BMAD-METHOD/bmm/workflows/2-plan-workflows/prd/steps/step-05-domain.md

name	description	workflow_path	thisStepFile	nextStepFile	workflowFile	outputFile	domainComplexityCSV	advancedElicitationTask	partyModeWorkflow
step-05-domain	Explore domain-specific requirements for complex domains (optional step)	{project-root}/_bmad/bmm/workflows/2-plan-workflows/prd	{workflow_path}/steps/step-05-domain.md	{workflow_path}/steps/step-06-innovation.md	{workflow_path}/workflow.md	{planning_artifacts}/prd.md	{workflow_path}/domain-complexity.csv	{project-root}/_bmad/core/workflows/advanced-elicitation/workflow.xml	{project-root}/_bmad/core/workflows/party-mode/workflow.md

Step 5: Domain-Specific Exploration

Progress: Step 5 of 11 - Next: Innovation Focus

MANDATORY EXECUTION RULES (READ FIRST):

• 🛑 NEVER generate content without user input

• 📖 CRITICAL: ALWAYS read the complete step file before taking any action - partial understanding leads to incomplete decisions

• 🔄 CRITICAL: When loading next step with 'C', ensure the entire file is read and understood before proceeding

• ✅ ALWAYS treat this as collaborative discovery between PM peers

• 📋 YOU ARE A FACILITATOR, not a content generator

• 💬 FOCUS on domain-specific requirements and compliance needs

• 🎯 OPTIONAL STEP: Only proceed if complexity_level = "high" from step-02

• ✅ YOU MUST ALWAYS SPEAK OUTPUT In your Agent communication style with the config {communication_language}

EXECUTION PROTOCOLS:

• 🎯 Show your analysis before taking any action
• ⚠️ Present A/P/C menu after generating domain content
• 💾 ONLY save when user chooses C (Continue)
• 📖 Update frontmatter stepsCompleted: [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] before loading next step
• 🚫 FORBIDDEN to load next step until C is selected

COLLABORATION MENUS (A/P/C):

This step will generate content and present choices:

• A (Advanced Elicitation): Use discovery protocols to develop deeper domain insights
• P (Party Mode): Bring domain expertise perspectives to explore requirements
• C (Continue): Save the content to the document and proceed to next step

PROTOCOL INTEGRATION:

• When 'A' selected: Execute {project-root}/_bmad/core/workflows/advanced-elicitation/workflow.xml
• When 'P' selected: Execute {project-root}/_bmad/core/workflows/party-mode/workflow.md
• PROTOCOLS always return to this step's A/P/C menu
• User accepts/rejects protocol changes before proceeding

CONTEXT BOUNDARIES:

• Current document and frontmatter from previous steps are available
• Domain complexity from step-02 should be "high" to justify this step
• Domain-specific CSV data will be loaded in this step
• Focus on compliance, regulations, and domain-specific constraints

OPTIONAL STEP CHECK:

Before proceeding with this step, verify:

• Is complexity_level from step-02 equal to "high" and/or does the domain have specific regulatory/compliance needs?
• Would domain exploration significantly impact the product requirements?

If NO to these questions, skip this step and load {project-root}/_bmad/bmm/workflows/2-plan-workflows/prd/steps/step-06-innovation.md.

YOUR TASK:

Explore domain-specific requirements for complex domains that need specialized compliance, regulatory, or industry-specific considerations.

DOMAIN EXPLORATION SEQUENCE:

1. Load Domain Configuration Data

Load domain-specific configuration for complex domains:

• Load {project-root}/_bmad/bmm/workflows/2-plan-workflows/prd/domain-complexity.csv completely
• Find the row where domain matches the detected domain from step-02
• Extract these columns:
  • key_concerns (semicolon-separated list)
  • required_knowledge (domain expertise needed)
  • web_searches (suggested research queries)
  • special_sections (domain-specific sections to document)

2. Present Domain Complexity Context

Start by explaining why this step is needed: "Since {{project_name}} is in the {domain} domain with high complexity, we need to explore domain-specific requirements.

Key Concerns for {domain}: [List the key_concerns from CSV]

This step will help us understand regulatory requirements, compliance needs, and industry-specific constraints that will shape our product."

3. Explore Domain-Specific Requirements

For each concern in key_concerns from the CSV:

Domain Concern Exploration:

• Ask the user about their approach to this concern
• Discuss implications for the product design and requirements
• Document specific requirements, constraints, and compliance needs

Example for Healthcare Domain: If key_concerns = "FDA approval;Clinical validation;HIPAA compliance;Patient safety;Medical device classification;Liability"

Ask about each:

• "Will this product require FDA approval? What classification?"
• "How will you validate clinical accuracy and safety?"
• "What HIPAA compliance measures are needed?"
• "What patient safety protocols must be in place?"
• "What liability considerations affect the design?"

4. Synthesize Domain Requirements

Based on the conversation, synthesize domain requirements that will shape everything:

Categories to Document:

• Regulatory requirements (from key_concerns)
• Compliance needs (from key_concerns)
• Industry standards (from required_knowledge)
• Safety/risk factors (from key_concerns)
• Required validations (from key_concerns)
• Special expertise needed (from required_knowledge)

Explain how these inform:

• What features are mandatory
• What NFRs are critical
• How to sequence development
• What validation is required

5. Generate Domain-Specific Content

Prepare the content to append to the document:

Content Structure:

When saving to document, append these Level 2 and Level 3 sections:

## Domain-Specific Requirements

### [Domain Name] Compliance & Regulatory Overview

[Domain context summary based on conversation]

### Key Domain Concerns

[Key concerns addressed based on conversation]

### Compliance Requirements

[Compliance requirements based on conversation]

### Industry Standards & Best Practices

[Industry standards based on conversation]

### Required Expertise & Validation

[Required knowledge and validation based on conversation]

### Implementation Considerations

[Implementation implications based on conversation]

6. Handle Special Sections

Parse special_sections list from the matched CSV row. For each section name, generate corresponding subsections:

Example mappings from CSV:

• "clinical_requirements" → Add clinical validation requirements
• "regulatory_pathway" → Document approval pathway timeline
• "safety_measures" → Specify safety protocols and monitoring
• "compliance_matrix" → Create compliance tracking matrix

7. Present Content and Menu

Show the generated domain content and present choices: "I've documented the {domain}-specific requirements that will shape {{project_name}}. These constraints are critical for success in this complex domain.

Here's what I'll add to the document:

[Show the complete markdown content from step 6]

What would you like to do? [A] Advanced Elicitation - Let's dive deeper into these domain requirements [P] Party Mode - Bring domain expertise perspectives to validate requirements [C] Continue - Save this and move to Innovation Focus (Step 6 of 11)"

8. Handle Menu Selection

If 'A' (Advanced Elicitation):

• Execute {project-root}/_bmad/core/workflows/advanced-elicitation/workflow.xml with the current domain content
• Process the enhanced domain insights that come back
• Ask user: "Accept these domain requirement improvements? (y/n)"
• If yes: Update content with improvements, then return to A/P/C menu
• If no: Keep original content, then return to A/P/C menu

If 'P' (Party Mode):

• Execute {project-root}/_bmad/core/workflows/party-mode/workflow.md with the current domain requirements
• Process the collaborative domain expertise and validation
• Ask user: "Accept these changes to domain requirements? (y/n)"
• If yes: Update content with improvements, then return to A/P/C menu
• If no: Keep original content, then return to A/P/C menu

If 'C' (Continue):

• Append the content to {outputFile}
• Update frontmatter: add this step name to the end of the steps completed array
• Load {project-root}/_bmad/bmm/workflows/2-plan-workflows/prd/steps/step-06-innovation.md

APPEND TO DOCUMENT:

When user selects 'C', append the content directly to the document using the structure from step 6.

SUCCESS METRICS:

✅ Domain complexity properly validated as high before proceeding ✅ All key concerns from CSV explored with user input ✅ Compliance requirements clearly documented ✅ Domain expertise needs identified and documented ✅ Special sections generated per CSV configuration ✅ A/P/C menu presented and handled correctly ✅ Content properly appended to document when C selected

FAILURE MODES:

❌ Proceeding with domain exploration when complexity is not high ❌ Not loading or using CSV domain configuration properly ❌ Missing critical domain concerns from the key_concerns list ❌ Not connecting domain requirements to product implications ❌ Generating generic content without domain-specific details ❌ Not presenting A/P/C menu after content generation ❌ Appending content without user selecting 'C'

❌ CRITICAL: Reading only partial step file - leads to incomplete understanding and poor decisions ❌ CRITICAL: Proceeding with 'C' without fully reading and understanding the next step file ❌ CRITICAL: Making decisions without complete understanding of step requirements and protocols

SKIP CONDITIONS:

Skip this step and load {project-root}/_bmad/bmm/workflows/2-plan-workflows/prd/steps/step-06-innovation.md if:

• complexity_level from step-02 is not "high"
• Domain has no specific regulatory/compliance requirements
• User confirms domain exploration is not needed

NEXT STEP:

After user selects 'C' and content is saved to document, load {project-root}/_bmad/bmm/workflows/2-plan-workflows/prd/steps/step-06-innovation.md.

Remember: Do NOT proceed to step-06 until user explicitly selects 'C' from the A/P/C menu and content is saved!