staged-delivery-workflow

Phased development structures complex multi-file implementation tasks into P0–P5 stages, enforcing scoped changes and mandatory validation after each stage. You declare specific files per stage and use context.md as the single source of truth.

A staged delivery workflow is needed for cross-file features touching more than two files, backend plus UI work, integration tests, and coordinated commit documentation. It prevents scope creep and unsafe architectural guesses.

Validation gates enforce repository checks at each stage by requiring commands like npm run typecheck, npm run lint, and npm run test to pass. The workflow provides failure protocols and invariant checklists before progressing to the next phase.

Yes, staged delivery supports coordinating migrations with UI changes by requiring you to declare files per stage and validate each phase independently. This ensures backend and UI updates are committed together safely.

Phased development surfaces ambiguity through mandatory pre-flight blocker detection, requiring a context.md review and explicit ambiguity documentation before any code is written. This prevents silent scope expansion.

The limitation is that context.md must be actively updated when scope changes occur, requiring explicit documentation rules to list residual risks. Without this maintenance, it cannot effectively prevent scope creep or unsafe architectural guesses.