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
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:
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:
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:
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
## 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