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