preparation
- **Comprehensive anti-pattern prevention** stops wheel reinvention and wrong approaches
- **Developer optimization focus** for maximum clarity with minimum verbosity
📋 **Enhanced Definition of Done:**
- **27-point validation checklist** covers all implementation aspects
- **Multiple validation gates** prevent claiming work that isn't actually done
- **Comprehensive test requirements** ensure no functionality goes untested
- **File tracking and documentation** for complete project visibility
🔧 **Technical Improvements:**
- **Variable consistency** throughout all workflow files
- **XML instruction format** for better workflow engine compatibility
- **Proper ask tag handling** for user interaction clarity
- **Project context integration** without blocking implementation
- **Fixed all agent schema compliance** for proper array formatting
**Result:** Phase 4 now delivers superior development outcomes with:
- ✅ **55% fewer workflows** to learn and maintain
- ✅ **Dramatically reduced token usage** and context switching
- ✅ **Eliminated dev agent behavioral issues** that caused quality problems
- ✅ **Faster time-to-completion** with more reliable, predictable results
- ✅ **Better developer experience** with clearer guidance and validation
This represents the most significant Phase 4 improvement since BMAD Method inception - fundamentally fixing developer workflow quality while drastically simplifying the implementation process.
## The Tale of the Frame Expert
Once upon a time, BMad Method had a specialized agent called Frame Expert.
This agent was the master of all visual artifacts - flowcharts, diagrams,
wireframes, data flows. Whenever anyone needed a diagram, they called upon
Frame Expert. The agent lived in its own isolated domain with four dedicated
workflows and a library of shared templates.
## The Awakening
But something felt wrong. Teams using BMad Method were meant to mirror real
agile teams - Product Managers, Architects, UX Designers, Tech Writers,
Developers. Each agent represented an authentic role you'd find in any
software team.
Except Frame Expert.
No real agile team has a "Frame Expert" or "Diagram Specialist" who creates
all visual artifacts. In real teams, Architects diagram system architecture.
PMs flowchart processes. UX Designers wireframe interfaces. Tech Writers
create documentation diagrams. The visuals emerge from the domain experts
who need them, not from a centralized diagram factory.
Frame Expert was an abstraction that made technical sense but violated the
very soul of BMad Method - authentic agile role modeling.
## The Transformation
And so Frame Expert was dissolved, its knowledge distributed to those who
truly needed it:
**The Architect** inherited system architecture diagrams and data flows -
the blueprints of technical systems they design.
**The Product Manager** received process flowcharts - the visual maps of
features and workflows they orchestrate.
**The UX Designer** claimed wireframes - the interface sketches that bring
their vision to life.
**The Tech Writer** gained all diagram types - the visual aids that clarify
their documentation.
Each agent now creates diagrams in their domain, using their expertise,
serving their purpose.
## The Shared Knowledge
But the wisdom of diagram creation itself - the Excalidraw templates, the
component libraries, the validation patterns - this knowledge was too
valuable to scatter. It was elevated to core resources, where both BMM
agents AND the new CIS presentation-master agent could draw upon it.
Shared infrastructure for common needs. Distributed execution for domain
expertise.
## The Ripple Effects
With diagrams now properly distributed, other misalignments became visible:
Epic creation was happening in Phase 2 (Planning), before Architecture
existed. But epics need architectural context - API contracts, data models,
technical decisions. So epic creation migrated to Phase 3 (Solutioning),
after Architecture provides that foundation.
Workflow paths were updated. Documentation gained visual flowcharts showing
the complete journey. Agent naming standards were clarified - filenames are
stable roles, persona names are user dreams.
## What Changed
**Removed:**
- frame-expert.agent.yaml (the centralized specialist)
- All frame-expert workflows and shared resources
- Phase 2 epic creation workflow (wrong timing)
- game-design workflow path (consolidated to method track)
- v6-open-items.md (planning doc, now complete)
**Distributed Diagram Capabilities:**
- Architect: create-excalidraw-diagram, create-excalidraw-dataflow
- PM: create-excalidraw-flowchart
- Tech Writer: create-excalidraw-{diagram,dataflow,flowchart}, generate-mermaid
- UX Designer: create-excalidraw-wireframe
**Created:**
- src/core/resources/ (shared diagram context for all modules)
- src/modules/cis/agents/presentation-master.agent.yaml (visual comms specialist)
- src/modules/bmm/workflows/3-solutioning/create-epics-and-stories/ (epic creation's new home)
- src/modules/bmm/workflows/diagrams/ (distributed diagram implementations)
- src/modules/bmm/docs/images/ (workflow visualization assets)
**Enhanced:**
- All agent definitions with domain-appropriate diagram workflows
- Documentation with embedded workflow diagrams and visual guides
- Agent compilation docs with critical naming convention rules
- All 4 workflow paths (enterprise/method × brownfield/greenfield)
**Fixed:**
- Epic creation now in Phase 3 after Architecture
- Story context path variables in BMGD module
- PRD workflow descriptions (epics moved to Phase 3)
## For Users
The Frame Expert commands are gone. In their place:
- Need architecture diagrams? Ask `/architect`
- Need process flows? Ask `/pm`
- Need wireframes? Ask `/ux-designer`
- Need documentation visuals? Ask `/tech-writer`
Each expert creates diagrams in their domain, with their context, using
their judgment.
This is how real teams work.
Brian Madison