The Three Phases

Deep dive into Inception, Construction, and Operations

Overview

AI-DLC organizes development into three distinct phases, each with specialized agents and clear outputs.

Phase 1: Inception

Inception Agent

Captures intents, elaborates requirements, and decomposes work into manageable units.

Purpose

Transform high-level goals into well-defined, implementable work items.

Activities

1. Intent Capture

   Gather the high-level goal: “User authentication system”

2. Requirement Elaboration

   AI asks clarifying questions, generates user stories and NFRs

3. System Context

   Define boundaries, interfaces, and constraints

4. Unit Decomposition

   Break intent into loosely-coupled, independently developable units

5. Bolt Planning

   Plan the bolts needed to implement each story

Key Outputs

Artifact	Description
requirements.md	User stories, acceptance criteria, NFRs
system-context.md	Boundaries, interfaces, constraints
units.md	Unit definitions with dependencies
Bolt Plans	Ordered list of bolts per unit

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Phase 2: Construction

Construction Agent

Executes bolts through validated stages, producing tested, production-ready code.

Purpose

Transform specifications into working, tested code through disciplined stages.

Bolt Stages

Each bolt type progresses through validated stages:

DDD Construction

For complex business logic and domain modeling:

1. Domain Model

Model the business logic using DDD principles:

• Identify aggregates, entities, value objects
• Define domain events and commands
• Establish ubiquitous language

2. Technical Design

Apply patterns and make architecture decisions:

• Choose implementation patterns
• Define interfaces and contracts
• Plan data structures

3. ADR Analysis (Optional)

Document significant architectural decisions:

• Context and problem statement
• Options considered
• Decision and rationale
• Consequences

4. Implement

Generate production code:

• Follow coding standards
• Apply design patterns
• Write clean, maintainable code

5. Test

Verify correctness:

• Unit tests for domain logic
• Integration tests for interfaces
• Acceptance tests for stories

Simple Construction

For UI, integrations, and utilities:

1. Plan

Define what to build:

• Review stories and requirements
• List specific deliverables
• Identify dependencies
• Define acceptance criteria

2. Implement

Write the code:

• Setup file structure
• Implement core functionality
• Handle edge cases
• Add documentation

3. Test

Verify the implementation:

• Write unit tests
• Run test suite
• Verify acceptance criteria
• Document results

Human Checkpoints

Human validation happens at each checkpoint. The AI proposes, the human approves or requests changes. This prevents errors from cascading downstream.

Bolt Types

Type	Best For	Stages
DDD Construction	Complex domain logic, business rules	Model → Design → ADR → Code → Test
Simple Construction	UI, integrations, utilities	Plan → Implement → Test

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Phase 3: Operations

Operations Agent

Deploys, verifies, and monitors the system in production.

Purpose

Take constructed features to production and ensure they run reliably.

Activities

1. Build

   Compile, bundle, and prepare deployment artifacts

2. Deploy

   Deploy to target environment (staging, production)

3. Verify

   Run smoke tests, health checks, and validation

4. Monitor

   Set up logging, metrics, and alerting

Key Outputs

Artifact	Description
Deployment Units	Containerized or packaged applications
Runbooks	Operational procedures
Monitoring Config	Dashboards and alerts

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Phase Transitions

Inception → Construction

When moving from Inception to Construction:

1. All units are defined with clear boundaries
2. Stories have acceptance criteria
3. Bolt plans are approved
4. Dependencies are mapped

Construction → Operations

When moving from Construction to Operations:

1. All bolts are completed and validated
2. Tests are passing
3. Code review is complete
4. Documentation is updated

Master Agent Role

The Master Agent orchestrates across phases:

• Routing: Directs to the appropriate agent
• Context: Maintains awareness of project state
• Guidance: Helps navigate the methodology
• Standards: Enforces project conventions