workflow · 4 phases

The four-phase loop

Four phases, one rule each. Each phase has a slash command and a real artifact. Stop writing rules. Install a process.

01

Grill

Grill before you plan.

Relentless interview-style questioning until shared understanding. Most specs are vague; coding from a vague spec produces vague code. The artifact is the transcript itself — every decision lives there for later.

See a real grilling transcript /grill-me · Matt Pocock
02

PRD

Document before you code.

Turn the grilling output into a document with user stories. The design decisions you made while grilling get preserved — not lost when you clear context.

See a real PRD /to-prd · Matt Pocock
03

Slice

Slice before you build.

Split the PRD into thin end-to-end slices, each one shipping a complete vertical. AI loves big horizontal layers and they don't fit together. Vertical slices force early validation.

See tracer-bullet issues /to-issues · The Pragmatic Programmer
04

TDD

Test before you ship.

Red, green, refactor — but with the agent doing the typing. TDD has been theoretical for many because writing tests first felt slow. With an agent, the slow part is now free.

See the TDD receipt /tdd · Kent Beck (and the agent)

For the canonical methodology, read Matt Pocock's skills repo. This page is the demonstrated application, not the source of truth.