Feature Development Workflow

Complete workflow for developing new features from design to deployment.

Phases

1. Architecture Design

Define:

• Component structure
• Data models
• API contracts
• Integration points
• Dependencies

Output: Architecture diagram, component list, API specs

Agent: architect-review for complex features

2. Implementation Planning

Break down into:

• Discrete tasks (< 2 hours each)
• Dependencies between tasks
• Parallel workstreams

Output: Task list with estimates

3. Implementation

Guidelines:

• Write tests alongside code (TDD optional but helpful)
• Commit frequently (atomic commits)
• Follow existing patterns in codebase
• Document as you go

Run parallel workstreams:

• Core implementation
• Tests
• Documentation

4. Code Review

Checklist:

• Code follows project conventions
• No obvious bugs or edge cases missed
• Performance acceptable
• Error handling complete
• Tests meaningful (not just coverage)

Agent: code-reviewer

5. Security Review

Check:

• Input validation
• Auth/authz on new endpoints
• Sensitive data handling
• No secrets in code

Agent: security-auditor (if auth-related)

6. Testing

Required:

• Unit tests (80%+ coverage on new code)
• Integration tests for API endpoints
• E2E tests for critical paths

Agent: test-automator or debugger

7. Performance Check

Verify:

• Response times acceptable
• No memory leaks
• Bundle size impact (frontend)

Agent: performance-engineer (if perf-sensitive)

8. Documentation

Update:

• API docs (OpenAPI/Swagger)
• User guide (if user-facing)
• Changelog entry
• README if needed

9. Deployment Prep

Checklist:

• Version bumped
• Changelog updated
• Migration scripts (if DB changes)
• Rollback plan documented
• Feature flags (if gradual rollout)

Success Criteria

• All tests pass
• Security review clean
• Performance within limits
• Documentation complete
• Code reviewed and approved

Review Gate

# Run before marking complete
cortex review -c feature

Quick Start Template

## Feature: [Name]

### Requirements
- [ ] Requirement 1
- [ ] Requirement 2

### Tasks
- [ ] Task 1
- [ ] Task 2
- [ ] Tests
- [ ] Docs

### API Changes
- `POST /api/v1/resource` - Create resource
- `GET /api/v1/resource/:id` - Get resource

### Rollback Plan
1. Revert commit
2. Run down migration
3. Clear cache