BMAD-METHOD/docs/reference/workflow-map.md

title, description

title	description
Workflow Map	Visual reference for BMad Method workflow phases and outputs

The BMad Method (BMM) is a module in the BMad Ecosystem, targeted at following the best practices of context engineering and planning. AI agents work best with clear, structured context. The BMM system builds that context progressively across 4 distinct phases - each phase, and multiple workflows optionally within each phase, produce documents that inform the next, so agents always know what to build and why.

The rationale and concepts come from agile methodologies that have been used across the industry with great success as a mental framework.

If at anytime you are unsure what to do, the /bmad-help command will help you stay on track or know what to do next. You can always refer to this for reference also - but /bmad-help is fully interactive and much quicker if you have already installed the BMadMethod. Additionally, if you are using different modules that have extended the BMad Method or added other complimentary non extension modules - the /bmad-help evolves to know all that is available to give you the best in the moment advice.

Final important note: Every workflow below can be run directly with your tool of choice via slash command or by loading an agent first and using the entry from the agents menu.

[Interactive diagram - hover over outputs to see artifact flows]

Phase 1: Analysis (Optional)

Explore the problem space and validate ideas before committing to planning.

Workflow	Purpose	Produces
brainstorm	Brainstorm Project Ideas with guided facilitation of a brainstorming coach	brainstorming-report.md
research	Validate market, technical, or domain assumptions	Research findings
create-product-brief	Capture strategic vision	product-brief.md

Phase 2: Planning

Define what to build and for whom.

Workflow	Purpose	Produces
create-prd	Define requirements (FRs/NFRs)	PRD.md
create-ux-design	Design user experience (when UX matters)	ux-spec.md

Phase 3: Solutioning

Decide how to build it and break work into stories.

Workflow	Purpose	Produces
create-architecture	Make technical decisions explicit	architecture.md with ADRs
create-epics-and-stories	Break requirements into implementable work	Epic files with stories
check-implementation-readiness	Gate check before implementation	PASS/CONCERNS/FAIL decision

Phase 4: Implementation

Build it, one story at a time.

Workflow	Purpose	Produces
sprint-planning	Initialize tracking (once per project)	sprint-status.yaml
create-story	Prepare next story for implementation	story-[slug].md
dev-story	Implement the story	Working code + tests
code-review	Validate implementation quality	Approved or changes requested
correct-course	Handle significant mid-sprint changes	Updated plan or re-routing
retrospective	Review after epic completion	Lessons learned

Quick Flow (Parallel Track)

Skip phases 1-3 for small, well-understood work.

Workflow	Purpose	Produces
quick-spec	Define an ad-hoc change	tech-spec.md (story file for small changes)
quick-dev	Implement from spec or direct instructions	Working code + tests

Context Management

Each document becomes context for the next phase. The PRD tells the architect what constraints matter. The architecture tells the dev agent which patterns to follow. Story files give focused, complete context for implementation. Without this structure, agents make inconsistent decisions.

For brownfield projects, document-project creates or updates project-context.md - what exists in the codebase and the rules all implementation workflows must observe. Run it just before Phase 4, and again when something significant changes - structure, architecture, or those rules. You can also edit project-context.md by hand.

All implementation workflows load project-context.md if it exists. Additional context per workflow:

Workflow	Also Loads
create-story	epics, PRD, architecture, UX
dev-story	story file
code-review	architecture, story file
quick-spec	planning docs (if exist)
quick-dev	tech-spec