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/sdlc-studio [type] [action] - SDLC pipeline: requirements, specifications, code, testing. Run /sdlc-studio help for commands and /sdlc-studio status for next steps.

SKILL.md

Full skill instructions

SDLC Studio

Manage project specifications and test artifacts. Supports the full pipeline from PRD creation through Epic decomposition, User Story generation, and streamlined test automation.

Critical Philosophy (Read This First)

Two modes for every artifact type:

ModePurposeWhen to Use
createAuthor new specifications from user inputGreenfield projects, new features
generateExtract specifications from existing codeBrownfield projects, documentation gaps

New to Create vs Generate? Read reference-philosophy.md - it explains why these modes exist and how they differ fundamentally.

Using generate mode? You MUST read reference-philosophy.md#generate-mode first - generated specs must be validated by tests.

Generate mode is NOT documentation. It produces a migration blueprint - a specification detailed enough that another team could rebuild the system in a different technology stack. Generated specs MUST be validated by running tests against the existing implementation.

Quick Start

/​sdlc-studio help                    # Show command reference
/​sdlc-studio status                  # Check pipeline state and next steps
/​sdlc-studio prd generate            # Create PRD from codebase
/​sdlc-studio trd generate            # Create TRD from codebase
/​sdlc-studio epic                    # Generate Epics from PRD
/​sdlc-studio story                   # Generate Stories from Epics
/​sdlc-studio bug                     # Create or list bugs
/​sdlc-studio code plan               # Plan implementation for story
/​sdlc-studio code implement          # Execute implementation plan
/​sdlc-studio code test               # Run tests with traceability
/​sdlc-studio code verify             # Verify code against AC
/​sdlc-studio code check              # Run linters and checks
/​sdlc-studio tsd                      # Create test strategy document
/​sdlc-studio test-spec               # Generate test specifications
/​sdlc-studio test-automation         # Generate executable tests
/​sdlc-studio story plan              # Preview story workflow
/​sdlc-studio story implement         # Execute story workflow (all phases)
/​sdlc-studio epic plan               # Preview epic workflow (all stories)
/​sdlc-studio epic implement          # Execute epic workflow (all stories)

Get Help for Any Type

/​sdlc-studio {type} help             # Show help for specific type

Examples:

/​sdlc-studio prd help                # PRD commands and options
/​sdlc-studio epic help               # Epic generation help
/​sdlc-studio bug help                # Bug tracking help
/​sdlc-studio code help               # Code plan/​test/​verify/​check help
/​sdlc-studio test-spec help          # Test specification help
/​sdlc-studio test-automation help    # Test automation help

Each help page shows:

  • Available actions and what they do
  • Prerequisites
  • Output format and location
  • Examples
  • Next steps

When to Use

  • "Create a PRD for this project"
  • "Generate requirements from this codebase"
  • "Create a TRD for this project"
  • "Generate technical requirements from this codebase"
  • "Generate epics from the PRD"
  • "Create user stories from the epics"
  • "Create personas for this project"
  • "Report a bug I found"
  • "List all open bugs"
  • "Fix this bug"
  • "Plan the implementation for this story"
  • "Implement the plan for this story"
  • "Implement this story with TDD"
  • "Check my code quality"
  • "Verify my code against acceptance criteria"
  • "Run the tests for this epic" → /​sdlc-studio code test --epic EP0001
  • "Generate test specifications"
  • "Create automated tests from specs"
  • "What's the current status of my specs?"
  • "Run the full workflow for this story"
  • "Implement all stories in this epic"
  • "Show me the workflow plan for US0024"
  • /​sdlc-studio prd, /​sdlc-studio trd, /​sdlc-studio epic, /​sdlc-studio story, /​sdlc-studio persona
  • /​sdlc-studio bug, /​sdlc-studio bug list, /​sdlc-studio bug fix, /​sdlc-studio bug verify, /​sdlc-studio bug close
  • /​sdlc-studio code plan, /​sdlc-studio code implement, /​sdlc-studio code test, /​sdlc-studio code verify, /​sdlc-studio code check
  • /​sdlc-studio tsd, /​sdlc-studio test-spec, /​sdlc-studio test-automation
  • /​sdlc-studio story plan, /​sdlc-studio story implement, /​sdlc-studio epic plan, /​sdlc-studio epic implement
  • /​sdlc-studio status

Instructions

When invoked with /​sdlc-studio [type] [action]:

  1. Parse Command: Extract type and action from arguments
  2. Load Help File: Read help/​{type}.md for command-specific guidance
  3. Check Philosophy: If generate mode, load reference-philosophy.md#generate-mode FIRST
  4. Follow Progressive Loading:
    • Load reference files only for multi-step workflows
    • Load templates only when creating artifacts
    • Load decision files when choosing approaches (TDD, Ready status)
  5. Execute Workflow: Follow step-by-step procedure in reference file
  6. Update Status: Modify artifact status markers per reference-outputs.md
  7. Validate: Check Ready criteria in reference-decisions.md before proceeding

See "Progressive Loading Guide" below for detailed file loading patterns.

Progressive Loading Guide

Claude loads files progressively based on task needs:

Task TypePrimary LoadSecondary LoadDecision Load
Understanding commandhelp/​{type}.md--
Create mode workflowhelp/​{type}.mdreference-{domain}.mdreference-philosophy.md#create-mode
Generate mode workflowreference-philosophy.md#generate-modehelp/​{type}.mdreference-{domain}.md
Creating artifactstemplates/​{type}-template.mdreference-outputs.md-
Planning codereference-code.md#code-plan-workflowreference-decisions.md#story-readybest-practices/​{language}.md
Choosing TDD/​Test-Afterreference-decisions.md#tdd-decision-treereference-test-best-practices.md-
Validating Ready statusreference-decisions.md#{type}-readyreference-outputs.md-

Reference file mapping:

DomainReference File
PRD workflowsreference-prd.md#prd-create-workflow, reference-prd.md#prd-generate-workflow
TRD workflowsreference-trd.md#trd-create-workflow, reference-trd.md#trd-generate-workflow
Persona workflowsreference-persona.md#persona-create-workflow, reference-persona.md#persona-generate-workflow
Epic workflowsreference-epic.md#epic-workflow
Story workflowsreference-story.md#story-workflow, reference-story.md#story-generate-workflow
Bug workflowsreference-bug.md#bug-workflow
Code plan/​implement/​verify/​test/​checkreference-code.md#code-plan-workflow, reference-code.md#code-implementation-workflow
TSD/​test-spec/​test-automationreference-testing.md
Architecture decisionsreference-architecture.md
Cross-stage decisions, Ready criteriareference-decisions.md#tdd-decision-tree, reference-decisions.md#story-ready
Create vs Generate philosophyreference-philosophy.md#create-mode, reference-philosophy.md#generate-mode
Test writing guidelinesreference-test-best-practices.md
E2E and mocking patternsreference-test-e2e-guidelines.md
Output formats and status valuesreference-outputs.md#output-formats, reference-outputs.md#status-transitions

Arguments

ArgumentDescriptionDefault
typeSee Type Reference belowRequired
actioncreate, generate, review, plan, verify, check, list, fix, close, helpvaries
--outputOutput path (file or directory)varies by type
--prdPRD file path (for epic)sdlc-studio/​prd.md
--epicSpecific epic IDall epics
--storySpecific story IDauto-select
--bugSpecific bug IDauto-select
--severityBug severity filter (critical, high, medium, low)all
--specSpecific test spec ID (for test-automation)all specs
--typeTest type filter (unit, integration, api, e2e)all types
--frameworkOverride framework detectionauto-detect
--personasPersonas file pathsdlc-studio/​personas.md
--forceOverwrite existing filesfalse
--no-fixReport without auto-fixing (code check)false
--verboseDetailed test outputfalse
--planSpecific plan ID (for implement)auto-select
--tddForce TDD mode (for implement)plan recommendation
--no-tddForce Test-After mode (for implement)plan recommendation
--docsUpdate documentation (for implement)true
--no-docsSkip documentation updates (for implement)false
--from-phaseResume workflow from phase N (for story implement)1
--skipSkip specific story (for epic implement)none

Type Reference

TypeDescription
prdProduct Requirements Document
trdTechnical Requirements Document
tsdTest Strategy Document (project-level)
personaUser Personas
epicFeature groupings (Epics)
storyUser Stories with acceptance criteria
codeImplementation planning, testing, and quality
test-specConsolidated test specification (plan + cases + fixtures)
test-automationGenerate executable test code
bugBug tracking and traceability
statusVisual dashboard: Requirements, Code, Tests health
hintSingle actionable next step
helpShow command reference and examples

Command Reference

Pipeline Status

CommandDescription
/​sdlc-studio statusVisual dashboard with three pillars
/​sdlc-studio status --testingTests pillar only
/​sdlc-studio status --workflowsWorkflow state only
/​sdlc-studio status --briefOne-line summary

Three Pillars:

  • 📋 Requirements (PRD Status) - PRD, Personas, Epics, Stories
  • 💻 Code (TRD Status) - TRD, Lint, TODOs
  • 🧪 Tests (TSD Status) - Coverage, E2E features

Requirements Pipeline

CommandDescription
/​sdlc-studio hintGet single actionable next step
/​sdlc-studio helpShow command reference and examples
/​sdlc-studio prdAsk which mode (create/​generate/​review)
/​sdlc-studio prd createInteractive PRD creation
/​sdlc-studio prd generateExtract PRD from codebase (brownfield)
/​sdlc-studio prd reviewReview PRD against codebase, update status
/​sdlc-studio epicGenerate Epics from PRD
/​sdlc-studio epic reviewReview Epic status from codebase
/​sdlc-studio storyGenerate User Stories from Epics
/​sdlc-studio story generateExtract detailed specs from CODE (brownfield)
/​sdlc-studio story reviewReview Story status from codebase
/​sdlc-studio personaAsk which mode (create/​generate/​review)
/​sdlc-studio persona createInteractive persona creation
/​sdlc-studio persona generateInfer personas from codebase (brownfield)
/​sdlc-studio persona reviewReview and refine existing personas

Technical Requirements

CommandDescription
/​sdlc-studio trdAsk which mode (create/​generate/​review)
/​sdlc-studio trd createInteractive TRD creation
/​sdlc-studio trd generateExtract TRD from architecture (brownfield)
/​sdlc-studio trd reviewReview TRD against implementation

Bug Tracking

CommandDescription
/​sdlc-studio bugCreate new bug (interactive)
/​sdlc-studio bug listList all bugs
/​sdlc-studio bug list --status openList open bugs
/​sdlc-studio bug list --severity criticalList critical bugs
/​sdlc-studio bug list --epic EP0001List bugs for epic
/​sdlc-studio bug fix --bug BG0001Start fixing a bug
/​sdlc-studio bug verify --bug BG0001Verify bug fix
/​sdlc-studio bug close --bug BG0001Close a bug
/​sdlc-studio bug reopen --bug BG0001Reopen a closed bug

Development Pipeline

CommandDescription
/​sdlc-studio code planPlan next incomplete story
/​sdlc-studio code plan --story US0001Plan specific story
/​sdlc-studio code plan --epic EP0001Plan next story in epic
/​sdlc-studio code implementImplement next planned story
/​sdlc-studio code implement --plan PL0001Implement specific plan
/​sdlc-studio code implement --story US0001Implement by story
/​sdlc-studio code implement --tddForce TDD mode
/​sdlc-studio code implement --no-docsSkip doc updates
/​sdlc-studio code verifyVerify next In Progress story
/​sdlc-studio code verify --story US0001Verify specific story
/​sdlc-studio code testRun all tests
/​sdlc-studio code test --epic EP0001Run tests for specific epic
/​sdlc-studio code test --story US0001Run tests for specific story
/​sdlc-studio code test --type unitRun only unit tests
/​sdlc-studio code checkRun linters with auto-fix
/​sdlc-studio code check --no-fixCheck only, no changes

Testing Pipeline

CommandDescription
/​sdlc-studio tsdCreate test strategy document
/​sdlc-studio tsd generateInfer strategy from codebase
/​sdlc-studio tsd reviewReview and update strategy
/​sdlc-studio test-specGenerate test specs from epics/​stories
/​sdlc-studio test-spec --epic EP0001Generate for specific Epic
/​sdlc-studio test-spec generateReverse-engineer from existing tests
/​sdlc-studio test-spec reviewSync automation status
/​sdlc-studio test-automationGenerate executable tests
/​sdlc-studio test-automation --spec TS0001Generate for specific spec
/​sdlc-studio test-automation --type unitGenerate only unit tests

Workflow Automation

CommandDescription
/​sdlc-studio story plan --story US0001Preview story workflow
/​sdlc-studio story implement --story US0001Execute story workflow
/​sdlc-studio story implement --tddExecute with TDD approach
/​sdlc-studio story implement --from-phase 3Resume from phase
/​sdlc-studio epic plan --epic EP0001Preview epic workflow
/​sdlc-studio epic implement --epic EP0001Execute epic workflow
/​sdlc-studio epic implement --story US0001Resume from story
/​sdlc-studio epic implement --skip US0001Skip specific story

Workflows

For detailed step-by-step workflows, see reference files:

  • reference-prd.md, reference-trd.md, reference-persona.md - PRD, TRD, Persona workflows
  • reference-epic.md, reference-story.md, reference-bug.md - Epic, Story, Bug workflows
  • reference-code.md - Code plan, implement, review, check, test workflows
  • reference-testing.md - TSD, Test Spec, Test Automation workflows

Navigation Map

By Domain

Requirements:

  • reference-prd.md - Product Requirements workflows
  • reference-trd.md - Technical Requirements workflows
  • reference-persona.md - User Persona workflows

Specifications:

  • reference-epic.md - Epic generation and management
  • reference-story.md#story-generation-workflow - User Story workflows
  • reference-bug.md - Bug tracking workflows

Development:

  • reference-code.md#code-plan-workflow - Code planning
  • reference-code.md#code-implementation-workflow - Implementation

Testing:

  • reference-testing.md - Test Strategy, Spec, Automation
  • reference-test-best-practices.md - Testing guidelines
  • reference-test-e2e-guidelines.md - E2E patterns

Cross-Cutting:

  • reference-decisions.md - Ready criteria, TDD decisions, enforcement
  • reference-philosophy.md - Create vs Generate modes
  • reference-outputs.md - Output formats and status values (single source of truth)
  • reference-architecture.md - Architectural decisions

By Workflow Stage

  1. Requirements → reference-prd.md, reference-trd.md
  2. Decomposition → reference-epic.md, reference-story.md
  3. Planning → reference-code.md#code-plan-workflow
  4. Implementation → reference-code.md#code-implementation-workflow
  5. Testing → reference-testing.md, reference-test-best-practices.md
  6. Validation → reference-decisions.md#{type}-ready

For output formats, status values, and file locations: See reference-outputs.md

Examples

# Requirements
/​sdlc-studio prd generate             /​sdlc-studio prd create
/​sdlc-studio epic                     /​sdlc-studio story --epic EP0001

# Bugs
/​sdlc-studio bug                      /​sdlc-studio bug list --status open
/​sdlc-studio bug fix --bug BG0001     /​sdlc-studio bug verify --bug BG0001

# Development (manual)
/​sdlc-studio code plan --story US0001 /​sdlc-studio code implement
/​sdlc-studio code implement --tdd     /​sdlc-studio code implement --no-docs
/​sdlc-studio code test --story US0001 /​sdlc-studio code verify
/​sdlc-studio code check

# Workflow automation (recommended)
/​sdlc-studio story plan --story US0001    /​sdlc-studio story implement --story US0001
/​sdlc-studio epic plan --epic EP0001      /​sdlc-studio epic implement --epic EP0001
/​sdlc-studio story implement --from-phase 3  # Resume from phase
/​sdlc-studio epic implement --story US0002   # Resume from story

# Testing
/​sdlc-studio test-spec --epic EP0001  /​sdlc-studio test-automation
/​sdlc-studio status

See help/​{type}.md for full examples per type.

Error Handling

Missing prerequisites: Prompts to run earlier pipeline step (e.g., no PRD → prd, no epics → epic, no stories → story, no plans → code plan). Existing files: Warns and asks to continue unless --force. No type: Asks user which type. ID collision: Auto-increments. Open questions: Reports and pauses. Unknown language: Asks user to specify framework.

Typical Workflow

Greenfield (Create Mode)


PRD → TRD → Personas → Epics → Stories
                                  │
                    ┌─────────────┴─────────────┐
                    │                           │
              TDD Path                    Test-After Path
              (test-first)                (code-first)
                    │                           │
              test-spec                    code plan
                    │                           │
              code plan                   code implement
                    │                           │
         code implement --tdd              test-spec
                    │                           │
              code verify                 test-automation
                    │                           │
              code test                     code verify
                                                │
                                            code test

Per-story choice: You choose TDD or Test-After for each story, not globally. Both paths produce the same artifacts, just in different order.

Automated Workflow (Recommended)

For streamlined development, use workflow automation:


PRD → TRD → Personas → Epics → Stories
                                  │
                          story plan --story US0001
                                  │
                          story implement --story US0001
                                  │
                          (all 7 phases run automatically)

Or at the epic level:


PRD → TRD → Personas → Epics → Stories
                                  │
                          epic plan --epic EP0001
                                  │
                          epic implement --epic EP0001
                                  │
                          (all stories processed in dependency order)

Workflow phases per story:

  1. Plan (code plan)
  2. Test Spec (test-spec)
  3. Tests (test-automation)
  4. Implement (code implement)
  5. Test (code test)
  6. Verify (code verify)
  7. Check (code check)
  8. Review (status review)

Brownfield (Specification Extraction)


prd generate → trd generate → persona generate → epic → story generate → test-spec → test-automation → code test (VALIDATE)

Critical: The code test step validates specs against reality. Not optional.

Development Cycle


code plan → code implement → code test → code verify → code check

Status: Draft/​Ready → Planned → In Progress → Review → Done

Daily Usage


/​sdlc-studio status          # Visual dashboard - what needs attention?
/​sdlc-studio status --brief  # Quick: Requirements 85% | Code 90% | Tests 94%
/​sdlc-studio hint            # Single next step
/​sdlc-studio code plan       # Plan next story
/​sdlc-studio code implement  # Execute plan

See Also

Philosophy: reference-philosophy.md - Read this first. Explains Create vs Generate modes and why generate mode produces migration blueprints, not documentation.

Decisions: reference-decisions.md - Decision impact matrix, TDD decision tree, Ready status criteria, cross-stage validation checkpoints.

Help: help/​help.md (main), help/​{type}.md (type-specific)

References: reference-prd.md, reference-trd.md, reference-persona.md (Requirements), reference-epic.md, reference-story.md, reference-bug.md (Specifications), reference-architecture.md (Architecture), reference-code.md (Code, Test), reference-testing.md (Test artifacts), reference-test-best-practices.md (Test pitfalls), reference-test-e2e-guidelines.md (E2E patterns)

Templates: templates/​prd-template.md, trd-template.md, epic-template.md, story-template.md, personas-template.md, plan-template.md, plan-index-template.md, bug-template.md, bug-index-template.md, tsd-template.md, test-spec-template.md, automation/​*.template