Business Model, Architecture, Dependencies: A systematic approach to building businesses that scale
BMAD stands for Business Model, Architecture, Dependencies—a four-phase methodology for building software systems that directly serve business needs.
Research, brainstorm, clarify requirements. Understand what needs to be built and why.
Create PRD/GDD (Product/Game Design Doc) scaled to project size. Define scope, goals, success metrics.
Design architecture and create just-in-time tech specs. Figure out how it will be built.
Build iteratively: Story → Dev → Review → Retro. Ship working software.
Each phase is gated—you cannot skip ahead. Quality emerges from respecting the sequence.
BMAD is powered by 9 specialized AI agents, each with a distinct role and personality:
Researches requirements, analyzes business needs, asks clarifying questions. Mary ensures we understand what and why.
Creates PRDs, defines scope, sets priorities. Patricia translates business goals into actionable plans.
Designs system architecture, makes technical decisions, creates tech specs. Alex figures out how things will be built.
Writes user stories, defines acceptance criteria, maintains product backlog. Parker represents the customer voice.
Facilitates sprints, removes blockers, coordinates teams. Sam keeps development flowing smoothly.
Writes code, implements features, creates pull requests. Dev turns designs into working software.
Tests features, finds bugs, validates quality. Quinn ensures what ships actually works.
Manages infrastructure, handles deployments, monitors systems. Dana keeps everything running.
Asks initial questions, bootstraps new companies, guides setup. Seed helps you get started.
The BMAD method enforces gated progression—you cannot skip stages. Here's why:
Skipping Analysis leads to building the wrong thing. Skipping Planning leads to scope creep. Skipping Solutioning leads to technical debt. Each stage builds on the previous—there are no shortcuts to quality.
BMAD doesn't require massive upfront planning. Instead, it uses scale-adaptive documentation:
The documentation scales to match project complexity. Small projects get minimal docs. Large projects get comprehensive specs. But every project goes through all 4 phases.
After Implementation comes Retrospective. Learnings feed back into the next iteration. The system gets smarter with every cycle.
Seed Agent asks foundational questions to understand business model, target market, and goals.
Based on company needs, appropriate agents are activated and configured with relevant context.
Tasks flow through BMAD stages. Mary analyzes, Patricia plans, Alex designs, Dev builds, Quinn tests.
The system coordinates agent handoffs, tracks progress, handles approvals, and ensures nothing falls through cracks.
Throughout the process, you maintain oversight. The system handles execution, but you guide strategy and make key decisions.
Efficiency without sacrifice. Quality without bloat. Speed without chaos. This is how businesses build software in the age of AI.