Subagent-Driven Development
Fresh subagent per task + review between tasks = high quality, fast iteration.
When to Use
- •Executing implementation plans in current session
- •Tasks are largely independent
- •Want continuous progress with quality gates
- •Need isolation between task contexts
When NOT to Use
- •Plan needs initial review/revision
- •Tasks have tight sequential dependencies
- •Simple changes that don't need isolation
The Process
1. Load Plan & Create Tasks
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1. Read the plan document 2. Create TodoWrite with all tasks 3. Verify plan is sound before starting
2. For Each Task
Dispatch Implementation Subagent:
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Task([appropriate-agent], prompt=" Implement Task N from the plan: **Task:** [Task description] **Requirements:** - Follow TDD (write failing test first) - Implement minimal code to pass - Verify all tests pass - Commit with descriptive message **Output:** - What was implemented - Test results - Any issues encountered ")
3. Code Review Checkpoint
After EACH task, dispatch reviewer:
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Task(code-reviewer, prompt=" Review implementation of Task N: **What was implemented:** [From subagent output] **Commits:** [Range] **Requirements:** [From plan] Evaluate: - Implementation vs requirements match - Code quality and patterns - Test coverage - Critical/Important/Minor issues ")
4. Address Feedback
| Severity | Action |
|---|---|
| Critical | Fix immediately, re-review |
| High | Fix before next task |
| Medium | Fix if quick, else document |
| Low | Document for later |
5. Mark & Continue
- •Update TodoWrite to mark task complete
- •Proceed to next task
- •Repeat cycle
6. Final Review
After all tasks complete:
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Task(code-reviewer, prompt=" Final review of complete implementation: **Plan:** [Reference] **All commits:** [Full range] Verify: - Complete plan compliance - Architectural soundness - No regressions - Ready for merge ")
7. Finish
Transition to merge/PR workflow.
Critical Rules
Never:
- •Skip code reviews between tasks
- •Proceed with unresolved Critical issues
- •Run multiple implementation subagents in parallel
- •Implement without plan task reference
Always:
- •Fresh subagent for each task (clean context)
- •Review after each task (quality gate)
- •Fix Critical/High before continuing
- •Document deferred issues
Quality Gate Template
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## Task N Review **Status:** [Pass/Fail] ### Critical Issues [None / List] ### High Priority [None / List] ### Medium Priority [None / List] ### Minor/Suggestions [None / List] ### Verdict - [ ] Proceed to next task - [ ] Fix issues first - [ ] Needs discussion
Benefits
- •Clean context for each task (no accumulated confusion)
- •Built-in quality gates catch issues early
- •Reviewable progress at each step
- •Easy to pause/resume at task boundaries