BMAD Standard Workflow Guide
Overview
BMAD (Business Methods and Development) is a structured AI-assisted workflow framework that guides teams from product discovery through implementation. It maps closely to real Scrum ceremonies and artifacts, providing AI agents for each role in the process.
Folder Structure
| Folder | Purpose |
|---|---|
_bmad/ |
Framework core — contains agent definitions, workflow specs, tasks, and configuration. Do not modify manually. |
_bmad/_config/ |
BMAD catalog (bmad-help.csv) and global settings. |
_bmad/_memory/ |
Agent memory files — agents store learned standards and preferences here across sessions. |
_bmad/bmm/ |
BMM module — all business/product workflows (PRD, architecture, stories, implementation). |
_bmad/core/ |
Core utilities — brainstorming, help, indexing, review, and other cross-cutting tools. |
_bmad-output/planning-artifacts/ |
Output: All planning-phase documents (PRD, architecture, epics/stories, UX design, research). |
_bmad-output/implementation-artifacts/ |
Output: All implementation-phase artifacts (sprint plan, story files, retrospectives). |
_bmad-output/ |
General output folder for miscellaneous outputs (project context, etc.). |
docs/ |
Project knowledge base — documentation files that AI agents read for context (architecture references, tech stack, onboarding guides). |
BMAD Standard Flow
The full flow consists of four sequential phases. Required steps must be completed before advancing to the next phase.
Phase 1 — Analysis
Scrum Equivalent: Pre-Sprint / Product Discovery
Establish context and understand the problem space before writing any requirements.
| Step | Command | Required | Output | Output Folder | Scrum Equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brainstorm Project | /bmad-brainstorming |
No | Brainstorming session doc | _bmad-output/planning-artifacts/ |
Pre-sprint ideation / product discovery workshop |
| Market Research | /bmad-bmm-market-research |
No | Research documents | _bmad-output/planning-artifacts/ |
Competitor analysis in discovery sprint |
| Domain Research | /bmad-bmm-domain-research |
No | Research documents | _bmad-output/planning-artifacts/ |
Domain knowledge deep-dive before backlog refinement |
| Technical Research | /bmad-bmm-technical-research |
No | Research documents | _bmad-output/planning-artifacts/ |
Technical spike / feasibility study |
| Create Product Brief | /bmad-bmm-create-product-brief |
No | Product brief | _bmad-output/planning-artifacts/ |
Product vision statement / elevator pitch doc |
All Phase 1 steps are optional. They feed context into the PRD in Phase 2.
Phase 2 — Planning
Scrum Equivalent: Product Backlog Creation & Refinement
Define what to build. The PRD is the central required artifact.
| Step | Command | Required | Output | Output Folder | Scrum Equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Create PRD | /bmad-bmm-create-prd |
Yes | Product Requirements Document | _bmad-output/planning-artifacts/ |
Product Owner writing the product backlog / vision doc |
| Validate PRD | /bmad-bmm-validate-prd |
No | PRD validation report | _bmad-output/planning-artifacts/ |
Peer review / Definition of Ready check on backlog |
| Edit PRD | /bmad-bmm-edit-prd |
No | Updated PRD | _bmad-output/planning-artifacts/ |
Backlog refinement session — incorporating stakeholder feedback |
| Create UX Design | /bmad-bmm-create-ux-design |
No | UX design specification | _bmad-output/planning-artifacts/ |
UX/UI design sprint or prototype review |
Note: Create PRD is the only required step in this phase. Validate and Edit PRD are recommended for quality but not blocking.
Phase 3 — Solutioning
Scrum Equivalent: Sprint 0 / Technical Refinement
Define how to build it. Architecture and story decomposition must be complete before implementation begins.
| Step | Command | Required | Output | Output Folder | Scrum Equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Create Architecture | /bmad-bmm-create-architecture |
Yes | Architecture document | _bmad-output/planning-artifacts/ |
Architecture design review / technical kick-off meeting |
| Create Epics & Stories | /bmad-bmm-create-epics-and-stories |
Yes | Epics and stories list | _bmad-output/planning-artifacts/ |
Backlog decomposition — breaking epics into user stories |
| Check Implementation Readiness | /bmad-bmm-check-implementation-readiness |
Yes | Readiness report | _bmad-output/planning-artifacts/ |
Definition of Ready check across PRD + UX + Architecture + Stories |
All three steps are required. The readiness check validates alignment across all prior artifacts before development starts.
Phase 4 — Implementation
Scrum Equivalent: Sprint Execution
Build and ship. Stories are worked one at a time through a defined cycle.
| Step | Command | Required | Output | Output Folder | Scrum Equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sprint Planning | /bmad-bmm-sprint-planning |
Yes | Sprint status / plan | _bmad-output/implementation-artifacts/ |
Sprint Planning ceremony — selecting stories and creating the sprint plan |
| Sprint Status | /bmad-bmm-sprint-status |
No | Status summary | (inline) | Daily Standup / sprint burndown review |
| Create Story | /bmad-bmm-create-story |
Yes | Enriched story file | _bmad-output/implementation-artifacts/ |
Story kick-off — Scrum Master prepares story context for dev |
| Validate Story |
/bmad-bmm-create-story (Validate Mode)
|
No | Story validation report | _bmad-output/implementation-artifacts/ |
Pre-development story review / Three Amigos |
| Dev Story | /bmad-bmm-dev-story |
Yes | Implemented code + tests | (codebase) | Sprint execution — developer implements the story |
| QA Automation Test | /bmad-bmm-qa-automate |
No | Automated test suite | _bmad-output/implementation-artifacts/ |
QA review / automated test coverage after implementation |
| Code Review | /bmad-bmm-code-review |
No | Code review report | (inline) | Pull request code review |
| Retrospective | /bmad-bmm-retrospective |
No | Retrospective doc | _bmad-output/implementation-artifacts/ |
Sprint Retrospective at end of epic |
Story Cycle (per story):
Create Story → Validate Story → Dev Story → Code Review
↑ |
└── (if issues found, back to Dev Story) ───┘
|
(next story) → Create Story
(epic done) → Retrospective
Anytime Tools
These tools can be used at any phase, independent of workflow state.
| Tool | Command | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Quick Spec | /bmad-bmm-quick-spec |
Lightweight spec for small/simple tasks without full planning |
| Quick Dev | /bmad-bmm-quick-dev |
Implement small tasks directly without full process |
| Correct Course | /bmad-bmm-correct-course |
Handle significant mid-sprint changes or pivots |
| Document Project | /bmad-bmm-document-project |
Generate docs for an existing (brownfield) codebase → docs/
|
| Generate Project Context | /bmad-bmm-generate-project-context |
Produce project-context.md for AI agent grounding → _bmad-output/
|
| Write Document | Load /bmad:DITA:agent:tech-writer, ask "WD" |
Write any document following documentation standards → docs/
|
| BMAD Help | /bmad-help |
Get guidance on what to do next at any point |
| Brainstorming | /bmad-brainstorming |
Ideation session using creative techniques |
Summary: Output Locations
| Phase | Outputs Go To |
|---|---|
| Analysis | _bmad-output/planning-artifacts/ |
| Planning | _bmad-output/planning-artifacts/ |
| Solutioning | _bmad-output/planning-artifacts/ |
| Implementation | _bmad-output/implementation-artifacts/ |
| Project Knowledge / Docs | docs/ |
| General Output | _bmad-output/ |
Key Principles
- Run each workflow in a fresh context window — do not chain multiple workflows in the same conversation.
- Required steps block progress — you cannot skip Create PRD, Create Architecture, Create Epics & Stories, Check Implementation Readiness, Sprint Planning, Create Story, or Dev Story.
- Artifacts drive state — BMAD determines workflow state by looking for output files, not by tracking session history.
- Use a different LLM for validation steps — Validate PRD, Validate Story, and Check Implementation Readiness benefit from a separate high-quality model to avoid self-confirmation bias.
This content is summarized by /bmad-help, the agent that helps us with anything about BMAD. You can also ask it for more details about BMAD usage.
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