BMAD-METHOD/docs/reference/workflow-map.md

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Workflow Map Visual reference for BMad Method workflow phases and outputs

BMAD is a context management system. AI agents work best with clear, structured context. The BMM workflow builds that context progressively - each phase produces documents that inform the next, so agents always know what to build and why.

BMad Method Workflow Map

Phase 1: Analysis (Optional)

Explore the problem space and validate ideas before committing to planning.

Workflow Purpose Produces
research Validate market, technical, or domain assumptions Research findings
create-product-brief Capture strategic vision product-brief.md

Phase 2: Planning

Define what to build and for whom.

Workflow Purpose Produces
prd Define requirements (FRs/NFRs) PRD.md
create-ux-design Design user experience (when UX matters) ux-spec.md

Phase 3: Solutioning

Decide how to build it and break work into stories.

Workflow Purpose Produces
create-architecture Make technical decisions explicit architecture.md with ADRs
create-epics-and-stories Break requirements into implementable work Epic files with stories
check-implementation-readiness Gate check before implementation PASS/CONCERNS/FAIL decision

Phase 4: Implementation

Build it, one story at a time.

Workflow Purpose Produces
sprint-planning Initialize tracking (once per project) sprint-status.yaml
create-story Prepare next story for implementation story-[slug].md
dev-story Implement the story Working code + tests
code-review Validate implementation quality Approved or changes requested
correct-course Handle significant mid-sprint changes Updated plan or re-routing
retrospective Review after epic completion Lessons learned

Quick Flow (Parallel Track)

Skip phases 1-3 for small, well-understood work.

Workflow Purpose Produces
quick-spec Define an ad-hoc change tech-spec.md (story file for small changes)
quick-dev Implement from spec or direct instructions Working code + tests

Context Management

Each document becomes context for the next phase. The PRD tells the architect what constraints matter. The architecture tells the dev agent which patterns to follow. Story files give focused, complete context for implementation. Without this structure, agents make inconsistent decisions.

For brownfield projects, document-project creates or updates project-context.md - what exists in the codebase and the rules all implementation workflows must observe. Run it just before Phase 4, and again when something significant changes - structure, architecture, or those rules. You can also edit project-context.md by hand.

All implementation workflows load project-context.md if it exists. Additional context per workflow:

Workflow Also Loads
create-story epics, PRD, architecture, UX
dev-story story file
code-review architecture, story file
quick-spec planning docs (if exist)
quick-dev tech-spec