BMAD-METHOD/docs/user-guide/agent-reference.md

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Agent Reference

Complete guide to all 10 specialized AI agents in the BMAD-Spec Orchestrator system.

Quick Reference

Agent Role Claude Thinking Primary Use
🔍 Analyst Requirements & Research think hard Market analysis, complexity scoring
📋 PM Product Management think harder Specifications, prioritization
🏗️ Architect System Design ultrathink Architecture, security design
🎨 UX Expert User Experience think hard Interface design, usability
💻 Developer Implementation think hard Code generation, testing
🧪 QA Quality Assurance think harder Testing strategy, validation
🧙 BMAD Master Universal Executor Dynamic Cross-domain problem solving
🎭 Orchestrator Workflow Coordination think hard Multi-agent coordination
📝 Product Owner Backlog Management think Story refinement, prioritization
🏃 Scrum Master Process Facilitation think Sprint management, process

Core Development Agents

🔍 Analyst Agent (Maya Chen)

Senior Business Analyst with complexity scoring expertise

Expertise

  • Market research and competitive analysis
  • Requirements gathering and validation
  • Business case development
  • Complexity assessment and scoring
  • Feasibility analysis

Claude Thinking Optimization

  • think hard for comprehensive market research
  • think hard for competitive positioning analysis
  • think for requirements validation and documentation

When Activated

"I need market research for a fintech application"
"Analyze the competitive landscape for task management tools"
"What's the complexity score for this project?"

Typical Outputs

  • Project Brief - Comprehensive overview with market context
  • Competitive Analysis - Detailed competitor research
  • Complexity Assessment - Multi-dimensional scoring (1-10 scale)
  • Feasibility Study - Technical and business feasibility

Quality Gates

  • Market data validation and source verification
  • Complexity scoring consistency checks
  • Business case completeness validation

📋 PM Agent (Alex Rodriguez)

Senior Product Manager with cross-agent validation

Expertise

  • Product requirements documentation (PRD)
  • Feature prioritization and roadmapping
  • User story creation and acceptance criteria
  • Stakeholder requirement management
  • Cross-functional coordination

Claude Thinking Optimization

  • think harder for complex feature prioritization
  • think harder for requirements trade-off analysis
  • think for user story validation and documentation

When Activated

"Create a comprehensive PRD for this application"
"Prioritize features for an MVP release"
"Break down this epic into user stories"

Typical Outputs

  • Product Requirements Document (PRD) - Complete specifications
  • User Stories - Detailed with acceptance criteria
  • Feature Prioritization - Matrix with business value scoring
  • Requirements Traceability - Mapping from business to technical

Quality Gates

  • Requirements completeness validation
  • Cross-validation with Analyst findings
  • User story acceptance criteria verification

🏗️ Architect Agent (Winston)

Master System Architect with parallel coordination

Expertise

  • System architecture and design patterns
  • Technology stack selection and evaluation
  • Security architecture and threat modeling
  • Scalability and performance planning
  • Integration and API design

Claude Thinking Optimization

  • ultrathink for comprehensive architecture decisions
  • ultrathink for security architecture and threat modeling
  • think harder for technology stack evaluation
  • think for implementation guidance validation

When Activated

"Design a microservices architecture for this system"
"Select the optimal technology stack"
"Create a security-first architecture"

Typical Outputs

  • System Architecture Document - Complete technical design
  • Technology Recommendations - Stack selection with rationale
  • Security Architecture - Threat model and protection strategies
  • Integration Specifications - API and service communication

Quality Gates

  • Architecture feasibility validation
  • Security requirements verification
  • Cross-validation with PM requirements

🎨 UX Expert Agent (Sam Parker)

Senior UX Designer with AI generation capabilities

Expertise

  • User experience design and research
  • User interface design and prototyping
  • Accessibility compliance (WCAG 2.1 AA)
  • Modern design system creation
  • AI tool integration for rapid prototyping

Claude Thinking Optimization

  • think hard for complex user experience optimization
  • think hard for accessibility and usability analysis
  • think for design system documentation

When Activated

"Design the user experience for this application"
"Create accessible interfaces following WCAG 2.1 AA"
"Generate modern UI specifications"

Typical Outputs

  • UX Specifications - Complete user experience design
  • UI Design System - Components, patterns, and guidelines
  • Accessibility Compliance - WCAG 2.1 AA validation
  • AI Generation Prompts - For rapid visual prototyping

Quality Gates

  • Accessibility compliance verification
  • Usability heuristic evaluation
  • Design system consistency validation

💻 Developer Agent (Jordan)

Expert Full-Stack Developer with quality standards

Expertise

  • Full-stack application development
  • Test-driven development and quality assurance
  • Security implementation and best practices
  • Performance optimization
  • Modern development frameworks and tools

Claude Thinking Optimization

  • think hard for complex implementation planning
  • think hard for architecture decision making
  • think for code quality validation and testing

When Activated

"Implement this feature with comprehensive testing"
"Create production-ready code following security best practices"
"Build the complete application architecture"

Typical Outputs

  • Complete Codebase - Production-ready implementation
  • Test Suite - Comprehensive testing (80%+ coverage)
  • Security Implementation - Following enterprise standards
  • Documentation - Technical and API documentation

Quality Gates

  • Code quality metrics validation
  • Security best practices verification
  • Test coverage threshold compliance (80%+)

🧪 QA Agent (Riley Thompson)

Senior Test Architect with comprehensive validation

Expertise

  • Test strategy and planning
  • Risk-based testing approaches
  • Quality assurance methodologies
  • Comprehensive validation frameworks
  • Production readiness assessment

Claude Thinking Optimization

  • think harder for comprehensive risk assessment
  • think harder for test strategy optimization
  • think for quality validation and reporting

When Activated

"Create a comprehensive test strategy"
"Assess production readiness"
"Review code quality and suggest improvements"

Typical Outputs

  • Test Strategy Document - Comprehensive testing approach
  • Quality Assessment Report - Production readiness evaluation
  • Risk Analysis - Potential issues and mitigation strategies
  • Quality Gate Decisions - Go/no-go recommendations

Quality Gates

  • Test coverage validation
  • Risk assessment completeness
  • Production readiness criteria verification

Orchestration Agents

🧙 BMAD Master Agent (Universal Executor)

Universal task executor with cross-domain expertise

Expertise

  • Cross-domain problem solving
  • Universal task execution
  • Resource coordination and optimization
  • Multi-specialty integration
  • Enterprise standards application

Claude Thinking Optimization

  • Dynamic allocation based on task complexity
  • ultrathink for critical cross-domain decisions
  • think harder for complex coordination tasks

When Activated

"Handle this complex multi-domain challenge"
"Execute this task that spans multiple specializations"
"Coordinate resources across different domains"

Typical Outputs

  • Comprehensive Solutions - Spanning multiple specializations
  • Resource Coordination Plans - Optimal resource allocation
  • Cross-Domain Integration - Unified approach to complex problems
  • Enterprise Standards Application - Universal quality standards

🎭 BMAD Orchestrator Agent (Workflow Manager)

Master coordinator for multi-agent workflows

Expertise

  • Multi-agent workflow coordination
  • Intelligent workflow selection
  • Agent communication and handoffs
  • Quality gate management
  • Performance optimization

Claude Thinking Optimization

  • think hard for workflow optimization decisions
  • think hard for agent coordination strategies
  • think for progress monitoring and reporting

When Activated

"Coordinate multiple agents for this complex project"
"Optimize the workflow for maximum efficiency"
"Manage the multi-agent development process"

Typical Outputs

  • Workflow Plans - Optimized multi-agent execution
  • Coordination Strategy - Agent handoff and communication
  • Progress Reports - Real-time workflow monitoring
  • Quality Orchestration - Cross-agent validation coordination

📝 Product Owner Agent (Backlog Manager)

Backlog management and story refinement specialist

Expertise

  • Product backlog management
  • Epic and story breakdown
  • Stakeholder requirement coordination
  • Sprint planning and prioritization
  • Requirements refinement

Claude Thinking Optimization

  • think for standard backlog management
  • think for story refinement and validation
  • Optimized for efficiency in routine tasks

When Activated

"Manage the product backlog for this project"
"Break down epics into implementable stories"
"Refine requirements for development sprint"

Typical Outputs

  • Product Backlog - Prioritized and refined requirements
  • Epic Breakdown - Stories with clear acceptance criteria
  • Sprint Plans - Development-ready work packages
  • Requirement Refinement - Clarified and validated needs

🏃 Scrum Master Agent (Process Facilitator)

Sprint facilitation and process optimization specialist

Expertise

  • Agile process facilitation
  • Sprint planning and management
  • Team coordination and communication
  • Process improvement and optimization
  • Impediment removal and resolution

Claude Thinking Optimization

  • think for process optimization
  • think for team coordination strategies
  • Focused on efficient process management

When Activated

"Facilitate the sprint planning process"
"Optimize team coordination and communication"
"Manage the development process efficiently"

Typical Outputs

  • Sprint Plans - Structured development cycles
  • Process Documentation - Optimized workflows
  • Team Coordination - Clear communication protocols
  • Process Improvements - Continuous optimization recommendations

Agent Interaction Patterns

Sequential Workflows

Most projects follow logical agent sequences:

1. Analyst → 2. PM → 3. Architect → 4. UX Expert → 5. Developer → 6. QA

Parallel Execution

For medium to complex projects:

Architect + UX Expert (parallel) → Developer → QA

Orchestrated Workflows

For complex enterprise projects:

Orchestrator → (All agents in optimized sequence) → Master (final integration)

Agent Activation Examples

Direct Agent Activation

"Activate the Architect agent to design a microservices system"
"I need the UX Expert to create accessible user interfaces"
"Have the QA agent review this implementation strategy"

Automatic Agent Selection

"Create a task management web application"
→ System selects appropriate agents based on complexity

"Build a secure fintech API"
→ Analyst, Architect, Developer, QA automatically activated

Multi-Agent Workflows

"Design and implement a comprehensive CRM system"
→ Full orchestration with all 10 agents coordinated

Quality Standards

All agents follow enterprise rules:

Writing Excellence

  • Professional, human-like communication
  • No corporate jargon or AI patterns
  • Clear, actionable documentation

Code Quality

  • 80%+ test coverage requirement
  • Security-first development practices
  • Performance optimization standards

Security Standards

  • Zero-trust architecture principles
  • Comprehensive validation requirements
  • Audit trail maintenance

Design Standards

  • WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility compliance
  • Mobile-first responsive design
  • Performance-optimized interfaces

Customization Options

Adding Custom Agents

Create new agents in .claude/agents/:

custom-agent/
├── prompt.md              # Agent definition and capabilities
├── expertise.md           # Domain-specific knowledge
└── guidelines.md          # Custom operation guidelines

Modifying Existing Agents

Edit agent prompts to:

  • Add domain-specific expertise
  • Modify thinking trigger usage
  • Customize output formats
  • Integrate organization standards

Troubleshooting

Agent Not Activating

  1. Verify .claude/agents/ directory structure
  2. Check agent prompt.md files exist
  3. Confirm CLAUDE.md references agents correctly

Poor Agent Performance

  1. Review Claude thinking trigger usage
  2. Verify enterprise rules integration
  3. Check context preservation between agents

Quality Issues

  1. Validate quality gates are active
  2. Review cross-agent validation settings
  3. Confirm enterprise rules are applied

Support


Master the 10-agent ecosystem for enterprise development