Execution: Implement & Review

Execution is the daily development loop. You pick up a refined story, implement it task by task, create a PR, and get it reviewed and merged.

Step 8: Implement

Develop a user story by working through its tasks sequentially.

The Implementation Cycle

For each task, the skill follows a strict 5-step cycle:

1. Context ──── Load adoption files and technical decisions
       │
2. Branch ───── Create or switch to the feature branch
       │
3. Implement ── Write code (TDD for dev tasks, direct for docs/config)
       │
4. Quality ──── Run quality gates (lint, test, type check)
       │
5. Commit ───── Commit and update task checkbox in the story

TDD Discipline (Development Tasks)

The AI follows strict TDD — tests and implementation never change in the same session:

1. RED — write a failing test that defines the expected behavior
2. GREEN — write the minimal code to make the test pass
3. REFACTOR — improve structure without changing behavior

Every new module file must have a corresponding unit test file (1:1 mapping). Mocks are avoided in favor of in-memory test doubles.

Commit Strategies

With commit-per-task, the developer gets a checkpoint between every task — the AI presents a summary and waits for confirmation before committing.

PR Creation

After all tasks are complete, the skill:

1. Pushes the feature branch
2. Creates a PR following the team's PR template
3. Links the PR to the story issue
4. Marks the PR as ready for review

Step 9: Code Review

Review a pull request through a structured 6-phase process.

The Review Phases

Phase 1 ── Validation ────── PR structure, linked story, template compliance
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Phase 2 ── Technical ─────── Code quality, architecture match, security
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Phase 3 ── Adoption ──────── Libraries match tech-stack.md, patterns match architecture.md
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Phase 4 ── Completeness ──── All AC covered, all tasks done, DoD met
       │
Phase 5 ── Decision ──────── APPROVED, CHANGES REQUESTED, or REJECT
       │
Phase 6 ── Merge ─────────── Merge PR, update story/epic/initiative status

ADR Enforcement

If the review detects a new library not listed in tech-stack.md or an architecture pattern not recorded in architecture.md, it blocks and requests an Architecture Decision Record before approval. This ensures every technical choice is deliberate and documented.

Parent Cascade

After merge, the skill updates the status hierarchy:

• Story → Done
• If all stories in the epic are Done → Epic → Done
• If all epics in the initiative are Done → Initiative → Done

The Complete Loop

/pair-next → suggests story to implement
    │
/pair-process-implement #story-id
    │
    ├── Task 1: RED → GREEN → REFACTOR → commit
    ├── Task 2: RED → GREEN → REFACTOR → commit
    └── Task N: ... → commit → PR created
    │
/pair-process-review #pr-number
    │
    ├── Approved → merge → status cascade
    └── Changes requested → fix → re-review
    │
/pair-next → suggests next story

This loop repeats for every story. /pair-next always knows what comes next.

Reference

• Skills Catalog — all 31 skills with commands and composition
• Guidelines & How-To Catalog — all 9 guideline categories and 11 how-to guides
• Adopt a Knowledge Base — set up pair if you haven't already