Skip to main content
AI/MLjmagly

flow-concept-to-inception

Orchestrate Concept→Inception phase transition with intake validation and vision alignment

Stars
141
Source
jmagly/aiwg
Updated
2026-05-31
Slug
jmagly--aiwg--flow-concept-to-inception
View on GitHubRaw SKILL.md

// install — copy + paste into any project

mkdir -p .claude/skills && curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jmagly/aiwg/HEAD/agentic/code/frameworks/sdlc-complete/skills/flow-concept-to-inception/SKILL.md -o .claude/skills/flow-concept-to-inception.md

Drops the SKILL.md into .claude/skills/flow-concept-to-inception.md. Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any agent that loads SKILL.md files from .claude/skills/.

Declarative Flow (#1539): This flow's orchestration is now also expressed as a declarative YAML Flow at flows/flow-concept-to-inception.playbook.yaml (source of truth for the step sequence + gates). This SKILL.md remains the discoverable trigger surface and prose reference. See epic #1534.

Concept → Inception Phase Transition Flow

You are the Core Orchestrator for the Concept→Inception phase transition.

Your Role

You orchestrate multi-agent workflows. You do NOT execute bash scripts.

When the user requests this flow (via natural language or explicit command):

  1. Interpret the request and confirm understanding
  2. Read this template as your orchestration guide
  3. Extract agent assignments and workflow steps
  4. Delegate agents with the current provider-native orchestration mechanism in the correct sequence
  5. Synthesize results and finalize artifacts
  6. Report completion with summary

Phase Transition Overview

From: Concept (initial idea, problem statement) To: Inception (validated vision, business case, initial risk assessment)

Key Milestone: Lifecycle Objective Milestone (LOM)

Success Criteria:

  • Vision document approved by stakeholders
  • Business case approved with funding secured
  • Risk list baselined with mitigation plans
  • Initial architecture and security assessment complete

Expected Duration: 2-4 weeks (typical), 10-15 minutes orchestration

Natural Language Triggers

Users may say:

  • "Start new project"
  • "Begin Inception"
  • "Start Inception phase"
  • "Kick off the project"
  • "Complete intake and start Inception"
  • "Initialize project from concept"
  • "Move from idea to Inception"

You recognize these as requests for this orchestration flow.

Parameter Handling

--guidance Parameter

Purpose: User provides upfront direction to tailor orchestration priorities

Examples:

--guidance "Healthcare domain, HIPAA compliance critical"
--guidance "Startup context, need MVP fast, budget constrained"
--guidance "Enterprise project, heavy compliance and governance"
--guidance "Technical debt reduction, focus on architecture quality"

How to Apply:

  • Parse guidance for keywords: security, compliance, timeline, budget, domain
  • Adjust agent assignments (add security-architect for compliance focus)
  • Modify artifact depth (minimal for MVP, comprehensive for enterprise)
  • Influence priority ordering (compliance-first vs. speed-first)

--interactive Parameter

Purpose: You ask 6 strategic questions to understand project context

Questions to Ask (if --interactive):

I'll ask 6 strategic questions to tailor the Inception phase to your needs:

Q1: What are your top priorities for this project?
    (e.g., time-to-market, security, compliance, innovation)

Q2: What are your biggest constraints?
    (e.g., budget, timeline, team size, technology)

Q3: What risks concern you most?
    (e.g., technical feasibility, market fit, regulatory, security)

Q4: What's your team's experience level with this type of project?
    (Helps determine depth of documentation and guidance needed)

Q5: What's your target timeline for Inception completion?
    (Influences artifact depth and review cycles)

Q6: Are there regulatory or compliance requirements?
    (e.g., HIPAA, GDPR, PCI-DSS, SOC2)

Based on your answers, I'll adjust:
- Agent assignments (add specialized reviewers)
- Artifact depth (comprehensive vs. streamlined)
- Priority ordering (compliance-first vs. speed-first)
- Risk focus areas (technical vs. business vs. regulatory)

Synthesize Guidance: Combine answers into structured guidance string for execution

Artifacts to Generate

Primary Deliverables:

  • Vision Document: Problem statement, personas, success metrics → .aiwg/requirements/vision-document.md
  • Business Case: ROM cost estimate, ROI analysis, funding request → .aiwg/management/business-case.md
  • Risk List: 5-10 risks with mitigation plans → .aiwg/risks/risk-list.md
  • Use Case Briefs: 3-5 high-level use cases → .aiwg/requirements/use-case-briefs/
  • Data Classification: Security and privacy assessment → .aiwg/security/data-classification.md
  • Architecture Sketch: Initial component boundaries → .aiwg/architecture/architecture-sketch.md
  • ADRs: 3+ critical decisions → .aiwg/architecture/adr/
  • Option Matrix: Alternatives analyzed → .aiwg/planning/option-matrix.md
  • LOM Report: Gate validation and go/no-go decision → .aiwg/reports/lom-report.md

Supporting Artifacts:

  • Stakeholder interview notes
  • Privacy impact assessment
  • Scope boundaries document
  • Complete audit trails (archived workflows)

Multi-Agent Orchestration Workflow

Step 1: Validate Intake and Initialize Vision - Multi-Agent Pattern

Purpose: Transform intake form into vision document with stakeholder alignment

Your Actions:

  1. Check for Intake Artifacts:

    Read and verify presence of:
- .aiwg/intake/project-intake.md (or intake/project-intake-template.md)

If missing, recommend: /intake-wizard "project description"

  2. Launch Vision Development Agents (parallel):

    # Agent 1: Vision Owner
Task(
    subagent_type="vision-owner",
    description="Create vision document from intake",
    prompt="""
    Read intake form: .aiwg/intake/project-intake.md
    Read template: $AIWG_ROOT/agentic/code/frameworks/sdlc-complete/templates/requirements/vision-informal-template.md

    Create vision document including:
    - Problem statement (clear, measurable)
    - Target personas (2-3 primary users)
    - Success metrics (quantifiable)
    - Constraints (technical, budget, timeline)
    - Assumptions and dependencies

    Focus on clarity and stakeholder communication.

    Save to: .aiwg/working/requirements/vision/drafts/v0.1-primary-draft.md
    """
)

# Agent 2: Business Process Analyst
Task(
    subagent_type="business-process-analyst",
    description="Structure and validate vision",
    prompt="""
    Read intake form: .aiwg/intake/project-intake.md

    Analyze business process context:
    - Current state problems
    - Desired future state
    - Process improvements
    - Stakeholder impacts

    Document process context and stakeholder needs.

    Save to: .aiwg/working/requirements/vision/drafts/process-context.md
    """
)

  3. Launch Parallel Reviewers:

    # Product Strategist, Business Process Analyst, Technical Writer
Task(
    subagent_type="product-strategist",
    description="Review vision for business value",
    prompt="""
    Read draft: .aiwg/working/requirements/vision/drafts/v0.1-primary-draft.md

    Validate:
    - Business value proposition clear
    - Market alignment evident
    - Success metrics achievable
    - ROI potential justified

    Add inline comments: <!-- PRODUCT-STRATEGIST: feedback -->

    Create review summary:
    - Status: APPROVED | CONDITIONAL | NEEDS_WORK

    Save to: .aiwg/working/requirements/vision/reviews/product-strategist-review.md
    """
)

# Similar for business-process-analyst and technical-writer

  4. Synthesize Vision Document:

    Task(
    subagent_type="requirements-documenter",
    description="Synthesize vision document",
    prompt="""
    Read all vision drafts and reviews.

    Create final vision document merging:
    - Primary draft content
    - Process context
    - Review feedback

    Resolve conflicts, ensure clarity.

    Output: .aiwg/requirements/vision-document.md
    """
)

Communicate Progress:

✓ Intake validated
⏳ Creating vision document...
  ✓ Vision draft created
  ✓ Reviews complete (3/3 APPROVED)
✓ Vision document baselined: .aiwg/requirements/vision-document.md

Step 2: Business Value and Use Case Alignment

Purpose: Define use cases and validate business value proposition

Your Actions:

  1. Launch Use Case Development (parallel agents):

    Task(
    subagent_type="requirements-analyst",
    description="Create use case briefs",
    prompt="""
    Read vision: .aiwg/requirements/vision-document.md
    Read template: $AIWG_ROOT/agentic/code/frameworks/sdlc-complete/templates/requirements/use-case-brief-template.md

    Create 3-5 use case briefs:
    - UC-001: Primary user workflow
    - UC-002: Secondary workflow
    - UC-003: Admin/management function

    Each brief includes:
    - Actor and goal
    - Preconditions
    - Main flow (high-level)
    - Success criteria

    Save to: .aiwg/requirements/use-case-briefs/UC-*.md
    """
)

Task(
    subagent_type="product-strategist",
    description="Validate value proposition",
    prompt="""
    Read use cases as they're created.
    Validate each aligns with business value.
    Document value mapping.

    Save to: .aiwg/requirements/value-proposition-validation.md
    """
)

  2. Conduct Stakeholder Interviews:

    Task(
    subagent_type="business-process-analyst",
    description="Document stakeholder needs",
    prompt="""
    Read template: $AIWG_ROOT/agentic/code/frameworks/sdlc-complete/templates/requirements/context-free-interview-template.md

    Create stakeholder interview summary:
    - Key stakeholder concerns
    - Success criteria from each perspective
    - Constraints and dependencies

    Save to: .aiwg/requirements/stakeholder-interviews.md
    """
)

Communicate Progress:

⏳ Defining use cases and value proposition...
  ✓ 5 use case briefs created
  ✓ Value proposition validated
  ✓ Stakeholder interviews documented
✓ Business alignment complete

Step 3: Risk Identification and Assessment

Purpose: Identify top risks with mitigation strategies

Your Actions:

  1. Launch Risk Assessment Agents (parallel):

    # Project Manager leads risk identification
Task(
    subagent_type="project-manager",
    description="Create initial risk list",
    prompt="""
    Read vision and use cases.
    Read template: $AIWG_ROOT/agentic/code/frameworks/sdlc-complete/templates/management/risk-list-template.md

    Identify 5-10 risks:
    - Technical risks
    - Business risks
    - Resource risks
    - Schedule risks

    For each risk document:
    - Likelihood (High/Medium/Low)
    - Impact (Show Stopper/High/Medium/Low)
    - Mitigation strategy

    Focus on top 3 with detailed mitigation.

    Save draft to: .aiwg/working/risks/risk-list/drafts/v0.1-primary-draft.md
    """
)

# Architecture Designer identifies technical risks
Task(
    subagent_type="architecture-designer",
    description="Identify architectural risks",
    prompt="""
    Read vision and use cases.

    Identify technical/architectural risks:
    - Scalability concerns
    - Integration challenges
    - Technology uncertainties
    - Performance risks

    Create risk cards using template: $AIWG_ROOT/.../risk-card.md

    Save to: .aiwg/working/risks/risk-list/drafts/technical-risks.md
    """
)

# Security Architect identifies security risks
Task(
    subagent_type="security-architect",
    description="Identify security risks",
    prompt="""
    Read vision and data classification needs.

    Identify security risks:
    - Data breach potential
    - Compliance violations
    - Authentication/authorization weaknesses
    - Third-party vulnerabilities

    Save to: .aiwg/working/risks/risk-list/drafts/security-risks.md
    """
)

  2. Synthesize Risk List:

    Task(
    subagent_type="documentation-synthesizer",
    description="Create consolidated risk list",
    prompt="""
    Read all risk inputs:
    - Primary draft
    - Technical risks
    - Security risks

    Consolidate into single risk list:
    - Remove duplicates
    - Prioritize by severity
    - Ensure top 3 have mitigation plans
    - No Show Stopper without mitigation

    Output: .aiwg/risks/risk-list.md
    """
)

Communicate Progress:

⏳ Identifying and assessing risks...
  ✓ Business risks identified (3)
  ✓ Technical risks identified (4)
  ✓ Security risks identified (3)
✓ Risk list baselined: 10 risks, top 3 with mitigation plans

Step 4: Security and Privacy Assessment

Purpose: Classify data and assess privacy/compliance requirements

Your Actions:

  1. Launch Security Assessment Agents:

    Task(
    subagent_type="security-architect",
    description="Create data classification",
    prompt="""
    Read vision and use cases.
    Read template: $AIWG_ROOT/agentic/code/frameworks/sdlc-complete/templates/security/data-classification-template.md

    Classify all data types:
    - Public
    - Internal
    - Confidential
    - Restricted

    Document:
    - Data types and sensitivity
    - Security requirements per class
    - Encryption needs
    - Access control requirements

    Save to: .aiwg/security/data-classification.md
    """
)

Task(
    subagent_type="privacy-officer",
    description="Conduct privacy impact assessment",
    prompt="""
    Read data classification.
    Read template: $AIWG_ROOT/agentic/code/frameworks/sdlc-complete/templates/security/privacy-impact-assessment-template.md

    Assess privacy requirements:
    - PII handling
    - GDPR compliance (if applicable)
    - CCPA compliance (if applicable)
    - Data retention policies
    - User consent requirements

    Save to: .aiwg/security/privacy-impact-assessment.md
    """
)

  2. Validate Compliance:

    Task(
    subagent_type="legal-liaison",
    description="Document compliance requirements",
    prompt="""
    Read privacy assessment and data classification.

    Document all compliance obligations:
    - Regulatory requirements
    - Industry standards
    - Legal constraints
    - Audit requirements

    Flag any Show Stopper compliance issues.

    Save to: .aiwg/security/compliance-requirements.md
    """
)

Communicate Progress:

⏳ Conducting security and privacy assessment...
  ✓ Data classification complete
  ✓ Privacy impact assessed
  ✓ Compliance requirements documented
✓ Security assessment complete: No Show Stopper concerns

Step 5: Architecture Sketch

Purpose: Create initial architecture vision

Your Actions:

Task(
    subagent_type="architecture-designer",
    description="Create architecture sketch",
    prompt="""
    Read vision, use cases, and risk list.
    Read template: $AIWG_ROOT/agentic/code/frameworks/sdlc-complete/templates/analysis-design/software-architecture-doc-template.md

    Create initial architecture sketch:
    - Component boundaries (high-level)
    - Integration points
    - Technology stack proposal
    - Deployment model (cloud/on-prem/hybrid)
    - Key architectural decisions

    This is a sketch, not detailed design.
    Focus on major components and boundaries.

    Save to: .aiwg/architecture/architecture-sketch.md
    """
)

# Quick review by Security Architect
Task(
    subagent_type="security-architect",
    description="Review architecture sketch for security",
    prompt="""
    Read architecture sketch.

    Validate:
    - Security boundaries identified
    - Authentication/authorization approach
    - Data flow security
    - No obvious security anti-patterns

    Status: APPROVED | CONDITIONAL | NEEDS_WORK

    Save review to: .aiwg/working/architecture/security-review.md
    """
)

Communicate Progress:

⏳ Creating architecture sketch...
✓ Architecture sketch complete
✓ Security review: APPROVED

Step 6: Architecture Decision Records

Purpose: Document critical early decisions

Your Actions:

# Create 3+ ADRs for critical decisions
Task(
    subagent_type="architecture-designer",
    description="Create critical ADRs",
    prompt="""
    Read architecture sketch and technology choices.
    Read template: $AIWG_ROOT/agentic/code/frameworks/sdlc-complete/templates/analysis-design/architecture-decision-record-template.md

    Create at least 3 ADRs for Inception:

    ADR-001: Database selection
    - Context: Data requirements
    - Decision: PostgreSQL/MongoDB/etc
    - Consequences: Trade-offs
    - Alternatives: What was considered

    ADR-002: API architecture
    - REST vs GraphQL vs gRPC

    ADR-003: Authentication mechanism
    - OAuth vs JWT vs session-based

    Save to: .aiwg/architecture/adr/ADR-*.md
    """
)

Communicate Progress:

⏳ Documenting architecture decisions...
✓ ADRs created: 3 critical decisions documented

Step 7: Business Case and Funding

Purpose: Secure funding approval for project continuation

Your Actions:

  1. Create Business Case:

    Task(
    subagent_type="product-strategist",
    description="Develop business case",
    prompt="""
    Read vision, use cases, and risk list.
    Read template: $AIWG_ROOT/agentic/code/frameworks/sdlc-complete/templates/management/business-case-informal-template.md

    Create business case including:
    - Problem statement and business need
    - ROM cost estimate (±50% accuracy)
    - Expected benefits and ROI
    - Funding request for Elaboration
    - Success metrics

    Be realistic about costs and benefits.

    Save to: .aiwg/management/business-case.md
    """
)

Task(
    subagent_type="project-manager",
    description="Create option matrix",
    prompt="""
    Read template: $AIWG_ROOT/agentic/code/frameworks/sdlc-complete/templates/intake/option-matrix-template.md

    Analyze at least 3 alternatives:
    - Build custom
    - Buy COTS
    - Hybrid approach
    - Do nothing

    Compare on: cost, time, risk, benefits

    Save to: .aiwg/planning/option-matrix.md
    """
)

  2. Define Scope Boundaries:

    Task(
    subagent_type="requirements-analyst",
    description="Document scope boundaries",
    prompt="""
    Read vision and use cases.

    Explicitly document:
    - In-scope features
    - Out-of-scope features
    - Future considerations
    - Dependencies

    Be very explicit about what's NOT included.

    Save to: .aiwg/planning/scope-boundaries.md
    """
)

Communicate Progress:

⏳ Developing business case...
  ✓ ROM estimate: $XXX,XXX (±50%)
  ✓ Option matrix: 3 alternatives analyzed
  ✓ Scope boundaries defined
✓ Business case complete: .aiwg/management/business-case.md

Step 8: Lifecycle Objective Milestone (LOM) Validation

Purpose: Validate all Inception exit criteria before proceeding

Your Actions:

  1. Validate LOM Criteria:

    Task(
    subagent_type="project-manager",
    description="Validate LOM gate criteria",
    prompt="""
    Read gate criteria: $AIWG_ROOT/agentic/code/frameworks/sdlc-complete/flows/gate-criteria-by-phase.md

    Validate Inception exit criteria:

    Required Artifacts:
    - [ ] Vision document APPROVED
    - [ ] Business case APPROVED with funding
    - [ ] Risk list BASELINED (top 3 mitigated)
    - [ ] Data classification COMPLETE
    - [ ] Architecture sketch documented
    - [ ] 3+ ADRs created
    - [ ] Use case briefs (3-5)
    - [ ] Option matrix analyzed

    Quality Gates:
    - [ ] Stakeholder approval ≥75%
    - [ ] Executive Sponsor signoff
    - [ ] No Show Stopper risks without mitigation
    - [ ] Funding secured for Elaboration

    Generate LOM Report with:
    - Status: PASS | FAIL
    - Go/No-Go recommendation
    - Gaps (if any)

    Save to: .aiwg/reports/lom-report.md
    """
)

  2. Decision Point:

    • If LOM PASS → Report success
    • If LOM FAIL → Report gaps, recommend remediation
    • Escalate to user for executive decision

Communicate Progress:

⏳ Validating Lifecycle Objective Milestone...
✓ LOM Validation complete: PASS
✓ Recommendation: GO to Elaboration

Step 9: Generate Phase Completion Report

Your Actions:

Task(
    subagent_type="project-manager",
    description="Generate Inception completion report",
    prompt="""
    Read all Inception artifacts and LOM report.

    Generate comprehensive phase report:

    # Concept → Inception Phase Report

    ## Milestone Achievement
    - Artifacts Status (list all with status)
    - Gate Criteria (pass/fail each)

    ## Risk Summary
    - Critical risks identified
    - Mitigation status

    ## Financial Summary
    - ROM estimate
    - Funding status

    ## Go/No-Go Decision
    - Recommendation: GO | NO-GO | CONDITIONAL
    - Rationale
    - Next steps

    ## Handoff to Elaboration
    - Assigned agents
    - Scheduled date
    - Baseline tag

    Save to: .aiwg/reports/inception-completion-report.md
    """
)

Present Summary to User:

─────────────────────────────────────────────
Concept → Inception Phase Complete
─────────────────────────────────────────────

**Overall Status**: COMPLETE
**Decision**: GO to Elaboration

**Artifacts Generated**:
✓ Vision Document (.aiwg/requirements/vision-document.md)
✓ Business Case (.aiwg/management/business-case.md)
✓ Risk List (.aiwg/risks/risk-list.md)
✓ Use Case Briefs (.aiwg/requirements/use-case-briefs/, 5 files)
✓ Data Classification (.aiwg/security/data-classification.md)
✓ Architecture Sketch (.aiwg/architecture/architecture-sketch.md)
✓ ADRs (.aiwg/architecture/adr/, 3 files)
✓ Option Matrix (.aiwg/planning/option-matrix.md)

**Key Decisions**:
- Database: PostgreSQL selected
- API: REST with versioning
- Authentication: OAuth 2.0

**Risk Status**:
- 10 risks identified
- Top 3 with mitigation plans
- No Show Stoppers

**Financial**:
- ROM Estimate: $450,000 (±50%)
- Elaboration Funding: APPROVED

**Next Steps**:
1. Review all generated artifacts
2. Schedule stakeholder review (within 3 days)
3. Begin Elaboration: /flow-inception-to-elaboration

─────────────────────────────────────────────

Quality Gates

Before marking workflow complete, verify:

  • All required artifacts generated
  • All reviewers provided sign-off
  • Final artifacts saved to .aiwg/{category}/
  • Working drafts archived
  • LOM criteria validated: PASS

User Communication

At start: Confirm understanding and list artifacts to generate

Understood. I'll orchestrate the Concept → Inception transition.

This will generate:
- Vision Document
- Business Case with ROM estimate
- Risk List (5-10 risks)
- Use Case Briefs (3-5)
- Data Classification
- Architecture Sketch
- ADRs (3+ decisions)
- Option Matrix

I'll coordinate multiple agents for comprehensive coverage.
Expected duration: 10-15 minutes.

Starting orchestration...

During: Update progress with clear indicators

✓ = Complete
⏳ = In progress
❌ = Error/blocked
⚠️ = Warning/attention needed

At end: Summary report with artifact locations and status

Error Handling

If No Intake Form:

❌ No intake form found

Recommendation: Start with intake wizard
Run: /intake-wizard "your project description"

Or create manually at: .aiwg/intake/project-intake.md

If Stakeholder Alignment Failed:

⚠️ Stakeholder approval only 60% (target: ≥75%)

Actions:
1. Review vision document for clarity
2. Schedule stakeholder workshop
3. Address specific concerns

Cannot proceed to Elaboration without alignment.

If No Funding:

❌ Business case approved but no funding allocated

Cannot proceed without funding.

Options:
1. Strengthen ROI analysis
2. Reduce scope for phased funding
3. Escalate to Executive Sponsor

Success Criteria

This orchestration succeeds when:

  • Vision document APPROVED by stakeholders (≥75%)
  • Business case APPROVED with funding secured
  • Risk list BASELINED with top 3 mitigated
  • Use case briefs documented (3-5)
  • Data classification and privacy assessed
  • Architecture sketch reviewed
  • ADRs documented (3+)
  • LOM validation PASSED
  • Go decision recorded

Metrics to Track

During orchestration, track:

  • Stakeholder alignment percentage
  • Risk identification count
  • Funding approval status
  • Gate criteria pass rate
  • Cycle time: Concept to Inception (target: 2-4 weeks, orchestration: 10-15 min)

References

Templates (via $AIWG_ROOT):

  • Vision: templates/requirements/vision-informal-template.md
  • Business Case: templates/management/business-case-informal-template.md
  • Risk List: templates/management/risk-list-template.md
  • Use Case Brief: templates/requirements/use-case-brief-template.md
  • Data Classification: templates/security/data-classification-template.md
  • ADR: templates/analysis-design/architecture-decision-record-template.md
  • Option Matrix: templates/intake/option-matrix-template.md

Gate Criteria:

  • flows/gate-criteria-by-phase.md (Lifecycle Objective Milestone)

Multi-Agent Pattern:

  • docs/multi-agent-documentation-pattern.md

Orchestrator Architecture:

  • docs/orchestrator-architecture.md

Natural Language Translations:

  • docs/simple-language-translations.md