athility/design-orchestration

Design Orchestration (Meta-Skill)

Purpose

Ensure that ideas become designs, designs are reviewed, and only validated designs reach implementation.

This skill does not generate designs. It controls the flow between other skills.

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Operating Model

This is a routing and enforcement skill, not a creative one.

It decides:

• which skill must run next
• whether escalation is required
• whether execution is permitted

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Controlled Skills

This meta-skill coordinates the following:

• brainstorming — design generation
• multi-agent-brainstorming — design validation
• downstream implementation or planning skills

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Entry Conditions

Invoke this skill when:

• a user proposes a new feature, system, or change
• a design decision carries meaningful risk
• correctness matters more than speed

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Routing Logic

Step 1 — Brainstorming (Mandatory)

If no validated design exists:

• Invoke brainstorming
• Require:
  • Understanding Lock
  • Initial Design
  • Decision Log started

You may NOT proceed without these artifacts.

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Step 2 — Risk Assessment

After brainstorming completes, classify the design as:

• Low risk
• Moderate risk
• High risk

Use factors such as:

• user impact
• irreversibility
• operational cost
• complexity
• uncertainty
• novelty

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Step 3 — Conditional Escalation

• Low risk
  → Proceed to implementation planning

• Moderate risk
  → Recommend multi-agent-brainstorming

• High risk
  → REQUIRE multi-agent-brainstorming

Skipping escalation when required is prohibited.

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Step 4 — Multi-Agent Review (If Invoked)

If multi-agent-brainstorming is run:

Require:

• completed Understanding Lock
• current Design
• Decision Log

Do NOT allow:

• new ideation
• scope expansion
• reopening problem definition

Only critique, revision, and decision resolution are allowed.

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Step 5 — Execution Readiness Check

Before allowing implementation:

Confirm:

• design is approved (single-agent or multi-agent)
• Decision Log is complete
• major assumptions are documented
• known risks are acknowledged

If any condition fails:

• block execution
• return to the appropriate skill

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Enforcement Rules

• Do NOT allow implementation without a validated design
• Do NOT allow skipping required review
• Do NOT allow silent escalation or de-escalation
• Do NOT merge design and implementation phases

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Exit Conditions

This meta-skill exits ONLY when:

• the next step is explicitly identified, AND
• all required prior steps are complete

Possible exits:

• “Proceed to implementation planning”
• “Run multi-agent-brainstorming”
• “Return to brainstorming for clarification”
• "If a reviewed design reports a final disposition of APPROVED, REVISE, or REJECT, you MUST route the workflow accordingly and state the chosen next step explicitly."

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Design Philosophy

This skill exists to:

• slow down the right decisions
• speed up the right execution
• prevent costly mistakes

Good systems fail early. Bad systems fail in production.

This meta-skill exists to enforce the former.