kickoff

Jig Development Pipeline

PURPOSE: The pipeline orchestrator. Routes work through stages and checks gates at each transition. Kickoff does NOT execute stages itself — it invokes the downstream skill for each stage using the Skill tool.

ORCHESTRATOR RULE: At every stage transition, you MUST invoke the downstream skill using the Skill tool (e.g., Skill: jig:brainstorm). Do NOT attempt to execute the stage inline by following kickoff's summary of what the stage does. The downstream skill has the full process — kickoff only knows enough to route and check gates.

CONFIGURATION: Reads jig.config.md for pipeline stages, work type overrides, ticket system, branching format, and concerns checklist.

---

When to Use

Invoke this skill when:

• Starting development work of any kind
• "I need to add/fix/build/improve..."
• "Let's work on [ticket]"
• "There's a bug in..."
• Beginning a new session with a development task
• You want the full pipeline, not just one stage

Do NOT use when you only need a single stage (e.g., just creating a PR → use pr-create directly).

---

Terminology

Term	Meaning
SDD	Subagent-Driven Development (sdd) — sequential execution, one task at a time
Team-dev	team-dev — parallel execution with agent teams in split panes + two-stage quality gates

The Pipeline

graph LR
  classify["CLASSIFY<br/>work type"] --> discover["DISCOVER<br/>ticket + branch"]
  discover --> requirements["REQUIREMENTS<br/>PRD (optional)"]
  discover -.->|bugs / tasks / small| brainstorm
  requirements --> brainstorm["BRAINSTORM<br/>design + concerns"]
  brainstorm --> plan["PLAN<br/>tasks + files"]
  plan --> execute["EXECUTE<br/>build + test"]
  execute --> review["REVIEW<br/>audit + fix"]
  review --> ship["SHIP<br/>PR + merge"]
  ship --> learn["LEARN<br/>postmortem"]

  review -.->|plan wrong| plan
  review -.->|scope changed| brainstorm
  execute -.->|blocked| plan

Each stage has a gate. You don't move forward until the gate is satisfied.

The pipeline stages and work type overrides are configurable in jig.config.md. Read the config at the start of each session to determine which stages to run.

---

Step 1: Classify the Work

Before anything else, determine the work type. This controls pipeline depth.

graph TD
  start{"What kind of work?"}
  start -->|broken / incorrect| bug["BUG<br/>Brainstorm: light<br/>Plan: 1-3 tasks<br/>Execute: sequential<br/>Learn: optional"]
  start -->|making existing thing better| improvement["IMPROVEMENT<br/>Brainstorm: medium<br/>Plan: standard<br/>Execute: SDD or team-dev<br/>Learn: optional"]
  start -->|new capability| feature["FEATURE<br/>Brainstorm: full + checklist<br/>Plan: detailed<br/>Execute: team-dev<br/>Learn: yes"]
  start -->|config / chore / refactor| task["TASK / CHORE<br/>Brainstorm: skip<br/>Plan: minimal<br/>Execute: direct<br/>Learn: no"]

Check jig.config.md for stage overrides per work type. The config may skip or lighten stages beyond these defaults.

Ask the user if the type isn't obvious from context.

---

Step 2: DISCOVER

Gate: A ticket exists and the problem is understood.

Actions

1. Check for existing ticket:

   • Branch name contains a ticket reference? Look it up.
   • User mentioned a ticket? Fetch it.
   • No ticket? Create one. Check jig.config.md for ticket-system (Linear, Jira, GitHub Issues) and use the appropriate tool.

2. Understand the problem:

   • Read the ticket description and acceptance criteria.
   • For bugs: check error tracking, reproduce if possible.
   • For features: confirm scope with the user if ambiguous.

3. Set up the branch: Read branching format from jig.config.md:

   git checkout -b {format from config}
   

Gate Check

Before proceeding, confirm:

• Ticket exists with clear acceptance criteria
• Branch follows the team's naming convention
• Problem is understood (not just the title — the actual problem)

---

Step 2b: REQUIREMENTS (optional)

Gate: PRD exists or user opted to skip.

For features and large improvements, prompt: "Want to capture requirements first with /prd?"

If yes: INVOKE jig:prd using the Skill tool. Do not write the PRD inline — the prd skill has the full process (tier selection, 12-section structure, acceptance checklist format). Wait for it to complete before proceeding.

For bugs, tasks, and small improvements: skip this step. Users can still invoke /prd manually if needed.

Gate Check

• PRD saved to docs/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>-prd.md OR user opted to skip
• If PRD exists, acceptance checklist has [ ] items tagged by layer

---

Step 3: BRAINSTORM

Gate: A design is approved by the user.

Routing by work type:

Work Type	Brainstorm Depth	Action
Bug	Light	Invoke jig:brainstorm — focuses on root cause and fix approach
Improvement	Medium	Invoke jig:brainstorm — explores approaches with concerns checklist
Feature	Full	Invoke jig:brainstorm — full design exploration with concerns checklist
Task/Chore	Skip	Move directly to Step 4: PLAN

INVOKE jig:brainstorm using the Skill tool. Do not brainstorm inline — the brainstorm skill has the full interview process, approach generation, concerns checklist integration, and design approval flow. Kickoff's job is to tell the skill what depth to use (light/medium/full) based on the work type classification from Step 1.

Pass the work type context when invoking: "This is a {work type}. Run {depth} brainstorming."

Gate Check

Before proceeding, confirm:

• Design is reviewed and approved by the user
• Concerns checklist completed (features/improvements)
• Design doc saved to docs/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>-design.md (features)

---

Step 4: PLAN

Gate: A numbered plan exists with tasks, files, and verification steps.

INVOKE jig:plan using the Skill tool. Do not write the plan inline — the plan skill handles task decomposition, file path identification, dependency mapping, verification steps, and TDD orientation. It saves the plan to docs/plans/.

If a PRD was created in Step 2b, mention it when invoking: "PRD is at docs/plans/YYYY-MM-DD--prd.md."

Gate Check

Before proceeding, confirm:

• Plan reviewed and approved by the user
• Tasks have clear file paths and skill references
• Dependencies identified (which tasks block which)
• Plan saved to docs/plans/

---

Step 5: EXECUTE

Gate: All tasks implemented, tested, and committed.

INVOKE jig:build using the Skill tool. Pass the plan path: "Execute the plan at docs/plans/YYYY-MM-DD--plan.md." The build skill analyzes the task graph and auto-selects parallel (team-dev) or serial (sdd) execution. Do not choose the strategy yourself.

Gate Check

Before proceeding, confirm:

• All tasks from the plan are implemented
• Tests pass (as specified in plan)
• Changes committed with proper messages
• Project builds successfully

---

Step 6: REVIEW

Gate: Code passes self-audit and automated review.

INVOKE jig:review using the Skill tool. The review skill dispatches the specialist swarm (security, dead code, error handling, async safety, performance + team specialists), scores findings, and produces a unified report. Fix any Critical or Major issues before proceeding.

Gate Check

Before proceeding, confirm:

• Self-audit checklist passed
• No Critical issues in review report
• All Major issues addressed or acknowledged

---

Step 7: SHIP

Gate: PR created and merged.

1. Commit: Invoke the jig:commit agent (Agent tool with subagent_type: "jig:commit")
2. Create PR: INVOKE jig:pr-create using the Skill tool. It runs the review swarm, analyzes commits, and creates the PR.
3. Address feedback: INVOKE jig:pr-respond using the Skill tool for any reviewer comments.
4. Merge: After approval

Gate Check

• PR created with clear description
• Ticket referenced (per jig.config.md settings)
• CI passes
• Reviewer approval received

---

Step 8: LEARN (features only, optional for others)

INVOKE jig:postmortem using the Skill tool. It analyzes reviewer comments for patterns, identifies gaps in skills, and updates skills or configs. This closes the feedback loop.

---

Stage Transitions

The pipeline enforces ordering. Here's the complete transition map:

CLASSIFY
  └──> DISCOVER (always)
         ├──> REQUIREMENTS (features, large improvements — optional)
         │    └──> BRAINSTORM
         │
         ├──> BRAINSTORM (bugs, small improvements — skip requirements)
         │    └──> PLAN (always after brainstorm)
         │
         └──> PLAN (tasks/chores skip brainstorm + requirements)
                └──> EXECUTE (always)
                       └──> REVIEW (always)
                              └──> SHIP (always)
                                     └──> LEARN (features, complex improvements)

Looping Back

The pipeline isn't strictly linear. You may loop back when:

• Plan is wrong → Return to Plan, revise tasks
• Scope changed during execution → Return to Brainstorm, update design
• Review finds design issues → Return to Plan or Brainstorm depending on severity
• PR feedback requires significant changes → Return to Execute

When looping back, update the plan document to reflect changes.

---

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Consequence	Fix
Skipping Discover	No ticket, no branch convention, no tracking	Always start with the ticket
Skipping Requirements for features	Vague scope, acceptance criteria discovered mid-implementation	Run /prd before brainstorming
Skipping Brainstorm	Missing cross-cutting concerns	Run the Concerns Checklist
Skipping Plan for "simple" features	Can't parallelize, ad-hoc execution	Even 2-task plans help
Skipping Review	AI-generated bugs ship to production	Self-audit is non-negotiable
Skipping Learn	Same review feedback on every PR	Run postmortem on complex features
Starting with code	"Add a button" without understanding the requirement	Discover first, always
Planning without brainstorming	Plan misses cross-cutting concerns	Design before decomposing

---

Quick Reference

Stage	Skill Tool Invocation	Output
Classify	(kickoff handles directly)	Work type determined
Discover	(kickoff handles directly)	Ticket + branch
Requirements	Skill: jig:prd	PRD with acceptance checklist
Brainstorm	Skill: jig:brainstorm	Approved design
Plan	Skill: jig:plan	docs/plans/*.md
Execute	Skill: jig:build	Implemented + tested code
Review	Skill: jig:review	Audited code
Ship	Skill: jig:pr-create	Merged PR
Learn	Skill: jig:postmortem	Updated skills