cli

SDLC Lifecycle

The Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) in Shep defines the phases a Feature progresses through from inception to maintenance.

Lifecycle Enum

export enum SdlcLifecycle {
  Started = 'Started',
  Analyze = 'Analyze',
  Requirements = 'Requirements',
  Research = 'Research',
  Planning = 'Planning',
  Implementation = 'Implementation',
  Review = 'Review',
  Maintain = 'Maintain',
  Blocked = 'Blocked',
}

Phase Descriptions

Started

Purpose: Initial state when a feature is first created.

Entry criteria:

• Feature created with name and description

Activities:

• Feature record initialized
• Repository path and branch recorded

Exit criteria:

• Feature metadata complete
• Ready to begin analysis

Artifacts produced: None

Analyze

Purpose: Analyze the repository to understand codebase structure and context.

Entry criteria:

• Feature in Started phase

Activities:

• AI analyzes repository structure
• Identifies relevant code patterns
• Maps existing architecture
• Generates repository context

Exit criteria:

• Repository analysis complete
• Codebase context available

Artifacts produced: Repository analysis docs

Requirements

Purpose: Gather and validate feature requirements through conversational AI.

Entry criteria:

• Analyze phase complete

Activities:

• AI proposes options based on repository analysis
• User selects or provides custom requirements
• AI detects and resolves ambiguities
• Requirements validated for completeness

Exit criteria:

• All requirements captured
• No open questions remain
• User confirms requirements

Artifacts produced: None (requirements stored in Feature)

Research

Purpose: Investigate technical approaches and make architecture decisions.

Entry criteria:

• Requirements phase complete

Activities:

• Research technical options
• Evaluate trade-offs
• Make architecture decisions
• Document technical rationale

Exit criteria:

• Technical decisions documented
• Approach selected

Artifacts produced: Research document

Planning

Purpose: Break down requirements into executable work items.

Entry criteria:

• Research phase complete
• User triggers planning

Activities:

• Decompose feature into Tasks
• Create ActionItems within Tasks
• Establish dependency relationships
• Generate documentation artifacts

Exit criteria:

• All Tasks defined
• Dependencies validated (no cycles)
• Required artifacts generated

Artifacts produced:

• PRD (Product Requirements Document)
• Design Document
• Technical Plan

Implementation

Purpose: Execute code changes according to plan.

Entry criteria:

• Planning phase complete
• User triggers implementation

Activities:

• Execute Tasks respecting dependencies
• Generate/modify code following TDD
• Update documentation
• Track progress

Exit criteria:

• All Tasks completed
• Code changes committed

Artifacts produced: Code, updated docs

Review

Purpose: Review implementation for correctness and quality.

Entry criteria:

• Implementation phase complete

Activities:

• Code review
• Validate against requirements
• Run automated tests
• Performance and security review if applicable

Exit criteria:

• All reviews passed
• Requirements verified

Artifacts produced: Review reports

Maintain

Purpose: Ongoing support and iteration.

Entry criteria:

• Review phase complete

Activities:

• Bug fixes
• Performance optimization
• Minor enhancements
• Documentation updates

Exit criteria: N/A (ongoing)

Artifacts produced: Various

Blocked

Purpose: Indicates a feature is blocked and cannot progress.

Entry criteria:

• Feature encounters a blocking issue from any phase

Activities:

• Awaiting external resolution
• User intervention needed

Exit criteria:

• Blocking issue resolved

State Transitions

+----> Blocked (can be entered from any phase)
|
+--------------+
|   Started    |
+------+-------+
       | begin analysis
       v
+--------------+
|   Analyze    |
+------+-------+
       | analysis complete
       v
+--------------+
| Requirements |
+------+-------+
       | requirements gathered
       v
+--------------+
|   Research   |
+------+-------+
       | research complete
       v
+--------------+
|   Planning   |
+------+-------+
       | plan complete
       v
+--------------+
|Implementation|
+------+-------+
       | implementation complete
       v
+--------------+
|    Review    |
+------+-------+
       | review passed
       v
+--------------+
|   Maintain   |
+--------------+

Transition Rules

Valid transitions are forward-only with specific exceptions:

From	To	Allowed	Reason
Started	Analyze	Yes	Normal flow
Analyze	Requirements	Yes	Normal flow
Requirements	Research	Yes	Normal flow
Requirements	Implementation	No	Must plan first
Research	Planning	Yes	Normal flow
Research	Requirements	Yes	Need more requirements
Planning	Implementation	Yes	Normal flow
Planning	Research	Yes	Re-research needed
Implementation	Review	Yes	Normal flow
Implementation	Planning	Yes	Re-planning needed
Review	Maintain	Yes	Normal flow
Review	Implementation	Yes	Fixes needed
Maintain	Requirements	Yes	New feature iteration
Any	Blocked	Yes	Blocking issue

UI Representation

In the web UI, lifecycle is shown as a progress indicator:

[Started] -> [Analyze] -> [Requirements] -> [Research] -> [Planning] -> [Implementation] -> [Review] -> [Maintain]
    v            v              v              *            o               o               o          o

v = Completed
* = Current
o = Pending

---

Maintaining This Document

Update when:

• New lifecycle phases are added
• Transition rules change
• Phase activities evolve

Related docs:

• feature-model.md - Feature entity owns lifecycle

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