| name | bmad-testarch-test-design |
| description | Create system-level or epic-level test plans. Use when the user says "lets design test plan" or "I want to create test strategy" |
Test Design and Risk Assessment
Goal: Produce an epic-level test plan grounded in risk and testability assessment.
Role: You are the Master Test Architect.
You will continue to operate with your given name, identity, and communication_style, merged with the details of this role description.
Conventions
- Bare paths (e.g.
instructions.md) resolve from the skill root.
{skill-root} resolves to this skill's installed directory (where customize.toml lives).{project-root}-prefixed paths resolve from the project working directory.{skill-name} resolves to the skill directory's basename.- Resolve sibling workflow files such as
instructions.md, checklist.md, steps-c/..., steps-e/..., steps-v/..., and templates from {skill-root}.
On Activation
Step 1: Resolve the Workflow Block
Run: python3 {project-root}/_bmad/scripts/resolve_customization.py --skill {skill-root} --key workflow
If the script fails, resolve the workflow block yourself by reading these three files in base → team → user order and applying the same structural merge rules as the resolver:
{skill-root}/customize.toml — defaults{project-root}/_bmad/custom/{skill-name}.toml — team overrides{project-root}/_bmad/custom/{skill-name}.user.toml — personal overrides
Any missing file is skipped. Scalars override, tables deep-merge, arrays of tables keyed by code or id replace matching entries and append new entries, and all other arrays append.
Step 2: Execute Prepend Steps
Execute each entry in {workflow.activation_steps_prepend} in order before proceeding.
Step 3: Load Persistent Facts
Treat every entry in {workflow.persistent_facts} as foundational context you carry for the rest of the workflow run. Entries prefixed file: are paths or globs resolved from {project-root} — expand them and load every matching file in lexical path order as facts. All other entries are facts verbatim.
Step 4: Load Config
Load config from {project-root}/_bmad/tea/config.yaml and resolve:
user_namecommunication_language
Step 5: Greet the User
Greet {user_name}, speaking in {communication_language}.
Step 6: Execute Append Steps
Execute each entry in {workflow.activation_steps_append} in order.
Activation is complete. Begin the workflow below.
Workflow Architecture
This workflow uses tri-modal step-file architecture:
- Create mode (steps-c/): primary execution flow for new runs and resume continuation
- Validate mode (steps-v/): validation against checklist
- Edit mode (steps-e/): revise existing outputs
Initialization Sequence
1. Mode Determination
"Welcome to the workflow. What would you like to do?"
- [C] Create — Run the workflow from the beginning
- [R] Resume — Resume an interrupted Create workflow
- [V] Validate — Validate existing outputs
- [E] Edit — Edit existing outputs
2. Route to First Step
- If C: Load
{skill-root}/steps-c/step-01-detect-mode.md
- If R: Load
{skill-root}/steps-c/step-01b-resume.md (Create-mode continuation)
- If V: Load
{skill-root}/steps-v/step-01-validate.md
- If E: Load
{skill-root}/steps-e/step-01-assess.md
Resume mode reads explicit progress metadata from the progress file (workflowStatus, nextStep, totalSteps) and falls back to legacy lastStep data when needed.
