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Inter-Agent Communication Task

Purpose

Establish structured communication protocols between BMAD agents to ensure seamless collaboration, efficient information transfer, and coordinated execution of complex multi-agent workflows.

Communication Framework

1. Shared Context Management

Project Context File Structure:

project-context.yml:
  project:
    name: "Project Name"
    phase: "Current Phase"
    status: "Active/On-Hold/Complete"
  
  artifacts:
    project-brief: "docs/project-brief.md"
    prd: "docs/prd.md"
    architecture: "docs/architecture.md"
    ui-spec: "docs/ui-spec.md"
    stories: "docs/stories/"
  
  active-work:
    current-agent: "Agent Name"
    current-task: "Task Description"
    blockers: []
    dependencies: []
  
  decisions:
    - decision: "Description"
      made-by: "Agent"
      rationale: "Reasoning"
      date: "Date"
  
  handoffs:
    pending:
      - from: "Agent A"
        to: "Agent B"
        artifact: "Document"
        notes: "Special considerations"
    completed:
      - from: "Agent X"
        to: "Agent Y"
        artifact: "Document"
        timestamp: "Date/Time"

2. Agent Handoff Protocol

Structured Handoff Template:

## Agent Handoff

### From: [Source Agent]
### To: [Target Agent]
### Date: [Timestamp]

### Deliverables
- **Primary Artifact**: [Main document/output]
- **Supporting Documents**: [List of related files]
- **Context Files**: [Shared context, decisions, etc.]

### Key Information
- **Completed Work**: [What was accomplished]
- **Critical Decisions**: [Important choices made and why]
- **Assumptions**: [Any assumptions that need validation]
- **Open Questions**: [Items needing clarification]

### Special Considerations
- **Constraints**: [Technical, business, or resource constraints]
- **Risks**: [Identified risks requiring attention]
- **Dependencies**: [External dependencies to track]
- **Suggestions**: [Recommendations for next steps]

### Success Criteria
- [Specific criteria for successful completion of next phase]
- [Quality benchmarks to maintain]
- [Deadlines or time constraints]

### Tools and Resources
- **Recommended Tools**: [Specific tools that would be helpful]
- **Reference Materials**: [Documentation, examples, etc.]
- **Contact Points**: [Stakeholders or experts to consult]

3. Communication Patterns

Pattern 1: Sequential Handoff

Analyst → PM → Architect → Design Architect → PO → SM → Dev

Communication:
- Each agent creates handoff document
- Updates shared context file
- Notifies next agent of readiness
- Provides feedback to previous agent

Pattern 2: Parallel Collaboration

Architect + Design Architect (working simultaneously)

Communication:
- Shared design decisions document
- Regular sync points defined
- Conflict resolution protocol
- Merged deliverables process

Pattern 3: Iterative Feedback

Dev ↔ QA (continuous testing loop)

Communication:
- Real-time issue reporting
- Fix verification workflow
- Regression test triggers
- Quality metrics sharing

Pattern 4: Escalation Path

Any Agent → PO → PM → Stakeholder

Communication:
- Issue escalation criteria
- Impact assessment required
- Decision documentation
- Resolution communication

4. Information Exchange Formats

Status Update Format:

## Status Update - [Agent Name]
### Date: [Timestamp]

### Progress
- **Completed**: [List of completed items]
- **In Progress**: [Current work items]
- **Blocked**: [Blockers and needed help]

### Metrics
- **Velocity**: [On track/Ahead/Behind]
- **Quality**: [Metrics or assessments]
- **Risks**: [New or changed risks]

### Next Steps
- [Planned activities]
- [Expected completion]
- [Dependencies needed]

Decision Record Format:

## Decision Record #[Number]
### Title: [Decision Title]
### Date: [Timestamp]
### Participants: [Agents involved]

### Context
[Background and why decision was needed]

### Options Considered
1. **Option A**: [Description]
   - Pros: [Benefits]
   - Cons: [Drawbacks]
2. **Option B**: [Description]
   - Pros: [Benefits]
   - Cons: [Drawbacks]

### Decision
[Selected option and rationale]

### Implications
- **Technical**: [Technical impacts]
- **Timeline**: [Schedule impacts]
- **Resources**: [Resource impacts]

### Action Items
- [Specific actions needed]
- [Responsible agents]
- [Deadlines]

5. Tool-Enabled Communication

Using Todo System for Coordination:

// Agent A creates tasks for Agent B
TodoWrite({
  todos: [
    {
      id: "handoff-001",
      content: "Review PRD and provide architecture feedback",
      status: "pending",
      priority: "high",
      assigned: "Architect",
      created_by: "PM",
      due_date: "2024-01-20"
    }
  ]
})

Using Shared Files for Context:

# Create shared context file
Write("project-context.yml", context_data)

# Update after each major change
Edit("project-context.yml", old_section, new_section)

# Read before starting work
Read("project-context.yml")

Using Git for Coordination:

# Create feature branch for agent work
git checkout -b feature/analyst-research

# Commit with agent identifier
git commit -m "Analyst: Complete market research and competitive analysis"

# Create PR with handoff information
gh pr create --title "Analyst → PM: Project Brief Ready" \
  --body "$(cat handoff-template.md)"

6. Conflict Resolution

Conflict Types and Resolution:

1. Requirement Conflicts

Detection: Multiple interpretations of requirements
Resolution: PM facilitates clarification session
Documentation: Updated PRD with clarifications

2. Technical Conflicts

Detection: Incompatible technical decisions
Resolution: Architect leads technical review
Documentation: Architecture decision record

3. Timeline Conflicts

Detection: Competing priorities or deadlines
Resolution: PO prioritizes based on business value
Documentation: Updated project timeline

4. Resource Conflicts

Detection: Multiple agents need same resources
Resolution: SM coordinates resource allocation
Documentation: Resource allocation matrix

7. Communication Best Practices

1. Clarity and Completeness

Use structured templates for consistency
Include all relevant context and decisions
Avoid ambiguous language
Provide specific examples when helpful

2. Timeliness

Communicate blockers immediately
Provide regular status updates
Complete handoffs promptly
Respond to queries within defined SLAs

3. Traceability

Link all decisions to requirements
Maintain audit trail of changes
Reference source documents
Use unique identifiers for tracking

4. Efficiency

Avoid redundant communication
Use appropriate detail level
Leverage automation where possible
Batch related communications

8. Monitoring and Improvement

Communication Metrics:

Handoff completion time
Rework due to miscommunication
Query resolution time
Stakeholder satisfaction

Continuous Improvement:

Regular retrospectives on communication
Pattern analysis for common issues
Template and process refinement
Tool optimization for better flow

Integration with BMAD Workflow

This communication framework integrates seamlessly with the BMAD methodology:

Analyst Phase: Establishes initial context and communication patterns
PM Phase: Defines stakeholder communication protocols
Architecture Phase: Technical communication standards
Development Phase: Real-time collaboration patterns
Validation Phase: Feedback and improvement loops

The framework ensures that as the Self-Evolving BMAD Framework learns and improves, communication patterns also evolve to support increasingly efficient collaboration between agents.

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