Laboratory Patterns Skill

Scientific experimentation patterns for exploring implementation approaches.

Overview

This skill provides patterns and templates for the /serena-refactor:laboratory command, which applies scientific methodology to code implementation:

• •Problem Decomposition: Breaking complex problems into testable units
• •Approach Collection: Gathering solutions from multiple sources
• •Creative Generation: Novel approaches beyond documentation
• •Hypothesis Formation: Structuring testable experiments
• •Parallel Experimentation: Running multiple PoCs concurrently
• •Rigorous Verification: Testing with edge cases and reproducibility
• •Learning from Failure: Recording what doesn't work and why

Core Philosophy

"Apply scientific methodology to code implementation"

1. •Decompose - Break problems into smaller, testable units
2. •Hypothesize - Form clear, testable hypotheses
3. •Experiment - Run controlled experiments (PoCs)
4. •Verify - Test rigorously with edge cases
5. •Learn - Record successes AND failures

References

7-Stage Workflow

1. Problem Decomposition  [User Approval]
      ↓
2. Existing Approaches Collection
      ↓
3. Creative Approaches Generation
      ↓
4. Hypothesis Formation  [User Approval]
      ↓
5. PoC Experiments (Parallel, max 5)  [User Approval]
      ↓
6. Verification
      ↓
7. Result Report

Agent Roles

Information Sources (Priority)

1. •GitHub Issues/Discussions - Real developer solutions
2. •Stack Overflow - Community-vetted approaches
3. •Official Docs (Context7) - Standard methods

Verification Criteria

State Files

Output Locations

• •Reports: docs/lab-reports/YYYY-MM-DD-{topic}.md
• •Memory: .serena/memories/lab-{topic}.md
• •Experiments: experiments/hypothesis-{id}/