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English — Official English version of dev-cycle.

Development Cycle (Dev Cycle) (English)

Goal: Structured process from feature request to validated system. Every development goes through these 8 phases.

Overview & Purpose

  +--------------------------------------------------------------+
  |                    DEVELOPMENT CYCLE                         |
  +--------------------------------------------------------------+
  |                                                              |
  |  Phase 1   Feature Requests (functional requirements)        |
  |     |                                                        |
  |     v                                                        |
  |  Phase 2   Check Current State (What already exists?)        |
  |     |                                                        |
  |     v                                                        |
  |  Phase 3   Functional Planning                               |
  |            (Workflows, Agents, Experts, Skills, Services)    |
  |     |                                                        |
  |     v                                                        |
  |  Phase 4   Implement Functional Frontend                     |
  |            (Skill files, workflow markdown, agent profiles)   |
  |     |                                                        |
  |     v                                                        |
  |  Phase 5   Plan and Align Backend                            |
  |            (CLI handlers, DB schema, API endpoints)          |
  |     |                                                        |
  |     v                                                        |
  |  Phase 6   Implement Backend Tasks                           |
  |            (Python code, tools, DB migrations)               |
  |     |                                                        |
  |     v                                                        |
  |  Phase 7   Technical Tests and Bugfixes                      |
  |            (B/O/E tests, bugfix protocol)                    |
  |     |                                                        |
  |     v                                                        |
  |  Phase 8   Functional and Feature Test: USE CASES            |
  |            (End-to-end validation from user perspective)      |
  |                                                              |
  +--------------------------------------------------------------+

  Core principles throughout:
  - Functional description first (before code)
  - CLI First (everything controllable via terminal)
  - Clear separation of user data and system data

Phase 1: Feature Requests (Functional Requirements)

What: Collect and formulate functional requirements.

Input:

• User wishes, ideas, problems
• Partner suggestions (LLM assistants)
• Insights from use cases (feedback loop!)

Output:

• Tasks in the task system (e.g., as issue, ticket, or TODO list)
• Requirements describe WHAT is desired, not HOW

Rules:

• Always formulate requirements functionally ("User can do X")
• Not technically ("Implement REST endpoint for X")
• Use use cases as requirement source (Phase 8 -> Phase 1)

Phase 2: Check Current State

What: Inventory existing functionality.

Checklist:

  [ ] Search existing tools/scripts
  [ ] Check documentation/help on the topic
  [ ] Check existing skills/agents/services
  [ ] Check DB schema (if relevant)
  [ ] Check use cases - has something similar been tested?

Output:

• Documentation of what exists, what's missing, what needs extension
• Avoidance of duplicates

Phase 3: Functional Planning

What: Plan at the functional level - do NOT write code immediately.

Planning Levels:

Rules:

• Think functionally first, then technically
• Workflows describe processes, not implementation details
• Every agent needs a clear profile
• Services must work without user data

Phase 4: Implement Functional Frontend

What: Create skill files, workflow markdown, agent profiles.

The "frontend" here is the functional description layer:

• Workflow files (.md)
• Agent profiles (.txt)
• Expert knowledge
• Service descriptions
• Help files

Output:

• All functional descriptions exist
• An LLM partner could read and understand the workflow
• The functional layer is fully documented

Phase 5: Plan and Align Backend

What: Align technical architecture to the functional frontend.

Planning Areas:

Output:

• Technical plan aligned with the functional frontend
• DB schema design
• CLI command structure

Phase 6: Implement Backend Tasks

What: Write Python code, DB migrations, CLI handlers.

Checklist (per task):

  [ ] Works without user data (empty DB)?
  [ ] CLI command available?
  [ ] Input can come from files/folders?
  [ ] Output goes to structured DB?
  [ ] Scan/import is repeatable (idempotent)?
  [ ] No hardcoded path?
  [ ] Tool registered and documented?
  [ ] Help file created?

Phase 7: Technical Tests and Bugfixes

What: Ensure technical correctness.

Test Types (B/O/E):

On bugs:

• Apply the bugfix protocol
• Observe the 20-minute rule (change approach after 20 min)
• Document lessons learned

Phase 8: Functional and Feature Test - USE CASES

What: End-to-end validation from user perspective.

Use cases serve BOTH purposes:

1. Feature indicators - What is desired? What should be possible?
2. Test scenarios - Does it actually work from A to Z?

Use Case Format:

  USECASE_NNN: Short Title

  PRECONDITION: What must be in place?
  INPUT:        What does the user enter / what data?
  EXPECTED:     What should the result be?
  TESTS:        Which components are tested?

Feedback Loop:

• Failed use cases -> new tasks in Phase 1
• Successful use cases -> validated features
• New use case ideas -> capture as tasks

Summary: The Cycle

  Phase 8 (Use Cases)
       |
       | New requirements / bugs
       v
  Phase 1 (Feature Requests)  -->  Phase 2 (Current State)
       ^                                    |
       |                                    v
  Phase 7 (Tests/Bugs)         Phase 3 (Functional Planning)
       ^                                    |
       |                                    v
  Phase 6 (Backend Code)       Phase 4 (Functional Frontend)
       ^                                    |
       |                               .    v
       +──────────────────── Phase 5 (Backend Planning)

The cycle is a loop: Use cases validate features and simultaneously generate new requirements.

Phase-specific skills

If your skill collection has a skill index, search it for further phase-specific skills.

Change Log

1.1.0 (2026-06-13)

• New "Phase-specific skills" table with references to project-onboarding, docs-analysis, pipeline-optimizer, bugfix-protocol, and bugsweep

1.0.0 (2026-03-12)

• Ported from BACH (dev-zyklus v1.0.0)

Created: 2026-01-28 | Ported: 2026-03-12