85 lines
1.9 KiB
Markdown
85 lines
1.9 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: "How to Document an Existing Project"
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description: How to document an existing brownfield codebase using BMad Method
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---
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Use the `document-project` workflow to scan your entire codebase and generate comprehensive documentation about its current state.
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---
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## When to Use This
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- Starting work on an undocumented legacy project
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- Documentation is outdated and needs refresh
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- AI agents need context about existing code patterns
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- Onboarding new team members
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---
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## Prerequisites
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- BMad Method installed in your project
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- Access to the codebase you want to document
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---
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## Steps
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### 1. Load the Analyst Agent
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Start a fresh chat and load the Analyst agent.
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### 2. Run the document-project Workflow
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Tell the agent:
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```
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Run the document-project workflow
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```
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### 3. Let the Agent Scan Your Codebase
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The workflow will:
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- Scan your codebase structure
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- Identify architecture patterns
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- Document the technology stack
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- Create reference documentation
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- Generate a PRD-like document from existing code
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### 4. Review the Generated Documentation
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The output will be saved to `project-documentation-{date}.md` in your output folder.
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Review the documentation for:
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- Accuracy of detected patterns
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- Completeness of architecture description
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- Any missing business rules or intent
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---
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## What You Get
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- **Project overview** - High-level description of what the project does
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- **Technology stack** - Detected frameworks, libraries, and tools
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- **Architecture patterns** - Code organization and design patterns found
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- **Business rules** - Logic extracted from the codebase
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- **Integration points** - External APIs and services
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---
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## Tips
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- Run this before any major brownfield work
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- Keep the documentation updated as the project evolves
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- Use it as input for future PRD creation
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---
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## Related
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- [Brownfield Development Guide](./index.md)
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- [Add Feature to Existing Project](./add-feature-to-existing.md)
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