Instruction file imported from ReaperOAK/csefarewell2k25 (
.github/instructions/sdlc.instructions.md). Copyright stays with the author.
SDLC Lifecycle
1. Stage-Based Pipeline
RULE: Ticket state is determined by directory location under ticket-state/.
RULE: There are 11 possible stages. Each ticket type traverses a defined subset.
RULE: Dispatcher-claim protocol applies per stage: Ticketer performs CLAIM commit, then subagent performs WORK commit.
Available Stages
READY > RESEARCH > PM > ARCHITECT > DevOps > BACKEND > UIDesigner > FRONTEND > QA > SECURITY > CI > DOCS > VALIDATION > DONE
Stage Definitions
| Stage | Description | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| READY | Dependencies met, eligible for claim | System (tickets.py) |
| RESEARCH | Evidence-based research, PoC, analysis | Research Analyst |
| PM | Project management, stakeholder communication | ProductManager |
| ARCHITECT | Architecture design, ADRs, API contracts | Architect |
| DevOps | Infrastructure, deployment, monitoring | DevOps |
| BACKEND | Server-side implementation, APIs, business logic | Backend |
| UIDesigner | UI/UX design, mockups, prototypes, import from figma/stitch | UIDesigner |
| FRONTEND | UI implementation, components, layouts | Frontend |
| QA | Test coverage, functional verification, mutation testing | QA |
| SECURITY | Vulnerability scan, STRIDE, OWASP review | Security |
| CI | Lint, type checks, complexity analysis | CIReviewer |
| DOCS | Documentation updates, JSDoc/TSDoc, README | Documentation Specialist |
| VALIDATION | Independent DoD review, upstream verdict verification | Validator |
| DONE | Lifecycle complete | System |
Rework Rules
RULE: REWORK is a side-state entered on rejection by QA, Security, Validator, or CI. RULE: Maximum 3 combined rework attempts per ticket. RULE: After 3 reworks => ESCALATED to human. RULE: Rework re-enters at the implementation stage with rejection evidence attached.
5. Definition of Done (10 Items)
REQUIRED: Every ticket must satisfy ALL items. Validator verifies independently.
- Code implemented (all acceptance criteria met)
- Tests written (>=80% coverage for new code)
- Lint passes (zero errors, zero warnings)
- Type checks pass
- CI passes (all workflow checks green)
- Docs updated (JSDoc/TSDoc, README if applicable)
- Reviewed by Validator (independent review)
- No console errors (structured logger only)
- No unhandled promises
- No TODO comments in code
- Ui designs exists in figma/stitch and in codebase.
6. Stage Transition Guards
RULE: Implementation stage varies by ticket type (ARCHITECT, RESEARCH, BACKEND, FRONTEND, or SECURITY). RULE: Claim commit locks the ticket within its current stage directory. example:
| From | To | Guard |
|---|---|---|
| READY | impl stage | Claim commit pushed successfully |
| impl stage | QA | Agent emits completion with evidence |
| QA | SECURITY | QA PASS |
| QA | REWORK | QA rejects |
| SECURITY | CI | Security PASS |
| SECURITY | REWORK | Security rejects |
| CI | DOCS | CI PASS |
| CI | REWORK | Lint/type/complexity failure |
| DOCS | VALIDATION | Doc update confirmed |
| VALIDATION | DONE | Validator APPROVED + memory gate pass |
| VALIDATION | REWORK | Validator rejects |
| REWORK | impl stage | Rework count < 3 |
| REWORK | ESCALATED | Rework count >= 3 |
7. TODO Agent Decomposition
REQUIRED: Decomposition order for multi-step work:
- Strategic Mode (L0->L1): Vision to capabilities
- Planning Mode (L1->L2): Capabilities to execution blocks
- Execution Planning Mode (L2->L3): Blocks to actionable tickets
RULE: L3 tasks become tickets in READY state (after dependency check). PROHIBITED: Jumping from L0 to L3 directly.