RPI Workflow

RPI = Research -> Plan -> Implement

A systematic development workflow with validation gates at each phase. Prevents wasted effort on non-viable features and ensures comprehensive documentation.

Overview

The RPI workflow breaks feature development into three gated phases: Research, Plan, and Implement. Each phase must pass before proceeding to the next, ensuring that only viable and well-planned features reach implementation.

Installation

Copy the .claude folder (containing agents/ and commands/rpi/) to your repository root, then create the rpi/plans directory.

Example Workflow

Feature: User Authentication

Step 1: Describe

User: "Add OAuth2 authentication with Google and GitHub providers"

1. Claude generates plan
   → Output: rpi/plans/oauth2-authentication.md
2. Create feature folder: rpi/oauth2-authentication/
3. Copy the plan into the feature folder
4. Rename the plan to REQUEST.md
   → Final: rpi/oauth2-authentication/REQUEST.md

Step 2: Research

/rpi:research rpi/oauth2-authentication/REQUEST.md

Output:

• research/RESEARCH.md with analysis
• Verdict: GO (feasible, aligned with strategy)

Step 3: Plan

/rpi:plan oauth2-authentication

Output:

• plan/pm.md - User stories and acceptance criteria
• plan/ux.md - Login UI flows
• plan/eng.md - Technical architecture
• plan/PLAN.md - 3 phases, 15 tasks

Step 4: Implement

/rpi:implement oauth2-authentication

Progress:

• Phase 1: Backend Foundation -> PASS
• Phase 2: Frontend Integration -> PASS
• Phase 3: Testing & Polish -> PASS

Result: Feature complete, ready for PR.

Feature Folder Structure

All feature work lives in rpi/{feature-slug}/:

rpi/{feature-slug}/
├── REQUEST.md              # Step 1: Initial feature description
├── research/
│   └── RESEARCH.md         # Step 2: GO/NO-GO analysis
├── plan/
│   ├── PLAN.md             # Step 3: Implementation roadmap
│   ├── pm.md               # Product requirements
│   ├── ux.md               # UX design
│   └── eng.md              # Technical specification
└── implement/
    └── IMPLEMENT.md        # Step 4: Implementation record

Why This Structure?

Each phase produces its own artifact in a dedicated subfolder. This makes it easy to review what was decided at each stage, and to trace implementation decisions back to research findings and product requirements.

Agents and Commands

Command	Agents Used
/rpi:research	requirement-parser, product-manager, Explore, senior-software-engineer, technical-cto-advisor, documentation-analyst-writer
/rpi:plan	senior-software-engineer, product-manager, ux-designer, documentation-analyst-writer
/rpi:implement	Explore, senior-software-engineer, code-reviewer

Phase Details

Research Phase (/rpi:research)

Uses multiple agents to analyze the feature request from different perspectives -- product viability, technical feasibility, and documentation impact. Produces a GO/NO-GO verdict with supporting analysis.

Plan Phase (/rpi:plan)

Coordinates product, UX, and engineering agents to produce a comprehensive implementation plan with phased tasks, acceptance criteria, and technical specifications.

Implement Phase (/rpi:implement)

Executes the plan phase-by-phase with built-in test gates. Each phase must pass validation before the next begins, with code review integrated throughout.