Product: The Agentic Coding Playbook: From Idea to Production in 6 Weeks Version: 1.0 Date: 2025-12-19 Purpose: MVP roadmap, environment activation path, release phases, and timeline visualization
This plan defines the path from design completion to published book, with clear milestones for MVP (2 weeks), v1.0 (6 weeks), and v1.1+ (12 weeks). The book itself demonstrates the 6-week MVP process it teaches.
Key Milestones:
- Week 2: MVP - Part 1 complete, infrastructure live, initial publication
- Week 6: v1.0 - All 4 parts complete, full workflow demonstrated
- Week 12: v1.1 - Refinements, additional patterns, physical print ready
MVP Goal: Demonstrate the agentic coding workflow with enough content to be valuable and publishable.
MVP Includes:
-
Infrastructure (100%)
- GitHub repository with all structure
- GitHub Pages live and accessible
- GitHub Actions pipelines working (web + PDF)
- Build scripts functional
- Core Claude Code skills (chapter-template, mermaid-diagrams)
-
Part 1: Foundations (100%)
- All 5 chapters complete and published
- Renaissance Developer concept
- Agentic coding definition
- Architecture principles
- Digestible interfaces
- New bottlenecks
-
Supporting Content (Minimum)
- Preface and introduction
- README with navigation
- Initial glossary (terms from Part 1)
- Basic diagrams for Part 1
-
Quality (Core)
- Link validation passing
- PDF builds successfully
- GitHub Pages accessible
- Basic accessibility compliance
MVP Deliberately Excludes (deferred to v1.0):
- Parts 2, 3, 4 (playbook, patterns, example)
- Comprehensive glossary
- Advanced skills (EARS, glossary-entry)
- User testing
- Comprehensive accessibility testing
Strategic Rationale:
- Proves the concept: Part 1 establishes the foundation and mindset
- Demonstrates infrastructure: Shows the build/publish workflow works
- Builds accountability: Public commitment with visible progress
- Enables feedback: Early readers can validate approach
- Creates momentum: Quick win motivates continued work
- Achievable in 2 weeks: Realistic scope for solo author with AI assistance
Value Proposition:
- Readers get actionable foundation knowledge immediately
- Demonstrates agentic writing process in action
- Infrastructure proves the technical approach works
- Sets stage for rapid iteration to v1.0
v1.0 Goal: Complete the entire playbook from idea to production with all essential patterns.
v1.0 Adds to MVP:
-
Part 2: Playbook (100%)
- All 11 chapters complete
- Complete 6-week workflow documented
- Spec-driven development explained
- Environment progression defined
- Agent management strategies
-
Part 3: Patterns & Tools (Core 80%)
- Architecture patterns (component decomposition, bounded contexts, interfaces)
- Specification patterns (EARS, OpenAPI, AsyncAPI, JSON Schema)
- Testing patterns (testing AI code, test pyramid)
- Toolchain (MCP servers, skills, code review, debugging)
- Deferred: Advanced patterns (scalability, security, monitoring)
-
Part 4: Complete Example (100%)
- Real 6-week project documented end-to-end
- All phases shown: idea → brainstorm → brief → requirements → design → implementation → deployment
- Validates 6-week timeline achievable
- Demonstrates all key patterns
-
Quality (Comprehensive)
- Full editorial review
- User testing (vibecoders + CTOs)
- Accessibility testing (WCAG AA)
- Comprehensive link validation
- Complete glossary
- All diagrams polished
v1.0 Target Metrics:
- ~500-800 pages (PDF)
- ~75% of total planned content
- All MVP requirements (REQ-M007 through REQ-M012) met
- Ready for wide distribution and marketing
v1.1 Goal: Refine based on feedback, add advanced patterns, prepare for physical print.
v1.1 Adds to v1.0:
-
Part 3: Advanced Patterns (Remaining 20%)
- Scalability patterns
- Security patterns for AI code
- Performance optimization
- Monitoring and observability
- Documentation generation
- Continuous delivery advanced patterns
-
Additional Skills
- EARS requirements generator
- Glossary entry generator
- Additional diagram templates
-
Community Refinements
- Incorporate v1.0 reader feedback
- Clarify ambiguous sections
- Add requested examples
- Expand explanations where needed
-
Physical Print
- Print-optimized formatting
- Cover design
- Print-on-demand setup
- ISBN registration
- Distribution channels
v1.1 Target Metrics:
- ~600-1000 pages (PDF)
- 100% of planned content
- Physical print available
- Strong community engagement
- Testimonials and case studies
Unlike traditional software with separate dev/test/staging/prod environments, this book project has a simplified environment progression:
| Environment | Purpose | Activation | Dependencies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Dev | Author writes content, previews locally | Immediate (Week 1) | VS Code, Claude Code, Pandoc, git |
| GitHub Repo | Source of truth, version control | Week 1, Day 1 | GitHub account, local dev working |
| GitHub Actions | Automated build and validation | Week 1, Day 2-3 | Repo exists, workflows committed |
| GitHub Pages | Web publication (staging + prod) | Week 1, Day 3-4 | Actions working, content exists |
| GitHub Releases | PDF distribution | Week 2, Day 5-7 | PDF build working, v0.1 tag |
Week 1, Day 1: Local Dev → GitHub Repo
↓
Week 1, Day 2-3: GitHub Actions (CI/CD)
↓
Week 1, Day 3-4: GitHub Pages (Web Publishing)
↓
Week 2, Day 5-7: GitHub Releases (PDF Distribution)
↓
Week 2, Day 7: MVP LAUNCH 🚀
Milestone 1: Local Development Ready (Day 1)
- Repository created
- Directory structure in place
- Local tools installed (VS Code, Claude Code, Pandoc, Node)
- Can write and preview Markdown locally
Milestone 2: GitHub Infrastructure Live (Day 1)
- Repository pushed to GitHub
- Issues and Discussions enabled
- Initial README and LICENSE committed
- Source of truth established
Milestone 3: CI/CD Operational (Day 2-3)
- All GitHub Actions workflows created
- Build scripts working
- Validation passing
- Automated deployment functioning
Milestone 4: Web Publication Live (Day 3-4)
- GitHub Pages configured
- First content deployed
- Website accessible
- Navigation working
Milestone 5: PDF Distribution Ready (Day 5-7)
- PDF build successful
- PDF < 50MB
- Quality acceptable
- Attached to releases
Milestone 6: MVP Published (Day 7)
- v0.1 release created
- Web and PDF both available
- Announcement posted
- Community engaged
graph TD
A[Local Dev Setup] --> B[GitHub Repository]
B --> C[GitHub Actions]
C --> D[GitHub Pages]
C --> E[PDF Build]
D --> F[MVP Launch]
E --> F
style A fill:#e1f5e1
style B fill:#e1f5e1
style C fill:#fff3cd
style D fill:#fff3cd
style E fill:#fff3cd
style F fill:#d1ecf1
Goal: Establish all technical infrastructure, automation, and high-impact skills.
Tasks (from tasks.md):
- INFRA-001: Repository structure
- INFRA-002: GitHub configuration
- INFRA-003: Local development
- INFRA-004: Build scripts
- INFRA-005: GitHub Actions
- INFRA-006: Styling and templates
- SKILL-001: Chapter template skill
- SKILL-002: Mermaid diagram skill (enhanced)
- SKILL-005: Frontmatter generator skill ⭐ (NEW - saves 6 hours)
- SKILL-006: Section scaffolder skill ⭐ (NEW - saves 4 hours)
- SKILL-007: Code formatter skill ⭐ (NEW - saves 10 hours)
Deliverables:
- ✅ Fully functional build and deployment pipeline
- ✅ Automated PDF and web generation
- ✅ 5 core Claude Code skills operational
- ✅ Skills provide 20+ hours of time savings for MVP
Success Criteria:
- Can commit → see deployed to Pages in < 5 minutes
- Can generate PDF locally and in CI
- Can create chapter scaffolds with skills
- Can auto-generate frontmatter for all chapters
- Can auto-format all code examples
- Skills tested and working end-to-end
Time Investment: ~6 hours to build new skills Time Saved: ~20 hours during MVP content creation Net Gain: ~14 hours
Goal: Write and publish all Part 1: Foundations content.
Tasks (from tasks.md):
- P1-001: Preface and introduction
- P1-002: Renaissance Developer
- P1-003: What is Agentic Coding
- P1-004: Architecture Principles
- P1-005: Digestible Interfaces
- P1-006: New Bottlenecks
- P1-007: Part 1 review and polish
- SUPPORT-003: Part 1 diagrams
- SUPPORT-001: Glossary (Part 1 terms)
Deliverables:
- ✅ 5 complete chapters (Part 1)
- ✅ Preface and introduction
- ✅ All Part 1 diagrams
- ✅ Initial glossary
Success Criteria:
- Part 1 teaches foundations clearly
- Accessible to vibecoders
- Valuable to CTOs
- All diagrams render correctly
Goal: Test, validate, and launch MVP to public.
Tasks (from tasks.md):
- TEST-001: Link validation
- TEST-002: Frontmatter validation
- TEST-003: Build and deployment testing
- SUPPORT-004: Generate TOC
- PUB-001: MVP release preparation
- PUB-002: Launch MVP
Deliverables:
- ✅ v0.1 release with Part 1 complete
- ✅ Web and PDF both available
- ✅ All validation passing
- ✅ Public announcement
Success Criteria:
- No broken links
- PDF builds and loads correctly
- GitHub Pages accessible
- Community channels active
- 2-WEEK MVP MILESTONE ACHIEVED 🎉
Goal: Complete the 6-week workflow playbook.
Tasks (from tasks.md):
- P2-001 through P2-011: All 11 playbook chapters
- P2-012: Part 2 review and polish
- SUPPORT-003: Part 2 diagrams
Deliverables:
- ✅ Complete Part 2: Playbook (11 chapters)
- ✅ Workflow diagrams
- ✅ Process templates and frameworks
Success Criteria:
- 6-week workflow completely documented
- Each phase actionable
- Examples from this book's planning/
- Links to Part 3 patterns established
Goal: Document essential patterns and tools for agentic development.
Tasks (from tasks.md):
- P3-001 through P3-013: Core patterns (architecture, specs, testing, toolchain)
- P3-015: Part 3 core review
- SUPPORT-003: Part 3 diagrams
Deliverables:
- ✅ Architecture patterns (3 chapters)
- ✅ Specification patterns (4 chapters)
- ✅ Testing patterns (2 chapters)
- ✅ Toolchain patterns (4 chapters)
- ✅ Core pattern diagrams
Success Criteria:
- Patterns actionable and tested
- Examples clear
- Can serve as reference material
- Links back to Parts 1-2
Goal: Build and document real 6-week project example.
Tasks (from tasks.md):
- P4-001 through P4-010: Complete example documentation
- P4-011: Part 4 review and integration
- SUPPORT-003: Part 4 diagrams
Deliverables:
- ✅ Complete 6-week project documented
- ✅ All phases shown with artifacts
- ✅ Timeline validated
- ✅ Lessons learned captured
Success Criteria:
- 6-week achievability proven
- All patterns from Parts 1-3 demonstrated
- Real code and artifacts shown
- Integrated with other parts
Goal: Complete testing, refinement, and launch v1.0.
Tasks (from tasks.md):
- TEST-004: Accessibility testing
- TEST-005: User testing
- SUPPORT-001: Complete glossary
- SUPPORT-002: Conclusion
- SUPPORT-004: Final TOC generation
- PUB-003: Iteration planning
- PUB-004: v1.0 launch
Deliverables:
- ✅ v1.0 release with all 4 parts
- ✅ Complete glossary
- ✅ Conclusion chapter
- ✅ User testing feedback incorporated
Success Criteria:
- All v1.0 requirements met
- Accessibility validated
- User feedback positive
- 6-WEEK v1.0 MILESTONE ACHIEVED 🎉
Goal: Incorporate feedback, add advanced patterns, prepare print.
Tasks (from tasks.md):
- P3-016 through P3-025: Advanced Part 3 patterns
- SKILL-003: EARS requirements generator
- SKILL-004: Glossary entry generator
- SKILL-008: Pattern document template
- SKILL-009: Spec template generator (OpenAPI, AsyncAPI, JSON Schema)
- SKILL-010: Cross-reference suggester
- Community feedback incorporation
- PUB-005: Physical print preparation
Deliverables:
- ✅ v1.1 release with all patterns
- ✅ 5 additional advanced skills
- ✅ Feedback incorporated
- ✅ Physical print ready
- ✅ Complete skill suite (10 total skills)
Success Criteria:
- 100% of content complete
- Community engaged and satisfied
- Physical print available
- 12-WEEK v1.1 MILESTONE ACHIEVED 🎉
Phase/Task | W1 | W2 | W3 | W4 | W5 | W6 | W7-12 |
================================================|=====|=====|=====|=====|=====|=====|=======|
PHASE 1: Infrastructure Foundation |█████| | | | | | |
INFRA-001 to INFRA-006 |███ | | | | | | |
SKILL-001, 002, 005, 006, 007 (5 skills) | ███| | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
PHASE 2: Part 1 Content | ███|█████| | | | | |
P1-001 to P1-007 | ███|████ | | | | | |
SUPPORT-003 (Part 1 diagrams) | | ██ | | | | | |
SUPPORT-001 (Glossary Part 1) | | █ | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
PHASE 3: MVP Testing and Launch | | ███| | | | | |
TEST-001 to TEST-003 | | ██ | | | | | |
PUB-001, PUB-002 (MVP Launch) | | █ | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
MILESTONE: MVP LAUNCH 🚀 | | [v0.1] | | | | |
================================================|=====|=====|=====|=====|=====|=====|=======|
PHASE 4: Part 2 Playbook | | |█████|█████| | | |
P2-001 to P2-012 | | |█████|████ | | | |
SUPPORT-003 (Part 2 diagrams) | | | | ██ | | | |
| | | | | | | |
PHASE 5: Part 3 Core Patterns | | | | ███|█████| | |
P3-001 to P3-013, P3-015 | | | | ███|████ | | |
SUPPORT-003 (Part 3 diagrams) | | | | | ██ | | |
| | | | | | | |
PHASE 6: Part 4 Complete Example | | | | | ███|█████| |
P4-001 to P4-011 | | | | | ███|████ | |
SUPPORT-003 (Part 4 diagrams) | | | | | | ██ | |
| | | | | | | |
PHASE 7: v1.0 Polish and Launch | | | | | | ███| |
TEST-004, TEST-005 | | | | | | ██ | |
SUPPORT-001, SUPPORT-002, SUPPORT-004 | | | | | | █ | |
PUB-003, PUB-004 (v1.0 Launch) | | | | | | █ | |
| | | | | | | |
MILESTONE: v1.0 COMPLETE 🎉 | | | | | | [v1.0] |
================================================|=====|=====|=====|=====|=====|=====|=======|
PHASE 8: v1.1 Refinement | | | | | | |███████|
P3-016 to P3-025 (Advanced patterns) | | | | | | |█████ |
SKILL-003, 004, 008, 009, 010 (5 skills) | | | | | | |███ |
Community feedback incorporation | | | | | | | ████ |
PUB-005 (Physical print) | | | | | | | ███|
| | | | | | | |
MILESTONE: v1.1 COMPLETE 🎉 | | | | | | | [v1.1]|
================================================|=====|=====|=====|=====|=====|=====|=======|
Legend:
█ = Active work
v0.1 = MVP release
v1.0 = Complete first pass
v1.1 = Refined with advanced content
The critical path (tasks that directly impact final delivery date):
INFRA → Part 1 → MVP → Part 2 → Part 3 Core → Part 4 → v1.0 → v1.1
Parallelization Opportunities:
- Diagram creation can happen alongside writing
- Skills can be built as needed (just-in-time)
- Testing can start early and run continuously
- Community engagement can run throughout
Bottleneck Identification:
- Content writing is the primary bottleneck (author capacity)
- AI assistance (Claude Code) mitigates this significantly
- Review and polish can become bottleneck if perfectionism creeps in
- Mitigation: MVP mindset, ship and iterate
graph TD
subgraph "Week 1-2: MVP"
INFRA[Infrastructure Setup] --> SKILL[Core Skills]
SKILL --> P1[Part 1 Content]
P1 --> TEST1[MVP Testing]
TEST1 --> MVP[MVP Launch]
end
subgraph "Weeks 3-4: Playbook"
MVP --> P2[Part 2 Content]
end
subgraph "Weeks 4-5: Patterns"
P2 --> P3[Part 3 Core Patterns]
end
subgraph "Weeks 5-6: Example & v1.0"
P2 --> P4[Part 4 Example]
P3 --> P4
P4 --> TEST2[Full Testing]
TEST2 --> V10[v1.0 Launch]
end
subgraph "Weeks 7-12: Refinement"
V10 --> P3ADV[Part 3 Advanced]
V10 --> FEED[Feedback Loop]
P3ADV --> V11[v1.1 Launch]
FEED --> V11
end
style MVP fill:#d1ecf1
style V10 fill:#d1ecf1
style V11 fill:#d1ecf1
- INFRA-001 (Repo setup) → Everything else depends on this
- INFRA-002, INFRA-003 (Config, Local dev) → Parallel after INFRA-001
- INFRA-004 (Build scripts) → After INFRA-003
- INFRA-005 (GitHub Actions) → After INFRA-004
- INFRA-006 (Styling) → After INFRA-001, parallel with others
- SKILL-001, SKILL-002 → After INFRA-003, parallel
- P1-001 (Preface) → After SKILL-001
- P1-002 through P1-006 → After P1-001, can be parallel
- P1-007 (Review) → After P1-002 through P1-006 complete
- TEST-001, TEST-002, TEST-003 → After P1-007
- PUB-001, PUB-002 (MVP launch) → After TEST-003
- P2-* → After MVP launch (can start immediately)
- P3-* → After P2 in progress (can overlap)
- P4-* → After P2, P3 in progress (needs patterns to reference)
- TEST-004, TEST-005 → After all content complete
- PUB-004 (v1.0) → After all testing complete
| Risk | Probability | Impact | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scope creep | High | High | Strict MVP boundaries, defer to v1.1 |
| Time underestimation | Medium | High | Buffer in each phase, adjust scope if needed |
| Writer's block | Medium | Medium | Claude Code assistance, chapter templates |
| Technical issues (build) | Low | Medium | Early infrastructure focus, test continuously |
| Part 4 example too complex | Medium | Medium | Select carefully in P4-001, adjust scope |
| Quality concerns | Medium | Medium | User testing, multiple review passes |
If Week 2 MVP at Risk:
- Reduce Part 1 scope: Cut to 3 chapters instead of 5 (Renaissance Developer, Agentic Coding, one pattern)
- Defer diagrams: Ship without diagrams, add in v0.2
- Accept imperfection: MVP is about momentum, not perfection
If Week 6 v1.0 at Risk:
- Reduce Part 3: Cut to 5 core patterns instead of 13
- Simplify Part 4: Use simpler example project
- Extend timeline: Move to 8-week v1.0, but communicate clearly
If Quality Issues:
- Additional review week: Add Week 7 as polish week before v1.0
- Community review: Leverage early readers for feedback
- Iterate in v1.1: Accept v1.0 won't be perfect, improve in v1.1
Week 1-2 (MVP):
- Tasks completed (target: 20 tasks)
- Chapters written (target: 5 chapters Part 1)
- Infrastructure green (all builds passing)
- Daily commits (target: 5-7 days/week)
Week 3-6 (v1.0):
- Tasks completed (target: 45 additional tasks)
- Chapters written (target: 30+ additional chapters)
- Test coverage (all validation passing)
- Weekly progress visible in tasks.md
Week 7-12 (v1.1):
- Feedback response rate (< 7 days acknowledgment)
- Pattern completeness (all Part 3 patterns done)
- Community engagement (discussions, issues)
- Print preparation progress
MVP (Week 2):
- v0.1 release published
- GitHub Pages live with Part 1
- PDF downloadable
- Announcement made, community active
v1.0 (Week 6):
- v1.0 release published
- All 4 parts complete (40+ chapters)
- User testing completed
- Testimonials collected
v1.1 (Week 12):
- v1.1 release published
- 100% planned content complete
- Physical print available
- Community thriving
Dashboard (tasks.md Progress Summary):
- Total tasks: ~81
- Completed: X
- In progress: Y
- Blocked: Z
- % Complete: X/81
Velocity Tracking:
- Tasks/week average
- Chapters/week average
- Trend analysis (accelerating/decelerating)
- Review progress: What got done, what didn't?
- Update tasks.md: Mark completed tasks, adjust statuses
- Assess timeline: On track for next milestone?
- Adjust scope: If behind, what can be deferred?
- Communicate: Update community on progress and changes
- Achievement validation: Did we meet milestone criteria?
- Retrospective: What worked well? What didn't?
- Lessons learned: Document for future phases
- Next phase planning: Confirm or adjust next phase scope
- Community communication: Share results and next steps
Author has authority to:
- Defer v1.1 content to v1.2
- Simplify examples or patterns
- Adjust timeline by +/- 1 week per phase
- Reprioritize tasks within phase
Requires community communication:
- Major scope cuts (entire parts)
- Timeline extensions > 2 weeks
- Quality compromises
- Changes to core value proposition
- Daily: Commit to GitHub with descriptive messages
- Weekly: Update tasks.md Progress Summary
- Milestones: Update CHANGELOG.md with release notes
- Week 2 (MVP): Launch announcement (social media, relevant communities)
- Weekly: Progress updates in GitHub Discussions
- Week 6 (v1.0): Launch announcement, marketing push
- Week 12 (v1.1): Final announcement, case studies, testimonials
- GitHub Issues: Bug reports, content suggestions
- GitHub Discussions: General conversation, questions
- Surveys: Post-read surveys for user testing
- Direct: Email or DM for sensitive feedback
This MVP plan provides a clear roadmap from design to published book in 6 weeks, demonstrating the very workflow it teaches. The plan balances ambition with pragmatism, ensuring achievable milestones while maintaining quality.
Key Success Factors:
- Start immediately: INFRA-001 is ready to go
- Ship early: MVP at 2 weeks builds momentum
- Use the tools: Claude Code and agentic coding throughout
- Iterate ruthlessly: MVP → v1.0 → v1.1, each improving
- Stay accountable: Public progress in tasks.md
- Engage community: Build audience as you build book
Next Action: Begin implementation with INFRA-001 (Setup Repository Structure)
The book demonstrates its own teaching by being built using the workflow it describes. This is the ultimate validation of the agentic coding approach.
| Milestone | Target Date | Deliverable |
|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure Complete | Week 1, Day 3 | All build/deploy working |
| MVP Launch | Week 2, Day 7 | v0.1 with Part 1 |
| Part 2 Complete | Week 4, Day 7 | Playbook done |
| Part 3 Core Complete | Week 5, Day 7 | Essential patterns done |
| Part 4 Complete | Week 6, Day 5 | Example documented |
| v1.0 Launch | Week 6, Day 7 | Complete first pass |
| v1.1 Launch | Week 12, Day 7 | Refined, print-ready |
- Genesis Workflow: genesis.md
- Task List: tasks.md
- Requirements: requirements.md
- Design: design.md
- Product Brief: brief.md
- Repository: [GitHub URL]
- Issues: [GitHub Issues URL]
- Discussions: [GitHub Discussions URL]
- Author: [Author contact]