workflow-orchestration

name	workflow-orchestration
description	Orchestrates agent workflow for non-trivial tasks: plan-first mode, subagent use, self-improvement loops, verification before done, and autonomous bug fixing. Use for any task with 3+ steps, architectural decisions, bug reports, or when the user corrects the agent. Ensures plans go in tasks/todo.md, lessons in tasks/lessons.md, and changes stay minimal and provably correct.

Workflow Orchestration

When This Skill Applies

• Any non-trivial task (3+ steps or architectural decisions)
• When something goes sideways during execution
• After any user correction
• When given a bug report or failing CI
• When verifying behavior before marking work complete

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1. Plan Mode (Default)

• Enter plan mode for every non-trivial task. Do not start implementation without a plan.
• If something goes sideways: STOP and re-plan immediately. Do not keep pushing.
• Use plan mode for verification steps as well as building.
• Write detailed specs upfront to reduce ambiguity (inputs, outputs, edge cases, success criteria).

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2. Subagent Strategy

• Use subagents liberally to keep the main context window clean.
• Offload research, exploration, and parallel analysis to subagents.
• For complex problems, use more compute via subagents (e.g. multiple agents in parallel where appropriate).
• One task per subagent for focused execution; give clear, self-contained instructions.

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3. Self-Improvement Loop

• After ANY correction from the user: update tasks/lessons.md with the pattern.
• Write rules for yourself that prevent the same mistake.
• Iterate on these lessons until mistake rate drops.
• Review lessons at session start for the relevant project.

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4. Verification Before Done

• Never mark a task complete without proving it works.
• When relevant: diff behavior between main and your changes.
• Ask: "Would a staff engineer approve this?"
• Run tests, check logs, demonstrate correctness before presenting.

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5. Demand Elegance (Balanced)

• For non-trivial changes: pause and ask "Is there a more elegant way?"
• If a fix feels hacky: "Knowing everything I know now, implement the elegant solution."
• Skip for simple, obvious fixes; do not over-engineer.
• Challenge your own work before presenting it.

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6. Autonomous Bug Fixing

• When given a bug report: fix it. Do not ask for hand-holding.
• Point at logs, errors, failing tests – then resolve them.
• Zero context switching required from the user.
• Fix failing CI tests without being told how.

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Task Management

Practice	Action
Plan first	Write plan to tasks/todo.md with checkable items
Verify plan	Check in before starting implementation
Track progress	Mark items complete as you go
Explain changes	High-level summary at each step
Document results	Add review section to tasks/todo.md
Capture lessons	Update tasks/lessons.md after corrections

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Core Principles

• Simplicity first: Make every change as simple as possible. Impact minimal code.
• No laziness: Find root causes. No temporary fixes. Senior developer standards.
• Minimal impact: Changes touch only what is necessary. Avoid introducing new bugs.