ForgeSDLC Adoption Playbook

A step-by-step guide for teams adopting ForgeSDLC. Whether you're starting a greenfield project or migrating from an existing methodology, this playbook walks you through the process.

Phase 1: Foundation (Week 1)

Set up the blueprint submodule

git submodule add https://github.com/autowww/blueprints.git blueprints

This gives your project access to the full body of knowledge: SDLC phases, PDLC lifecycle, discipline-specific templates, and ceremony definitions.

Establish your WBS hierarchy

ForgeSDLC uses a clean hierarchy: Milestone → Epic → Story → Task (Spark). Each level has a clear purpose:

Choose your initial disciplines

Don't adopt all blueprints at once. Start with the 2-3 most relevant to your project:

• Every project: SDLC blueprint (phases, ceremonies, tracking)
• Web/mobile apps: Frontend, Testing, DevOps
• Data products: Data Science, BigData, Testing
• Platform teams: Software Architecture, DevOps, Security

Phase 2: First Sprint (Weeks 2-3)

Run your first Versona

Pick a real decision your team needs to make (architecture choice, deployment strategy, testing approach). Run a Versona challenge:

1. Identify the discipline — which body of knowledge applies?
2. Pull the blueprint — read the relevant section of the discipline blueprint
3. Apply the knowledge — use the templates, checklists, and quality gates
4. Log the decision — record the outcome in your forge journal
5. Continue work — the Versona round is done; return to Spark execution

Establish the Charge view

Set up a simple Charge view showing: - Active Sparks (who/what is working on them) - Blocked Sparks (what decision is needed) - Pending Versona challenges (what is queued)

This replaces the Kanban board with a decision-oriented lens.

Phase 3: Calibration (Weeks 4-6)

Apply the 17 Principles

Review your process against each Forge Principle. Remove anything that adds weight without preventing waste. Common removals:

• Daily standups (replace with on-demand Versonas)
• Sprint retrospectives (fold into quarterly milestone Versona reviews)
• Velocity tracking (replace with decision throughput)

Expand discipline coverage

Add 1-2 more discipline blueprints based on where your team needs the most knowledge support.

Phase 4: Steady State (Week 7+)

At this point ForgeSDLC should feel natural. Ceremonies happen when decisions are needed. Blueprints provide the knowledge backbone. Sparks flow through to completion without unnecessary checkpoints.

Ongoing health checks

• Principle compliance: Monthly review of the 17 Principles
• Blueprint freshness: Are the discipline blueprints still relevant?
• Ceremony ROI: Is every Versona challenge producing a decision?
• AI integration: Are AI agents effectively executing Sparks?