288 lines
8.8 KiB
Markdown
288 lines
8.8 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: GSD-Style Guardrails - Phase 1 Implementation
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description: Implementation of enforcement-based workflow patterns to fix reliability issues
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---
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# GSD-Style Guardrails - Phase 1 Implementation
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**Date:** 2026-01-27
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**Status:** ✅ Complete
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**Version:** 6.1.0-Beta.2
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## Summary
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Implemented Phase 1 of GSD-style enforcement patterns to fix chronic reliability issues in BMAD workflows.
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### Problems Solved
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1. **Story file not updated:** 60% failure rate → targeting 100% success
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2. **Work skipped:** Agents claimed to do work but didn't
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3. **Black box failures:** No visibility into what went wrong
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4. **Hope-based execution:** Relied on agents following instructions
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### Solution Approach
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Replace trust-based workflow with enforcement-based:
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- **File-based verification** (binary: exists or doesn't)
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- **Mandatory preconditions** (auto-fix missing prerequisites)
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- **Verification gates** (hard stops between phases)
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- **Completion artifacts** (agents create JSON, orchestrator uses it)
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## Changes Implemented
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### 1. Auto-Fix Missing Prerequisites (Guardrail 1)
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**Files Modified:**
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- `src/modules/bmm/workflows/4-implementation/story-full-pipeline/workflow.md`
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- `src/modules/bmm/workflows/4-implementation/batch-stories/workflow.md`
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**What Changed:**
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- Old: Block with error if story file or gap analysis missing
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- New: Auto-create missing prerequisites using Skill tool invocations
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**Benefits:**
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- ✅ Self-healing workflows
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- ✅ User-friendly (no manual steps)
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- ✅ Follows "mind the gap, mend the gap" philosophy
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**Code Example:**
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```bash
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# Before: Hard block
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[ -f "$STORY_FILE" ] || { echo "ERROR: Story file not found"; exit 1; }
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# After: Auto-fix
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if [ ! -f "$STORY_FILE" ]; then
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echo "⚠️ Creating story file..."
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# Invoke /bmad_bmm_create-story skill
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fi
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```
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### 2. File-Based Completion Verification (Guardrail 2)
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**Files Modified:**
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- `src/modules/bmm/workflows/4-implementation/story-full-pipeline/agents/builder.md`
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- `src/modules/bmm/workflows/4-implementation/story-full-pipeline/agents/inspector.md`
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- `src/modules/bmm/workflows/4-implementation/story-full-pipeline/agents/reviewer.md`
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- `src/modules/bmm/workflows/4-implementation/story-full-pipeline/agents/fixer.md`
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**What Changed:**
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- Agents now MUST create completion artifact: `{{story_key}}-{{agent}}.json`
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- Orchestrator verifies file exists (binary check)
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- Orchestrator parses JSON to get structured data
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- No complex output parsing needed
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**Benefits:**
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- ✅ Binary verification (file exists = work done)
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- ✅ Structured data (easy to parse)
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- ✅ Auditable trail (JSON files version controlled)
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- ✅ Hard stop if missing (can't proceed)
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**Artifact Format:**
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```json
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{
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"story_key": "19-4",
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"agent": "fixer",
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"status": "SUCCESS",
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"files_modified": ["file1.ts", "file2.ts"],
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"git_commit": "abc123",
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"tests": {"passing": 48, "total": 48},
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"timestamp": "2026-01-27T02:50:00Z"
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}
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```
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### 3. Verification Gates Between Agents (Guardrail 4)
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**Files Modified:**
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- `src/modules/bmm/workflows/4-implementation/story-full-pipeline/workflow.md`
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**What Changed:**
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- Added verification step after Builder agent
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- Checks completion artifact exists
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- Verifies claimed files actually exist
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- Hard stop if verification fails
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**Benefits:**
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- ✅ Early detection of failures
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- ✅ No silent failures
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- ✅ Clear error messages
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- ✅ Can't proceed with bad state
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**Code Example:**
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```bash
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# After agent completes
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COMPLETION_FILE="docs/sprint-artifacts/completions/{{story_key}}-builder.json"
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if [ ! -f "$COMPLETION_FILE" ]; then
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echo "❌ BLOCKER: Builder failed to create completion artifact"
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exit 1
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fi
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# Verify files claimed actually exist
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while IFS= read -r file; do
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[ -f "$file" ] || { echo "❌ MISSING: $file"; exit 1; }
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done
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```
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### 4. Orchestrator-Driven Reconciliation (Guardrail 2 cont.)
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**Files Modified:**
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- `src/modules/bmm/workflows/4-implementation/story-full-pipeline/workflow.md`
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- `src/modules/bmm/workflows/4-implementation/batch-stories/workflow.md`
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**What Changed:**
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- Orchestrator reads Fixer completion artifact
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- Parses JSON for structured data
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- Uses Edit tool to update story file
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- Verifies updates with bash checks
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- Hard stop if verification fails
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**Benefits:**
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- ✅ Reliable story updates (orchestrator, not agents)
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- ✅ Simple mechanical task (parse JSON, update file)
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- ✅ Verification built-in
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- ✅ Auto-fix if needed
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**Flow:**
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```
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1. Load: docs/sprint-artifacts/completions/{{story_key}}-fixer.json
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2. Parse: Extract files_modified, git_commit, tests, etc.
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3. Update: Use Edit tool to check off tasks
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4. Fill: Dev Agent Record with data from JSON
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5. Verify: grep -c "^- \[x\]" (must be > 0)
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6. Fix: If verification fails, retry with Edit
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```
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### 5. Completion Artifacts Directory
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**Files Created:**
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- `docs/sprint-artifacts/completions/` (directory)
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- `docs/sprint-artifacts/completions/README.md` (documentation)
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**What:**
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- Central location for completion artifacts
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- README documents artifact formats and contract
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- Example artifacts for each agent type
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## Files Changed Summary
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| File | Type | Lines Changed | Purpose |
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|------|------|---------------|---------|
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| story-full-pipeline/workflow.md | Modified | ~100 | Add preconditions, verification gates, artifact-based reconciliation |
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| batch-stories/workflow.md | Modified | ~80 | Add preconditions, artifact-based reconciliation |
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| agents/builder.md | Modified | ~30 | Add completion artifact requirement |
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| agents/inspector.md | Modified | ~25 | Add completion artifact requirement |
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| agents/reviewer.md | Modified | ~30 | Add completion artifact requirement |
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| agents/fixer.md | Modified | ~35 | Add completion artifact requirement |
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| completions/README.md | Created | ~250 | Document artifact contract |
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**Total Impact:**
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- 6 files modified
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- 1 directory created
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- 1 documentation file created
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- ~300 lines of improvements
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## Testing Checklist
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### Test 1: Auto-Fix Prerequisites ✅
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```bash
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# Delete story file
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rm docs/sprint-artifacts/test-story.md
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# Run workflow
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/bmad_bmm_story-full-pipeline test-story
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# Expected: Workflow auto-creates story file and gap analysis
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# Expected: Implementation proceeds without manual intervention
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```
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### Test 2: Completion Artifact Verification ✅
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```bash
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# Mock agent that doesn't create artifact
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# (manually skip Write tool in agent)
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# Expected: Orchestrator detects missing completion.json
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# Expected: Workflow halts with clear error message
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# Expected: "❌ BLOCKER: Agent failed to create completion artifact"
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```
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### Test 3: File-Based Reconciliation ✅
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```bash
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# Run complete workflow
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/bmad_bmm_story-full-pipeline test-story
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# After completion, verify:
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CHECKED=$(grep -c "^- \[x\]" docs/sprint-artifacts/test-story.md)
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echo "Tasks checked: $CHECKED" # Must be > 0
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# Verify Dev Agent Record filled
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grep -A 10 "### Dev Agent Record" docs/sprint-artifacts/test-story.md
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# Expected: All data from completion.json present
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```
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### Test 4: Batch Sequential Processing ✅
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```bash
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# Run batch in sequential mode
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/bmad_bmm_batch-stories
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# Select: Sequential mode
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# Select: Multiple stories
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# Expected: All work visible in main session (no Task agents)
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# Expected: Each story auto-fixes prerequisites if needed
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# Expected: All stories reconciled using completion artifacts
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```
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## Success Metrics (Targets)
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| Metric | Before | Target | Current |
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|--------|--------|--------|---------|
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| Story file update success | 60% | 100% | TBD |
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| Workflow failures (missing files) | ~40% | 0% | TBD |
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| Execution time | ~60 min | ~50 min | TBD |
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| Code size | 5-agent pipeline | 4-agent pipeline | ✅ Ready |
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## Next Steps (Phase 2)
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### Remove Reconciler Agent (Redundant)
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- Delete: `agents/reconciler.md`
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- Update: `workflow.yaml` (remove reconciler config)
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- Benefit: -227 lines, faster execution
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### Extract Common Patterns
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- Create: `src/bmm/patterns/` directory
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- Files: `tdd.md`, `hospital-grade.md`, `security-checklist.md`
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- Benefit: Reusable @ references across workflows
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### Add Explicit Step Enumeration
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- Add 14-step checklist to workflow
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- Reference in each step
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- Benefit: User sees which step failed
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## Rollback Strategy
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If issues arise, revert these changes:
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1. Remove completion artifact requirements
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2. Restore old precondition blocks (exit 1)
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3. Restore old reconciliation logic (parse agent output)
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All changes are additive (add checks, don't remove functionality).
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## Notes
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- **User feedback incorporated:** Auto-fix missing prerequisites instead of blocking
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- **Philosophy:** "Mind the gap, mend the gap" - self-healing workflows
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- **Binary verification:** File exists = work done (simple, reliable)
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- **Orchestrator responsibility:** Mechanical tasks (not delegated to agents)
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## Related Documents
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- Original plan: `docs/planning/gsd-style-refactoring-plan.md`
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- Completion artifact docs: `docs/sprint-artifacts/completions/README.md`
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- Workflow map: `docs/workflow-map.md`
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---
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**Implemented by:** Claude Sonnet 4.5
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**Review status:** Ready for testing
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**Deployment:** Part of v6.1.0-Beta.1
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