majiayu000 // Project Autopilot - Phase Ordering Rules // Copyright (c) 2026 Jeremy McSpadden jeremy@fluxlabs.net
Phase Ordering Skill
CRITICAL: Always reference this skill when creating phases. Incorrect ordering causes failures.
Canonical Phase Order
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 001: PROJECT SETUP │
│ - Repo init, configs, dependencies │
│ - CLAUDE.md, .editorconfig, eslint, prettier │
│ Prerequisites: None │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 002: DATABASE FOUNDATION │
│ - Schema design, migrations, seed data │
│ - Database connection, ORM setup │
│ Prerequisites: 001 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 003: CORE INFRASTRUCTURE │
│ - Configuration management │
│ - Logging, error handling │
│ - Base middleware, utilities │
│ Prerequisites: 001, 002 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 004: AUTHENTICATION & AUTHORIZATION │
│ - User model, auth endpoints │
│ - JWT/session management │
│ - Role-based access control │
│ Prerequisites: 002, 003 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 005: API LAYER │
│ - API contracts (OpenAPI) │
│ - Route handlers │
│ - Request validation, serialization │
│ Prerequisites: 003, 004 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 006: BUSINESS LOGIC │
│ - Domain services │
│ - Use cases │
│ - Business rules │
│ Prerequisites: 002, 005 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 007: FRONTEND FOUNDATION │
│ - Project setup, routing │
│ - Component library │
│ - State management setup │
│ Prerequisites: 001, 005 (API contracts) │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 008: FEATURE IMPLEMENTATION │
│ - Feature-specific backend │
│ - Feature-specific frontend │
│ - Feature tests │
│ Prerequisites: 006, 007 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 009: INTEGRATION & TESTING │
│ - Integration tests │
│ - E2E tests │
│ - Performance tests │
│ Prerequisites: 008 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 010: SECURITY HARDENING │
│ - Security audit │
│ - Vulnerability fixes │
│ - Security tests │
│ Prerequisites: 008, 009 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 011: DOCUMENTATION │
│ - API documentation │
│ - User guides │
│ - Developer docs │
│ Prerequisites: 008 (features stable) │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 012: DEVOPS & DEPLOYMENT │
│ - CI/CD pipelines │
│ - Docker/K8s configs │
│ - Monitoring, alerting │
│ Prerequisites: 009, 010 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 013: POLISH & OPTIMIZATION │
│ - Performance tuning │
│ - UX improvements │
│ - Final bug fixes │
│ Prerequisites: All above │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Dependency Rules
Hard Dependencies (MUST follow)
| Phase | MUST Come After |
|---|---|
| Database | Setup |
| Auth | Database |
| API | Infrastructure, Auth |
| Business Logic | Database, API contracts |
| Frontend | API contracts exist |
| Features | Business logic, Frontend foundation |
| Integration Tests | Feature implementation |
| Security | Implementation complete |
| Documentation | Features stable |
| Deployment | Tests pass, Security done |
Soft Dependencies (Recommended)
| Phase | Should Come After |
|---|---|
| Performance tests | Integration tests |
| Security hardening | Basic tests exist |
| Documentation | Most features done |
What Can Run in Parallel
Safe Parallel Work
After Phase 005 (API Layer):
├── Backend features (Phase 006+)
└── Frontend development (Phase 007+)
After Phase 008 (Features):
├── Integration tests
├── Security audit
└── Documentation
Never Parallel
❌ Database schema + API (needs schema)
❌ Auth + features (needs auth)
❌ Frontend + backend for SAME feature
❌ Tests + implementation of same feature
Task Ordering Within Phase
Standard Task Order
1. Schema/Config changes
2. Types/Interfaces
3. Core implementation
4. Integration (routes, wiring)
5. Tests
6. Exports/Index files
Example: API Endpoint Phase
Task 1: Add database migration
Task 2: Create entity/model
Task 3: Create repository
Task 4: Create service/use case
Task 5: Create route handler
Task 6: Add validation schemas
Task 7: Register routes
Task 8: Write unit tests
Task 9: Write integration tests
Phase Dependencies Lookup Table
Phase 001 (Setup) → []
Phase 002 (Database) → [001]
Phase 003 (Infrastructure)→ [001, 002]
Phase 004 (Auth) → [002, 003]
Phase 005 (API) → [003, 004]
Phase 006 (Business) → [002, 005]
Phase 007 (Frontend) → [001, 005]
Phase 008 (Features) → [006, 007]
Phase 009 (Testing) → [008]
Phase 010 (Security) → [008, 009]
Phase 011 (Docs) → [008]
Phase 012 (DevOps) → [009, 010]
Phase 013 (Polish) → [all]
Quick Validation
Before creating phases, verify:
- No phase depends on a later phase
- Database phases come before API phases
- Auth exists before protected features
- API contracts exist before frontend
- Implementation before testing
- All dependencies can be satisfied
Anti-Patterns
❌ WRONG
Phase 1: Build login UI
Phase 2: Create user table
Phase 3: Add auth endpoints
✅ CORRECT
Phase 1: Create user table + migrations
Phase 2: Add auth endpoints
Phase 3: Build login UI