Get the Playbook
The Development Playbook is a free, open-source process framework for building apps from concept to post-launch. Six phases, 39 step guides, 22 templates, and real examples from 9 shipped projects. Clone it, fork it, make it yours.
6 Phases. 39 Guides. 22 Templates.
Each phase has step-by-step guides that tell you exactly what to do, blank templates you fill in for your project, and clear definitions of done so you know when to move on.
Vision, discovery, competitive analysis, feasibility
Requirements, architecture, design system, project plan
Sprint execution with 3-tier testing cadence
Functional, platform, performance, security, beta
Store prep, compliance, submission, launch day
Monitoring, feedback loops, iteration planning
Build Smarter, Not Just Faster
AI coding assistants are powerful but expensive. 99% of token cost is input, not output. The Playbook includes a complete token optimization guide with phase-specific strategies so you spend credits on building, not re-discovering context.
Context Architecture
Tiered CLAUDE.md structure that loads only what each session needs. Keep base context under 800 tokens.
Phase-Specific Tips
Each phase has a different token profile. Concept needs bounded exploration. Production needs prompt specificity. QA needs filtered output.
Anti-Pattern Detection
The most expensive mistakes are predictable. Vague prompts, re-reading files, unscoped test runs, stale context between tasks.
Methodology Updates From Real Misses
The Playbook isn't static. When the process fails in a way that generalizes, the rule that prevents the next miss gets folded back in. Recent example: a single-number estimate that hid an agent-delegation strategy and missed reality by 10×.
Wall-Clock vs. Effort: Two estimates, not one
For tasks >30 min, quote both wall-clock (when you can review) and effort (size of the change), and name the strategy explicitly. When AI agents handle work in parallel, these numbers can decouple by 5-10×. Single-number estimates either misrepresent the timeline or hide the review burden.
Closing the loop: tracker + retro variance
The rule isn't enough on its own. Sprint tracker now captures the estimate at kickoff, a new estimation tracker template logs actuals per slice, and the retro pulls a variance summary so calibration happens on a schedule instead of never.
How to Use the Playbook
Clone or fork the repo
The Playbook lives on GitHub. Clone it into your project or fork it to customize the process for your team.
git clone https://github.com/gobixplr-svg/Playbook.gitStart at Phase 0: Concept
Open phase-0-concept/README.md. Read the overview, then work through each step guide in order. Fill in the templates as you go.
Follow the step guides
Each guide explains what to do, why it matters, what anti-patterns to avoid, and how to know when you're done. The templates give you a blank structure to fill in for your specific project.
Move through the phases
When you've completed a phase's deliverables, check the transition criteria in TRANSITIONS.md and move to the next phase. Each phase builds on the last.
See It in Action
This site documents 9 real projects built with the Playbook. Every decision, every pivot, every mistake. Browse the journal to see every phase working on real code.