pipeline-orchestrator

Skill: Pipeline Orchestrator

This skill acts as the master controller for the /solo:build command. It manages the entire product development lifecycle from initial discovery to functional prototype, tracking state, invoking sub-skills, and routing data between phases.

State Machine

The pipeline has 4 phases with defined transitions:

    ┌──────────┐     ┌──────────┐     ┌──────────┐     ┌──────────┐
    │ DISCOVER  │────▶│ VALIDATE │────▶│  DESIGN  │────▶│PROTOTYPE │
    └──────────┘     └──────────┘     └──────────┘     └──────────┘
         │                │                                   │
         │           pivot│                                   │
         │◀───────────────┘                                   │
         │                                                    │
         └──────────────────── restart ◀──────────────────────┘

Phase Detection

Read data/1-Projets/[project]/pipeline-status.md to detect current phase:

• If file doesn't exist → project not started → begin at DISCOVER
• If last completed phase = Discover → current phase = VALIDATE
• If last completed phase = Validate and result = "go" → current phase = DESIGN
• If last completed phase = Validate and result = "pivot" → current phase = DISCOVER (restart)
• If last completed phase = Design → current phase = PROTOTYPE
• If all phases complete → project done → show summary

Transition Rules

A phase can only transition to the next when its exit criteria are met:

Phase	Exit Criteria	Output Files Required
DISCOVER	Problem statement defined, persona created	persona.md, problem.md
VALIDATE	Go/no-go decision recorded	validation-results.md
DESIGN	PRD complete, design brief generated	PRD.md, DESIGN-BRIEF.md
PROTOTYPE	Prototype artifact exists	mockup file or Figma link

Skip Logic

Users may skip phases. Allow skipping when:

• Skip Discover: User says "I already know my users and problem" → ask them to provide a brief problem statement, save it as problem.md, mark Discover as "Skipped"
• Skip Validate: User says "I've already validated this" → ask for evidence (customer quotes, survey data, pilot results), save as validation-results.md with status "Externally Validated"
• Jump to Prototype: User says "I just need a mockup" → create a minimal design brief from their description, mark upstream phases as "Skipped"

Never allow skipping without capturing the minimum context needed for downstream phases.

Restart Logic

Restart the pipeline when:

• Validation result is "pivot" → return to Discover with the pivot reason documented
• User explicitly says "start over" or "rethink this"
• Prototype user testing reveals fundamental problem misunderstanding → return to Discover

On restart, archive current phase outputs to data/4-Archives/[project]/attempt-N/ and reset pipeline-status.md.

Skill Invocation per Phase

DISCOVER

Invoke these skills in order:

1. proto-persona → outputs persona.md
2. jobs-to-be-done → outputs jtbd.md
3. customer-journey-map → outputs journey.md
4. problem-statement → outputs problem.md (synthesizes from above)

Optional (suggest but don't require):

• tam-sam-som-calculator → market sizing
• opportunity-solution-tree → solution mapping

VALIDATE

1. validation-checkpoint → determines go/no-go/pivot
2. pol-probe-advisor → selects the cheapest test for the hardest truth

DESIGN

1. prd-development → outputs PRD.md
2. user-story → outputs stories.md
3. design-brief-generator → outputs DESIGN-BRIEF.md

Optional:

• roadmap-planning → timeline and milestones
• epic-breakdown-advisor → epic decomposition

PROTOTYPE

1. figma-prototype or stitch-loop → visual prototype
2. prototype-to-video → demo video (optional)
3. stitch-asset-bridge → asset handoff for Remotion (optional)

Data Flow

Each phase reads the previous phase's outputs:

• VALIDATE reads: persona.md, problem.md, journey.md
• DESIGN reads: problem.md, validation-results.md
• PROTOTYPE reads: PRD.md, DESIGN-BRIEF.md, stories.md

See references/data-flow.md for the full output→input map across all skills.

Pipeline Status File Format

Maintain at data/1-Projets/[project]/pipeline-status.md. Use the template in references/pipeline-status-template.md.

Key References

• references/pipeline-map.md: Definitive map of skills per phase
• references/pipeline-status-template.md: Template for tracking pipeline state

Worked Example

Project X — "Client Portal"

• Jan 15: Started Discover. Ran proto-persona (freelance designers), JTBD ("hire a way to share project updates without email"), journey map (identified 3 pain points in feedback loop).
• Jan 18: Completed problem statement: "Freelance designers waste 3 hours/week chasing client feedback via email threads that get lost."
• Jan 19: Started Validate. pol-probe-advisor recommended a "Narrative Probe" — write a fake landing page and measure interest.
• Jan 22: 47 signups from 200 visitors (23.5% conversion). Validation: GO.
• Jan 23: Started Design. PRD written, 12 user stories generated, design brief completed.
• Jan 28: Prototype built in Figma via Stitch. Demo video generated. Ready for user testing.