# AI Pdlc

> Organise uncertain product work into evidence-bearing phases from problem definition through post-release evaluation. Use for a new product, experiment, risky refactor, or feature whose value or feasibility is not yet established. Track hypotheses, prototypes, decisions, implementation readiness, applicable hardening, release evidence, and learning outcomes.

- Skill: `ashermahonin/ai-pdlc` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 3 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add ashermahonin/ai-pdlc`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/ashermahonin/ai-pdlc/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: ashermahonin (https://skillmd.com/u/ashermahonin)
- Updated: 2026-09-21
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/ashermahonin/ai-pdlc

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# AI PDLC

## Purpose

Organize uncertain product work around evidence. `sdlc-orchestrator` chooses the operational route; this skill records what each product phase has established, what remains a hypothesis, and what should be tested next.

## Inputs

1. Read `references/pdlc-phases.md`.
2. Pull the product intent and constraints from `intake-coordinator`.
3. Pull existing research from `research-domain` and `competitive-analysis` (if present); request them if missing.
4. Restate the project as 3–5 falsifiable hypotheses, each with a "kill" criterion and a cheapest-useful-evidence step.
5. Use Context7 MCP to validate any external technology, market, or platform-policy claim that gates a hypothesis.

## Decision process

1. **Phase 0 — Define.** Lock product intent, success metric, primary user, and platform matrix (with `platform-detector`).
2. **Phase 1 — Discover.** Run `research-domain` + `competitive-analysis`. Record what is known and what is still guess.
3. **Phase 2 — Hypothesize.** Use `hypothesis-validator` to express each top design choice as a falsifiable claim with a measurable kill criterion.
4. **Phase 3 — Prototype.** Build the smallest artifact that disproves or supports the riskiest hypothesis. Throwaway is allowed.
5. **Phase 4 — Plan.** With `requirements-quality`, `architecture-review`, `user-journey-mapper`, and `decompose-work`, turn surviving hypotheses into requirements, ADRs, journeys, epics, stories.
6. **Phase 5 — Implement.** Run each story through `tdd-workflow` then `service-implementation`. No production code before the failing test and implementation contract exist.
7. **Phase 6 — Harden.** Route the build through the matching security skill (`security-owasp-web`, `security-mobile-masvs`, `security-owasp-llm`, or `security-owasp-agentic`) plus `cve-zero-day-scanner` before release.
8. **Phase 7 — Ship.** Use `qa-eval` for release readiness and `documentation-graph-curator` to sync project memory and the Obsidian graph.
9. **Phase 8 — Evaluate.** Compare measured outcome against the original hypothesis kill criterion. Record what was proven, what was wrong, and what to learn next.

## Decision boundaries

- Use Context7 MCP whenever a hypothesis depends on current API, framework, market, or platform-policy reality.
- Keep a decision trace per phase: facts, assumptions, options, choice, evidence, rollback, follow-up.
- Stop and escalate before destructive or irreversible work, security-sensitive shipping, or production data migration.
- Never collapse two phases into one to save time when the earlier phase still has unfalsified guesses.

## Decision record

- Phase ladder with status per phase
- Hypotheses register with kill criteria and current evidence
- Phase-boundary review notes
- Cross-references to `sdlc-orchestrator` route and the per-phase skills that produced evidence
- Post-launch evaluation entry against the original hypotheses

## Ready when

- No phase advance without explicit evidence the prior phase's hypothesis is settled or consciously deferred.
- No phase skipped silently.
- No "we'll harden later"; security and CVE checks belong before ship.
- No documentation drift; the Obsidian graph reflects what the phase actually produced.

## Handoff

Hand off per phase. Each handoff lists: phase, hypothesis, evidence, next skill, residual risk, what would force a rollback.

## References

- `references/pdlc-phases.md`: detailed phase ladder, gate criteria, and skill mapping per phase.