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NEXT-METHOD™ Documentation

Next Method - Iterative AI-driven development with BMAD-METHOD™

📖 Table of Contents

Overview
Quick Start
Core Concepts
Commands Reference
Workflow Phases
Usage Examples
Configuration
Integration with BMAD-METHOD
Troubleshooting
API Reference
Contributing

🎯 Overview

NEXT-METHOD is an intelligent wrapper around BMAD-METHOD that provides an iterative, guided development experience. Instead of manually choosing which tasks or commands to run, you simply type next repeatedly, and the system intelligently suggests and executes the next appropriate step.

Key Benefits

Reduced Cognitive Load - No need to remember what to do next
Guided Development - System suggests logical next steps
Context Awareness - Remembers progress and adapts suggestions
Faster Workflow - Less time deciding, more time doing
Learning Tool - Understands development workflow step by step
Full BMAD Access - All existing features preserved

🚀 Quick Start

Installation

# Global installation
npm install -g next-method

# Or use npx
npx next-method install

First Steps

# Navigate to your project directory
cd your-project

# Start the iterative development process
next

# Continue with next suggested step
next

# Keep going...
next

🧠 Core Concepts

The "Next" Philosophy

NEXT-METHOD transforms development from a manual decision-making process into an intelligent, guided workflow:

Before (BMAD-METHOD):

User must know what to do next → Manually choose command → Execute → Decide next step → Repeat...

After (NEXT-METHOD):

User types: next → System suggests next step → User confirms → System tracks progress → User types: next → System suggests next logical step → Repeat...

Context Management

NEXT-METHOD maintains persistent context about your project:

Project Type: Greenfield (new) vs Brownfield (existing)
Current Phase: Development phase tracking
Action History: Complete audit trail of all actions
Progress State: What's been completed and what's next

Intelligent Suggestions

The system provides context-aware recommendations based on:

Current project phase
Previous actions taken
Project type and characteristics
Development best practices

📋 Commands Reference

Core Commands

`next`

Get next suggested action and execute it interactively.

Options:

--auto, -a: Automatically execute the most logical next step
--suggest, -s: Show all available options without executing

Examples:

next                        # Interactive mode
next --auto                 # Auto-execute next step
next --suggest              # Show suggestions only

`next status`

Display current project status and context.

Output includes:

Current development phase
Project type
Last action performed
Recent action history

`next reset`

Reset the Next Method context (requires confirmation).

Use when:

Starting a new project
Clearing development history
Troubleshooting context issues

BMAD-METHOD Wrappers

`next install`

Install BMAD Method (wraps bmad install).

Options: All standard BMAD install options supported

next install --full
next install --expansion-only
next install --ide cursor

`next update`

Update existing BMAD installation (wraps bmad update).

Options: All standard BMAD update options supported

next update --force
next update --dry-run

NPM Scripts

npm run next          # Run next command locally
npm run next:auto     # Auto-execute next step
npm run next:suggest  # Show suggestions only

🏗️ Workflow Phases

NEXT-METHOD guides you through these development phases:

1. Project Detection

Purpose: Determine if working on greenfield or brownfield project
Trigger: First next command
Actions: Analyze directory structure, detect project markers

2. Project Creation/Analysis

Greenfield: Start new project structure
Brownfield: Analyze existing codebase and requirements
Output: Project context and initial assessment

3. Requirements Generation

Purpose: Create user stories and requirements
Prerequisites: Project analysis complete
Tools: BMAD-METHOD requirements generation

4. Architecture Design

Purpose: Design technical architecture
Prerequisites: Requirements defined
Output: Technical specifications and design documents

5. Implementation

Purpose: Code and develop features
Prerequisites: Architecture designed
Focus: Feature development and coding

6. Testing & Validation

Purpose: Test and validate implementation
Prerequisites: Features implemented
Activities: Unit testing, integration testing, QA

7. Deployment

Purpose: Deploy the application
Prerequisites: Testing completed
Activities: Production deployment, monitoring setup

💡 Usage Examples

Basic Iterative Workflow

# Start the process
next

# Continue with next suggestion
next

# Keep going...
next

# See all options
next --suggest

# Auto-execute next step
next --auto

Project Type Detection

# Empty directory - will detect as greenfield
mkdir new-project && cd new-project
next

# Existing project - will detect as brownfield
cd existing-project
next

Hands-Free Development

# Auto-execute multiple steps
next --auto
next --auto
next --auto

Custom BMAD Commands

# Install specific expansion pack
next install --expansion-packs game-dev

# Configure for specific IDE
next install --ide cursor --ide vscode

⚙️ Configuration

Context File

NEXT-METHOD creates a .next-context.json file in your project directory:

{
  "currentPhase": "start",
  "projectType": "greenfield",
  "lastAction": "create",
  "suggestions": [],
  "history": [
    {
      "timestamp": "2025-09-02T14:25:08.240Z",
      "action": "detect",
      "result": { "type": "greenfield" },
      "phase": "start"
    }
  ],
  "metadata": {}
}

Environment Variables

NEXT_DEBUG: Enable debug logging
NEXT_CONTEXT_FILE: Custom context file path
NEXT_AUTO_CONFIRM: Auto-confirm all actions

IDE Integration

NEXT-METHOD integrates with popular IDEs:

VS Code: Command palette integration
Cursor: AI assistant integration
JetBrains: Terminal integration
Vim/Emacs: Command-line integration

🔗 Integration with BMAD-METHOD

Preserved Functionality

NEXT-METHOD maintains 100% compatibility with BMAD-METHOD:

All Agents: Analyst, Architect, PM, Dev, QA, etc.
All Teams: Full-stack, UI-only, service-only teams
All Workflows: Greenfield, brownfield, expansion packs
All Commands: Install, update, build, validate, etc.

Command Mapping

NEXT-METHOD	BMAD-METHOD	Purpose
`next install`	`bmad install`	Install BMAD framework
`next update`	`bmad update`	Update installation
`next`	N/A	Iterative workflow

Expansion Packs

All BMAD-METHOD expansion packs work seamlessly:

Game Development: Unity, Phaser, etc.
Creative Writing: Story generation, content creation
Infrastructure: DevOps, cloud deployment
Custom Domains: Your own specialized agents

🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Context File Errors

# Reset context if corrupted
next reset

# Check context file permissions
ls -la .next-context.json

Command Not Found

# Ensure global installation
npm install -g next-method

# Check PATH
which next

BMAD Integration Issues

# Verify BMAD installation
next install --dry-run

# Check BMAD version
bmad --version

Debug Mode

Enable debug logging:

export NEXT_DEBUG=true
next

Getting Help

# Command help
next --help
next --help

# Status check
next status

# Reset if stuck
next reset

🔌 API Reference

NextMethodContext Class

class NextMethodContext {
  constructor()
  loadContext()
  saveContext()
  updateContext(updates)
  addToHistory(action, result)
  getNextSuggestions()
}

Context Object Structure

interface NextContext {
  currentPhase: string;
  projectType: 'greenfield' | 'brownfield' | null;
  lastAction: string | null;
  suggestions: Suggestion[];
  history: HistoryEntry[];
  metadata: Record<string, any>;
}

Suggestion Object

interface Suggestion {
  id: string;
  title: string;
  description: string;
  action: string;
  priority?: number;
}

🤝 Contributing

Development Setup

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/your-org/next-method.git

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Run tests
npm test

# Build
npm run build

Adding New Actions

Extend NextMethodContext: Add new action types
Update Suggestion Logic: Modify getNextSuggestions()
Implement Action: Create action handler function
Add Tests: Ensure functionality works correctly

Contributing Guidelines

Follow existing code style
Add comprehensive tests
Update documentation
Submit pull requests

📚 Additional Resources

Documentation

Community

Examples

NEXT-METHOD™ - Making AI-driven development as simple as typing "next" repeatedly! 🚀

Built with ❤️ for the AI-assisted development community

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