Dev Swarm Stage Sprints

Stage 10 - Sprints

Plan and execute agile development sprints, breaking down the product requirements into manageable backlogs with clear acceptance criteria, developer test plans, and QA verification points to deliver incremental, demo-able product milestones.

When to Use This Skill

• User asks to start stage 10 (sprints)
• User wants to plan sprints or create backlogs
• User asks about feature development or sprint execution

Your Roles in This Skill

See dev-swarm/docs/general-dev-stage-rule.md for role selection guidance.

Role Communication

See dev-swarm/docs/general-dev-stage-rule.md for the required role announcement format.

Pre-Stage Check

Before starting, verify previous stages:

1. Check if 00-init-ideas/ through 09-devops/ folders have content (not just .gitkeep)
2. If any previous stage is empty and has no SKIP.md:
   • Ask user: "Stage {XX} is not complete. Would you like to skip it or start from that stage first?"

AI-Driven Development Sprint and Backlog Guidelines

See dev-swarm/docs/sprint-backlog-guidelines.md & dev-swarm/docs/what-is-a-feature.md

Instructions

Checklist formatting rule: Any checklist, acceptance criteria, or test plan must use Markdown task lists (e.g., - [ ] item) so QA can mark verification status.

Step 1: Context Review

Read all files to understand the project:

• ideas.md
• 00-init-ideas/*.md through 09-devops/*.md - All markdown files

Step 2: Create Stage Proposal

General Rules: See dev-swarm/docs/general-dev-stage-rule.md → "Create Stage Proposal Rules" section.

If this stage is skipped (has SKIP.md), execute the next non-skipped stage's agent skill. Otherwise, create the file 10-sprints/README.md with the following content:

2.1 Stage Goal

Brief the goal in 2-3 paragraphs:

• What this stage aims to achieve (sprint planning, backlog creation, development execution)
• Why agile sprint development is critical for iterative delivery
• How this transforms technical specifications into working software
• What deliverables will be produced

2.2 Sprint Overview

Provide a high-level sprint breakdown:

• Total number of sprints planned for MVP delivery
• Sprint naming convention: SPRINT-XX-descriptive-name/ (e.g., SPRINT-01-user-auth/)
• Brief description of what each sprint will deliver

2.3 Backlog Naming Convention

Explain the backlog file naming convention:

• Format: [BACKLOG_TYPE]-XX-[feature-name]-<sub-feature>.md
• BACKLOG_TYPE: FEATURE, CHANGE, BUG, or IMPROVE
• XX: Two-digit sequence number (01, 02, etc.)
• feature-name: The feature this backlog relates to
• sub-feature: Optional sub-feature specifier
• Example: FEATURE-01-user-auth-login.md, BUG-02-user-auth-session.md

2.4 Request User Approval

Ask user: "Please check the Stage Proposal in 10-sprints/README.md. Update it directly or tell me how to update it."

Step 3: Create Development Plan

Once user approves README.md, create 10-sprints/development-plan.md:

Sprint Breakdown: For each sprint, document:

• Sprint number and name
• Sprint goal (one sentence)
• Features/backlogs included
• Dependencies on previous sprints
• Demo criteria
• QA test plan (checkbox list)

Backlog Details: For each backlog item, document:

• Backlog ID and unique keywords
• User story format
• Acceptance criteria (checkbox list)
• Developer test plan (checkbox list)
• Related files from previous stages
• Estimated complexity (S/M/L)

Step 4: Create Sprint Folders and Backlogs

Once user approves the development plan:

4.1 Create Sprint Folders

For each sprint, create:

10-sprints/SPRINT-XX-descriptive-name/
├─ README.md                                          # Sprint overview
└─ [BACKLOG_TYPE]-XX-[feature-name]-<sub-feature>.md  # Individual backlogs

Example:

10-sprints/SPRINT-01-user-auth/
├─ README.md
├─ FEATURE-01-user-auth-login.md
├─ FEATURE-02-user-auth-register.md
└─ FEATURE-03-user-auth-session.md

4.2 Sprint README.md Structure

Each sprint's README.md should contain:

• Sprint status (pending/in_progress/completed/blocked)
• Sprint goal
• Dependencies
• Backlogs with status and complexity
• Sprint test plan (checkbox list)
• Demo script
• Success criteria (checkbox list)

4.3 Backlog File Structure

Each backlog file should contain:

• Keywords (unique across project)
• User story
• Related documentation references
• Acceptance criteria (checkbox list)
• Technical implementation notes
• Developer test plan (checkbox list)
• Dependencies
• Complexity estimate
• Status checklist (checkbox list)

Step 5: Finalize Sprint Documentation

Once user approves all sprint and backlog files:

5.1 Documentation Finalization

• Sync 10-sprints/README.md to remove any deleted files
• Ensure all backlog keywords are unique across the project
• Verify all backlogs trace back to PRD requirements
• Confirm all test plans are complete

5.2 Announce Documentation Complete

Inform user:

• "Sprint planning documentation is complete and ready for development"
• Summary of sprints and backlogs created
• Total estimated complexity
• Recommended sprint order

Stage Completion Rules

See dev-swarm/docs/general-dev-stage-rule.md for stage completion, commit, and skip rules.

Key Principles

• Each backlog must be independently testable
• Each sprint must be demo-able
• Document all dependencies clearly
• Trace all backlogs to PRD requirements
• Support smooth transition to deployment