woos-product-design-flow

name	woos-product-design-flow
description	Stage 3 orchestrator: route dedicated product-design skills to turn an approved roadmap version into reviewed PRDs and interface summaries ready for coding agents.
version	7.0.0
author	Hermes Profile
license	MIT
metadata	{"hermes":{"tags":["product","design","prd","orchestrator"],"stage":3,"flow":"woos-idea-to-design","related_skills":["woos-requirement-contract","woos-prd-authoring","woos-product-prd-review-gate","woos-ui-design-brief","woos-ui-brief-review","woos-prd-consistency-audit","woos-version-integration-audit"]}}

Product Design Flow (Orchestrator)

You are an ORCHESTRATOR.

You do not write requirements, PRDs, UI briefs, reviews, or audits yourself. You route dedicated skills, validate outputs, and control transitions.

Design Principles

1. PRD is the source of truth. Coding agents receive the full PRD directly. No intermediate "handoff" layer.
2. Per-feature checkpoint. After each feature completes its design pipeline, the orchestrator pauses and asks the user whether to deliver it to engineering now or continue designing the next feature.
3. Sequential execution. Features are designed one at a time, in dependency order.
4. Product defines WHAT/WHY, Engineering decides HOW. Including task decomposition and ordering.

⛔ Enforcement Rules (NON-NEGOTIABLE)

P0: Explicit Step Dispatch

Before executing any step, state the step being run and the exact:

• skill name
• input file(s)
• output file

P1: Orchestrator Does Not Author Artifacts

The orchestrator may directly execute only:

• Step 1: version scope selection
• Step 1.5: feature dependency analysis
• Step 6.5: interface summary extraction (bookkeeping, not creative)

All other outputs must come from their declared skills.

P2: No Step Merging or Silent Skipping

• Each step has its own output
• Steps run in order
• Failures are fixed and retried, not skipped
• Optional UI steps may be skipped only when the user confirms there is no user-facing UI
• Step 7 may be skipped only when the version has a single feature

P3: Validate Output Before Advancing

After each step, verify the declared output exists and is substantive.

Step	Required result
Step 1.5	execution order + feature IDs + interface pass-through plan stated (Strict only)
Step 2	docs/prd/<version>/<feature-id>-requirements.md exists with required sections and ## Priority Ranking
Step 3	docs/prd/<version>/<feature-id>.md exists with required sections
Step 4	PRD review file exists with explicit PASS or REQUEST_CHANGES
Step 5	UI brief exists when UI is in scope
Step 5R	UI review file exists with explicit PASS or REQUEST_CHANGES
Step 6	Analyze report exists with explicit PASS or GAPS_FOUND
Step 6.5	docs/prd/<version>/<feature-id>-interface.md exists (Strict only)
Step 7	Integration report exists with explicit PASS or CONFLICTS_FOUND and a ## Verdict section authored by the semantic phase (raw SIGNALS_CLEAR / HOTSPOTS_FOUND script output is not a completed gate output)
Step 7-Final	docs/reviews/<version>/integration-report.md exists with verdict PASS after a --final-run invocation that loads full requirements/PRD/UI for every audited feature (Strict, 2+ features only)

After all steps pass: feature design is complete → CHECKPOINT.

P4: No Self-Review

Review and audit steps must always use their dedicated skills in fresh context.

P5: Mandatory Subagent Isolation

The following steps MUST run in isolated subagent contexts so their skill loads, review logic, and audit evidence do not pollute the orchestrator context:

• Step 4: woos-product-prd-review-gate
• Step 5R: woos-ui-brief-review
• Step 6: woos-prd-consistency-audit
• Step 7: woos-version-integration-audit

P6: Fix Propagation (Global Sync)

When any review gate returns REQUEST_CHANGES and a fix is applied:

1. Identify all terms, enums, field names, or concepts that were modified
2. Grep ALL existing version documents (docs/prd/<version>/, docs/design/<version>/, docs/product/) for those terms
3. Update every occurrence to maintain consistency
4. If an upstream interface summary exists for a completed feature and the fix contradicts it, update the interface summary too

This rule applies regardless of which step triggered the fix. A single-file fix is never sufficient when the modified concept appears in other documents.

P7: Upstream Interface Awareness

When Step 1.5 identifies feeds or mutual relationships, downstream features MUST receive upstream interface summaries as additional input in Steps 2, 3, 4, and 6. The orchestrator determines which summaries to pass based on the dependency graph — only direct dependencies, not transitive.

---

Purpose

Transform one approved roadmap version into reviewed PRDs and interface summaries, with a user-controlled delivery checkpoint after each feature. This is Stage 3 of the woos-idea-to-design flow.

Product defines WHAT and WHY. Engineering decides HOW.

Feature ID Convention

Every designed feature gets a stable ordered feature ID:

<feature-id> = <two-digit-order>-<feature-slug>
Example: 01-user-auth, 02-project-dashboard

Use <feature-id> in all feature-specific document filenames so the delivery order is visible from filenames. In Strict mode, assign order from the dependency-aware execution order in Step 1.5. In Standard/Lite mode, use 01-<feature-slug>. Do not renumber after files are created.

Project Root Requirement

All file paths (docs/) are relative to a project root directory which must be a git repository.

Prerequisites

Standard / Strict:

• docs/product/<project>-roadmap.md exists
• Discovery human approval has passed
• The target version has been selected from the roadmap

Lite:

• An idea capture file exists from woos-idea-capture (ideas/<slug>.md for Quick Note, or ideas/<slug>/00-idea-capture.md for Guided Interview)
• Discovery and roadmap are not required for Lite — the idea capture file is the source of truth for scope
• Default <version> is lite; default <feature-id> is 01-<slug> derived from the idea capture filename

Modes

Mode	When	Blocking Steps	Checkpoint
Lite	Small scope, obvious, 1-2 days work	Requirements → PRD	After PRD
Standard	Single feature, moderate complexity	Requirements → PRD → PRD Review	After PRD Review
Strict	Multi-feature version, higher uncertainty, UX-heavy	Select Scope → Dependency Analysis → [per feature: Requirements → PRD → Review → UI → UI Review → Analyze → Interface Summary → Integration]	After each feature completes all gates

---

Steps — Strict Mode

The orchestrator runs per feature:

Step 1:   Select Version Scope
Step 1.5: Feature Dependency Analysis (auto, Strict only)
  → For each feature (in dependency order):
      Steps 2–6.5 (Requirements → Interface Summary)
      Step 7 (incremental Integration, after 2nd+ feature)
      → ⭐ CHECKPOINT: "Should this feature be delivered to engineering now?"
          Yes → deliver to engineering, continue to next feature
          No  → continue to next feature, deliver later
  → After ALL features have completed their per-feature loop:
      Step 7-Final (full-doc integration audit across every feature)
      → ⭐ FINAL CHECKPOINT: any features not yet delivered → deliver now

Step 1: Select Version Scope

Skill	direct orchestrator step
Input	docs/product/<project>-roadmap.md
Output	selected version + feature list for downstream steps

Advance when: the version, feature boundaries, non-goals, and success metrics are confirmed.

---

Step 1.5: Feature Dependency Analysis

Skill	direct orchestrator step
Trigger	Strict mode with 2+ features
Input	docs/product/<project>-roadmap.md § selected version features
Output	ordered execution plan with feature IDs (inline, not a separate file)

The orchestrator scans the roadmap features for shared entities:

1. Extract shared signals — identify mentions of shared data models, shared state, common APIs/endpoints, or explicit "depends on " references across features
2. Classify relationships:
   • independent — no shared entities, can run in any order
   • feeds — Feature A produces a concept that Feature B consumes (A before B)
   • mutual — features share a concept but neither strictly depends on the other
3. Determine execution order:
   • independent features: process in roadmap-listed order (arbitrary but deterministic)
   • feeds relationships: process upstream feature first
   • mutual relationships: process in roadmap-listed order, but flag for Step 7 integration focus

Output format (stated before proceeding):

Execution order:
  1. 01-<feature-A> (independent)
  2. 02-<feature-B> (feeds: depends on 01-<feature-A>'s <shared-entity>)
  3. 03-<feature-C> (mutual with 02-<feature-B> — flagged for integration audit)

Interface pass-through:
  - 02-<feature-B> receives: 01-<feature-A> interface summary
  - 03-<feature-C> receives: 02-<feature-B> interface summary

Advance when: execution order, feature IDs, and interface pass-through plan are determined. No blocking — this step always produces a result.

Skip when: Standard or Lite mode (single feature, no dependency to analyze).

---

Step 2: Requirement Contract

Skill	woos-requirement-contract
Input	docs/product/<project>-roadmap.md § selected version
Conditional input	docs/prd/<version>/<upstream-feature-id>-interface.md for each upstream dependency (per Step 1.5 graph)
Output	docs/prd/<version>/<feature-id>-requirements.md

Advance when: the requirements file exists, passes structural validation, and includes an explicit P0/P1/P2 ranking with cut-line.

---

Step 3: PRD Authoring

Skill	woos-prd-authoring
Input	docs/prd/<version>/<feature-id>-requirements.md
Conditional input	docs/prd/<version>/<upstream-feature-id>-interface.md for each upstream dependency
Output	docs/prd/<version>/<feature-id>.md

Advance when: the PRD file exists and proceeds to Step 4.

---

Step 4: PRD Review Gate

Skill	woos-product-prd-review-gate
Execution	isolated subagent
Input	docs/prd/<version>/<feature-id>.md + docs/prd/<version>/<feature-id>-requirements.md + docs/product/<project>-architecture.md
Conditional input	docs/prd/<version>/<upstream-feature-id>-interface.md for each upstream dependency
Output	docs/reviews/<version>/<feature-id>-prd-review-rN.md

Review loop: REQUEST_CHANGES → fix PRD (apply P6: grep + sync all affected docs) → re-run review. Max 2 rounds before asking the user for direction.

---

Step 5: UI Design Brief

Skill	woos-ui-design-brief
Input	docs/prd/<version>/<feature-id>.md
Output	docs/design/<version>/<feature-id>-ui-brief.md

Trigger: ask whether the feature has user-facing UI.

• Yes → run Step 5, then Step 5R
• No → skip Step 5 and Step 5R, continue to Step 6

---

Step 5R: UI Brief Review Gate

Skill	woos-ui-brief-review
Execution	isolated subagent
Input	docs/design/<version>/<feature-id>-ui-brief.md + docs/prd/<version>/<feature-id>.md
Output	docs/reviews/<version>/<feature-id>-ui-review-rN.md

Review loop: REQUEST_CHANGES → fix UI brief → re-run review. Max 2 rounds before asking the user for direction.

---

Step 6: Analyze Gate

Skill	woos-prd-consistency-audit
Execution	isolated subagent
Input	docs/prd/<version>/<feature-id>.md + docs/design/<version>/<feature-id>-ui-brief.md (if exists)
Conditional input	docs/prd/<version>/<upstream-feature-id>-interface.md for each upstream dependency
Output	docs/reviews/<version>/<feature-id>-analyze-report.md

Advance when: semantic review verdict is PASS.

Script extraction output alone does NOT complete Step 6. The final report must include the semantic-review sections required by woos-prd-consistency-audit, including ## Semantic Audit Verdict.

If GAPS_FOUND:

• requirements gap (broken priority cut-line, missing/untestable story originating in the contract, missing ranking) → return to Step 2 (apply P6: global sync). Re-run Step 3 and Step 4 afterward.
• PRD gap → return to Step 3 (apply P6: global sync)
• UI gap → return to Step 5 (apply P6: global sync)

---

Step 6.5: Interface Summary Extraction

Skill	direct orchestrator step
Trigger	Strict mode, after Step 6 PASS
Input	docs/prd/<version>/<feature-id>-requirements.md + docs/prd/<version>/<feature-id>.md
Output	docs/prd/<version>/<feature-id>-interface.md

The orchestrator extracts the feature's shared interface contract — a lightweight summary (~500 bytes–1KB) of concepts that other features may depend on:

# <Feature> — Interface Summary

## Status Enums
- <enum_name>: value1 | value2 | value3

## Data Models (shared fields only)
- <model_name>: field1 (type), field2 (type), ...

## Event Types / Messages
- <event_name>: { payload fields }

## API Endpoints (if defined)
- METHOD /path → response shape

## Key Terminology
- <term>: definition as used in this feature

Rules:

• Extract ONLY what is defined/introduced by THIS feature, not what it consumes from upstream
• Include only concepts that have cross-feature relevance (appear in dependency graph)
• This is bookkeeping extraction, not creative work — no new analysis
• If the feature introduces no shared concepts (independent), write a minimal file noting "No shared interface"

Advance when: interface summary file exists.

Skip when: Standard or Lite mode (single feature, no downstream consumers).

---

Step 7: Version Integration Gate

Skill	woos-version-integration-audit
Execution	isolated subagent
Input	roadmap + architecture + all completed feature interface summaries, plus newest-feature full requirements/PRD/UI inputs on incremental runs (--newest-feature), or all full feature docs on the final run (--final-run + one --feature per audited feature)
Output	docs/reviews/<version>/integration-report.md (or integration-report-after-<feature-id>.md for incremental runs)

Trigger: Strict mode with 2+ features. Runs incrementally:

• After the 2nd feature completes Step 6.5 → first integration check (F1 + F2)
• After each subsequent feature completes Step 6.5 → incremental integration check
• After the last feature's per-feature loop and checkpoint complete → Step 7-Final (mandatory, see below)

Results:

• PASS → continue
• CONFLICTS_FOUND → fix before proceeding (apply P6: global sync)

Skip when: the version has only one feature.

---

Step 7-Final: Full-Doc Integration Gate (Strict, 2+ features)

Skill	woos-version-integration-audit
Execution	isolated subagent, MUST invoke integration_gate.py with --final-run plus one --feature <feature-id> for every audited feature
Input	roadmap + architecture + full requirements/PRD/UI for EVERY audited feature + all interface summaries
Output	docs/reviews/<version>/integration-report.md

Purpose: The incremental Step 7 runs only compare the newest feature's full PRD against prior interface summaries. C1 (AC conflicts) and C2 (flow connectivity) can only be verified across all full PRDs of the version. This final pass is the only place that comparison happens.

Trigger (mandatory): After the last feature's per-feature CHECKPOINT, before any final delivery. The orchestrator MUST schedule this run; it is not optional and is not satisfied by the last incremental run.

Results:

• PASS → version design is closed; honor the final checkpoint for any undelivered features
• CONFLICTS_FOUND → fix the offending feature(s) and re-run Step 7-Final (apply P6: global sync). Per-feature loops do not re-open unless a fix requires PRD/UI changes in a specific feature.

Skip when: the version has only one feature (already skipped Step 7 too).

---

⭐ Checkpoint: Deliver to Engineering

After a feature passes all gates required for its mode, the orchestrator pauses and asks the user:

"Feature design is complete. Deliver it to engineering now, or continue designing the next feature?"

• Standard: checkpoint happens after Step 4 (PRD Review).

• Strict, first feature: checkpoint happens after Step 6.5 (there is no cross-feature integration context yet).

• Strict, second and later features: checkpoint happens after Step 7.

• Yes → deliver PRD + supporting docs to engineering, continue to next feature

• No → continue to next feature, batch deliver later

This checkpoint allows the user to decide the cadence of delivery without the orchestrator making assumptions about parallelism.

---

Steps — Standard Mode

Single feature, no UI/analyze/integration path.

Step	Skill	Output
S1	woos-requirement-contract	docs/prd/<version>/<feature-id>-requirements.md
S2	woos-prd-authoring	docs/prd/<version>/<feature-id>.md
S3	woos-product-prd-review-gate	docs/reviews/<version>/<feature-id>-prd-review-rN.md

PRD Review PASS → ⭐ checkpoint: deliver to engineering.

---

Steps — Lite Mode

Lite skips review gates and does not require a roadmap. The idea capture file is the input source.

Input resolution:

• Idea capture file: ideas/<slug>.md (Quick Note) or ideas/<slug>/00-idea-capture.md (Guided Interview)
• <version> = lite
• <feature-id> = 01-<slug> (slug from idea capture filename)

Steps:

1. Requirements (brief) — run woos-requirement-contract in Lite mode: load the idea capture file in place of the roadmap; produce a brief ## Priority Ranking (P0/P1 only is fine for Lite). Output: docs/prd/lite/01-<slug>-requirements.md.
2. PRD (focused) — run woos-prd-authoring: FRs + ACs, no extensive edge cases. Output: docs/prd/lite/01-<slug>.md.

PRD written → ⭐ deliver to engineering (no checkpoint needed, single trivial feature).

DCR — Design Change Request

DCRs are a feedback mechanism from engineering back to product.

When engineering sends docs/feedback/<version>/<feature-id>-dcr-<NNN>.md (one file per DCR; multiple DCRs may exist for the same feature, numbered in order of creation):

1. Read the DCR
2. Assess impact
3. Small change → update PRD directly, notify engineering
4. Large change → return to Step 3 or Step 5, re-run affected gates

Deliverable to Engineering

When the checkpoint delivers a feature, the coding agent receives:

Required:

• PRD: docs/prd/<version>/<feature-id>.md
• Architecture: docs/product/<project>-architecture.md
• Roadmap: docs/product/<project>-roadmap.md

Additional when produced by product flow (expected in Strict mode, optional otherwise):

• Interface summary: docs/prd/<version>/<feature-id>-interface.md
• UI brief: docs/design/<version>/<feature-id>-ui-brief.md (if feature has UI)
• Upstream interfaces: docs/prd/<version>/<upstream-feature-id>-interface.md (if applicable)

The coding agent is responsible for task decomposition, ordering, and implementation decisions.

---

Failure Handling

Situation	Action
Roadmap missing	Return to woos-product-discovery
Review loop hits max rounds	Ask the user for direction
Scope too large	Split into multiple features
Output file missing or stub	Re-run the same declared step
Script-based audit fails	Fix the inputs or parser bug, then re-run