Lifecycle Diagram
A Gemba Flow delivery cycle runs in six phases. The diagram below shows which slash command belongs to each phase and how work moves from an initial idea all the way to a validated production deployment. Each phase uses a distinct set of commands so the agent responsible at that stage has a clear, bounded scope.
Read the diagram left-to-right: phases execute in order, though Reflect (Phase 6) can happen after any phase when a session ends, and the Groom phase (Phase 3) recurs whenever the Ready column drains below one or two tickets.
Phase Callouts
| Phase | Commands | What Happens |
|---|---|---|
| Evaluate | /research, /jtbd, /positioning, /evaluate-feature, /lock-scope | Discover user needs, evaluate fit, freeze MVP scope before any code is written |
| Set Up | /bootstrap-product, /bootstrap-architecture, /bootstrap-agents, /bootstrap-workflow, /doctor, /upgrade | Generate PRD, architecture doc, agent configs, and CI/CD plumbing — run once per project |
| Groom | /create-ticket, /groom-backlog, /sprint-status, /check-milestone | Write tickets to Definition of Ready, populate the Ready column, check milestone progress |
| Implement | /work-ticket, /quick-fix, /swarm, /drain, /eli5 | Pick up Ready tickets, branch, code, test, open PRs; /drain loops this autonomously overnight |
| Review & Ship | /review-pr, /architect-review, /test-feature, /release-decision, /goal, /eli5 | Review open PRs, gate releases, promote feature flags from dark-ship to GA |
| Reflect | /log-session, /prune-memory, /validate-memory, /report-issue | Record what shipped, decay stale memory entities, confirm completed tickets have MCP records |
The dashed arrow from Reflect back to Groom represents the recurring cadence: after each session the backlog is re-prioritized and the next cycle begins.
See the Cheat Sheet for invocation syntax and a full per-command reference.