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The picture pack

Every picture in the manual, ready to share

Diagrams, boards, decision trees, sketches and posters, each with a title, a caption and the page that explains it. Put them in a deck, a wiki or a post.

149 pictureslight and darkMIT licence, credit the author

Who this page is for, and how to use it
For

Anyone who has to explain this to someone else: a deck, a wiki page, a workshop, a post. And anyone who found one of these in an image search and wants the page behind it.

Use it to

Find the picture, open it full size or download it, and put it where it helps. Every picture links to the page that explains it, and reads in dark mode too.

How
  1. Filter by what you need: the method, a role, a decision, a lesson, a sketch, the workbench, a poster.
  2. Open a picture full size; Download saves the file.
  3. Reuse freely under the site's MIT licence; credit Akash Das, SkyWays Consultancy and link the page.

The method 22

The four phases, the gates, the loops and the pictures every lesson returns to.

A bolt plan: one risk per bolt, the walking skeleton first
A bolt planA bolt plan: one risk per bolt, the walking skeleton firstWhere it is used · Download · 1520×740
Chained steps multiply: four steps at 90% each are right 66% of the time end to end
Chained steps multiplyChained steps multiply: four steps at 90% each are right 66% of the time end to endWhere it is used · Download · 1520×686
Eight loops that run every team's workflow: five carry work forward, and three need a named owner
Eight loopsEight loops that run every team's workflow: five carry work forward, and three need a named ownerWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1966
Five layers claimed, none enforced: the day 82 refund passes all five, and the alert comes after the money
Five layers claimed, none enforcedFive layers claimed, none enforced: the day 82 refund passes all five, and the alert comes after the moneyWhere it is used · Download · 1520×922
Four ordinary habits multiply into a bill 4.4 times its estimate
Four habits, one billFour ordinary habits multiply into a bill 4.4 times its estimateWhere it is used · Download · 1520×670
Four methods on one lifecycle: SDD, BMAD, AI-DLC and AIDD, filled where each speaks to a phase and dashed where it is silent
Four methods on one lifecycleFour methods on one lifecycle: SDD, BMAD, AI-DLC and AIDD, filled where each speaks to a phase and dashed where it is silentWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1988
Four ways back, timed: the kill switch in 40 seconds, a model rollback in 11 minutes
Four ways back, timedFour ways back, timed: the kill switch in 40 seconds, a model rollback in 11 minutesWhere it is used · Download · 1520×666
A cache matches an exact prefix: stable blocks first, then the cache marker, then the request that changes
How a prompt cache matchesA cache matches an exact prefix: stable blocks first, then the cache marker, then the request that changesWhere it is used · Download · 1520×620
How the four methods merge into the SkyWays PDLC: the parts of SDD, BMAD, AI-DLC and AIDD placed in the phase each serves, flowing into the four phases, and the row of devices the SkyWays PDLC adds
How the four methods merge into one loopHow the four methods merge into the SkyWays PDLC: the parts of SDD, BMAD, AI-DLC and AIDD placed in the phase each serves, flowing into the four phases, and the row of devices the SkyWays PDLC addsWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1548
One slide, two alarms: the weekly alarm never fires, and the baseline alarm fires in week 5
One slide, two alarmsOne slide, two alarms: the weekly alarm never fires, and the baseline alarm fires in week 5Where it is used · Download · 1520×1044
Shadow first, then widen the live share step by step
Shadow first, then widenShadow first, then widen the live share step by stepWhere it is used · Download · 1520×562
Chained steps multiply: each right 90% of the time, six steps are right 53% of the time
Six steps at ninety percentChained steps multiply: each right 90% of the time, six steps are right 53% of the timeWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1198
The acceptance bar rises with the damage a mistake does
The acceptance bar sheetThe acceptance bar rises with the damage a mistake doesWhere it is used · Download · 1520×686
The agentic PDLC: four phases, one hard gate between P1 and P2, and a line from P3 back to the next P0
The agentic PDLCThe agentic PDLC: four phases, one hard gate between P1 and P2, and a line from P3 back to the next P0Where it is used · Download · 2144×1640
The agentic PDLC in one picture: four phases, one hard gate, and production feeding the next frame
The agentic PDLC in one pictureThe agentic PDLC in one picture: four phases, one hard gate, and production feeding the next frameWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1050
The authority ladder: every tool gets a band, from read-only to not delegated, and the band belongs to the tool
The authority ladderThe authority ladder: every tool gets a band, from read-only to not delegated, and the band belongs to the toolWhere it is used · Download · 1520×682
The requirements loop in eight moves, from discovery to a ratified list
The requirements loopThe requirements loop in eight moves, from discovery to a ratified listWhere it is used · Download · 2144×954
The risk ladder: a change inherits the band of whatever it touches, from R1 reviewed at the end to R5 not delegated
The risk ladderThe risk ladder: a change inherits the band of whatever it touches, from R1 reviewed at the end to R5 not delegatedWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1346
The lifecycle flown as a loop: four runway segments P0 Frame, P1 Design and Spec, P2 Build and Prove and P3 Run and Learn, one hard gate, four planes and the control tower they answer to
The tower: the lifecycle flown as a loopThe lifecycle flown as a loop: four runway segments P0 Frame, P1 Design and Spec, P2 Build and Prove and P3 Run and Learn, one hard gate, four planes and the control tower they answer toWhere it is used · Download · 1520×994
The trust loop: score against the bar, shadow beside the desk, then five percent and widen
The trust loopThe trust loop: score against the bar, shadow beside the desk, then five percent and widenWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1394
The two numbers a sponsor reports together: the saving and the spend
The two-number reportThe two numbers a sponsor reports together: the saving and the spendWhere it is used · Download · 1520×670
Traditional PDLC against the agentic PDLC: six stages decided once, against four phases, a hard gate and the incident as the next brief
Traditional PDLC vs agentic PDLCTraditional PDLC against the agentic PDLC: six stages decided once, against four phases, a hard gate and the incident as the next briefWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1394

Roles 13

Who does what, what arrives on each desk, and what leaves it.

What arrives on the engineering lead's desk, from whom, and what leaves it, to whom
The engineering lead's deskWhat arrives on the engineering lead's desk, from whom, and what leaves it, to whomWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1030
The engineering lead's eight steps placed on the four phases, with the artefact each one produces
The engineering lead's journeyThe engineering lead's eight steps placed on the four phases, with the artefact each one producesWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1584
The devops and platform's eight steps placed on the four phases, with the artefact each one produces
The platform team's journeyThe devops and platform's eight steps placed on the four phases, with the artefact each one producesWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1462
What arrives on the platform's desk, from whom, and what leaves it, to whom
The platform's deskWhat arrives on the platform's desk, from whom, and what leaves it, to whomWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1066
What arrives on the product manager's desk, from whom, and what leaves it, to whom
The product manager's deskWhat arrives on the product manager's desk, from whom, and what leaves it, to whomWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1070
The product manager's eight steps placed on the four phases, with the artefact each one produces
The product manager's journeyThe product manager's eight steps placed on the four phases, with the artefact each one producesWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1444
What arrives on the qa lead's desk, from whom, and what leaves it, to whom
The QA lead's deskWhat arrives on the qa lead's desk, from whom, and what leaves it, to whomWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1066
The qa lead's eight steps placed on the four phases, with the artefact each one produces
The QA lead's journeyThe qa lead's eight steps placed on the four phases, with the artefact each one producesWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1620
What arrives on the solution architect's desk, from whom, and what leaves it, to whom
The solution architect's deskWhat arrives on the solution architect's desk, from whom, and what leaves it, to whomWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1070
The solution architect's eight steps placed on the four phases, with the artefact each one produces
The solution architect's journeyThe solution architect's eight steps placed on the four phases, with the artefact each one producesWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1672
What arrives on the sponsor's desk, from whom, and what leaves it, to whom
The sponsor's deskWhat arrives on the sponsor's desk, from whom, and what leaves it, to whomWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1070
Where the model helps and where it must not: the model drafts, you check, and one thing per step is never delegated
Where the model helps, and where it must notWhere the model helps and where it must not: the model drafts, you check, and one thing per step is never delegatedWhere it is used · Download · 2144×2144
Each role across the four phases, including the cells that should stay empty
Your role, across the four phasesEach role across the four phases, including the cells that should stay emptyWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1974

Decisions and how-tos 23

Decision trees and step sequences for the calls the method asks you to make.

One agent with four tools; behind the MCP server, two gated writes with their bands
An agent's topologyOne agent with four tools; behind the MCP server, two gated writes with their bandsWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1112
Five moves from framing the choice to the decision record, with a review at month twelve
Build, buy or borrowFive moves from framing the choice to the decision record, with a review at month twelveWhere it is used · Download · 2144×774
Three questions decide whether to cache a prompt prefix, and for five minutes or an hour
Cache it, and for how long?Three questions decide whether to cache a prompt prefix, and for five minutes or an hourWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1594
Six moves from the per-call log to a watched ratio and an amended design record
Control the token billSix moves from the per-call log to a watched ratio and an amended design recordWhere it is used · Download · 2144×958
Six moves for cutting sprints into bolts, with a re-cut when the cut was wrong
Cut sprints into boltsSix moves for cutting sprints into bolts, with a re-cut when the cut was wrongWhere it is used · Download · 2144×998
Four kinds of change and the depth of process each one needs
Depth of changeFour kinds of change and the depth of process each one needsWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1186
Seven moves for designing an agent on paper, ending in a design review
Design an agent on paperSeven moves for designing an agent on paper, ending in a design reviewWhere it is used · Download · 2144×994
Two questions sort a step into exact, consequential or best-guess
Exact, consequential or best-guess?Two questions sort a step into exact, consequential or best-guessWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1374
Text arriving, the injection defence, the model deciding, least authority, bounded tools, the human gate, the money moving, and the trace
Hold the security boundaryText arriving, the injection defence, the model deciding, least authority, bounded tools, the human gate, the money moving, and the traceWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1068
Adopt a default, measure it on your own traffic, then keep it or change it; either way it becomes evidence
How a default becomes evidenceAdopt a default, measure it on your own traffic, then keep it or change it; either way it becomes evidenceWhere it is used · Download · 2144×878
Three questions set the autonomy level of one action, from not delegated to acts alone
How much autonomy?Three questions set the autonomy level of one action, from not delegated to acts aloneWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1594
Three questions decide whether a feature needs one agent, an orchestrator with workers, or a full team
One agent, or several?Three questions decide whether a feature needs one agent, an orchestrator with workers, or a full teamWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1594
One question decides whether a rule belongs in the prompt or in the tool signature
Prompt, or tool signature?One question decides whether a rule belongs in the prompt or in the tool signatureWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1194
Seven moves for proving the bar, with the lower-bound test as a gate before the shadow run
Prove the barSeven moves for proving the bar, with the lower-bound test as a gate before the shadow runWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1068
Four checks in order decide whether a change ships to five percent
Ready to ship to five percent?Four checks in order decide whether a change ships to five percentWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1510
Six moves for reviewing by risk band, from reading the queue to measuring the policy
Review by risk bandSix moves for reviewing by risk band, from reading the queue to measuring the policyWhere it is used · Download · 2144×882
Seven kinds of error string, each pointing to the section that explains it
Seven kinds of error stringSeven kinds of error string, each pointing to the section that explains itWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1662
Five questions pick one of six study plans
Six study plansFive questions pick one of six study plansWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1826
Six symptoms, each pointing to the how-to page that treats it
Six symptoms, six how-tosSix symptoms, each pointing to the how-to page that treats itWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1366
The missing-control postmortem from the incident to the next P0 brief
The missing-control postmortemThe missing-control postmortem from the incident to the next P0 briefWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1068
The NFR workshop over nine days, from discovery to ratification
The NFR workshopThe NFR workshop over nine days, from discovery to ratificationWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1068
A request is routed to a cheap, mid or frontier tier by the reasoning it needs; every loop keeps a cap
Which model tier?A request is routed to a cheap, mid or frontier tier by the reasoning it needs; every loop keeps a capWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1040
One question routes a change into one of five review bands
Which review band?One question routes a change into one of five review bandsWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1416

Lesson maps 44

The picture that opens each lesson of the tutorial.

The SkyWays case: thirteen dated episodes across the four phases
Agentic AI Case Study: SkyWays, 90 Days from Pain to ProofThe SkyWays case: thirteen dated episodes across the four phasesWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1392
The ten questions in this bank, grouped: The loop and the rung; Authority and tools; Topology and evaluation; Running it
Agentic AI Engineer Interview Questions and AnswersThe ten questions in this bank, grouped: The loop and the rung; Authority and tools; Topology and evaluation; Running itWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1356
The four executive decisions in order, closing on the four questions asked every cycle
Agentic AI for Executives: Four Decisions Only You Can MakeThe four executive decisions in order, closing on the four questions asked every cycleWhere it is used · Download · 2144×724
Five moves for practising with the SkyWays workbench, ending with the downloaded evidence pack
Agentic AI Workbench: Practise 90 Days of Delivery DecisionsFive moves for practising with the SkyWays workbench, ending with the downloaded evidence packWhere it is used · Download · 2144×724
The delivery cadence: what runs every day, every change, every week, every cycle, and on an event
Agentic Delivery Cadence: What Runs Daily, Weekly, QuarterlyThe delivery cadence: what runs every day, every change, every week, every cycle, and on an eventWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1346
Twelve exercises, three per phase
Agentic PDLC Exercises: 12 Problems with Worked AnswersTwelve exercises, three per phaseWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1392
The programme manager's eight steps across the four phases
Agentic PDLC for Program Managers: Boards, Bolts, ReportingThe programme manager's eight steps across the four phasesWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1392
The solution architect's eight steps across the four phases, five of them in P1
Agentic PDLC for Solution Architects: Authority and TopologyThe solution architect's eight steps across the four phases, five of them in P1Where it is used · Download · 2144×1396
The five governance gates in order, each with its owner, and the drift alert that re-opens release
AI Governance Gates That Don't Slow Delivery: The Five GatesThe five governance gates in order, each with its owner, and the drift alert that re-opens releaseWhere it is used · Download · 2144×918
Six controls in three bands, each with its ten-minute test; the level is the count
AI Maturity Model: Six Controls You Can Test in Ten MinutesSix controls in three bands, each with its ten-minute test; the level is the countWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1308
The five parts of a product manager interview round, each with its AI twist
AI Product Manager Interview Questions, with FrameworksThe five parts of a product manager interview round, each with its AI twistWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1198
AI-DLC and AIDD applied by a forward-deployed engineer across the four phases on a customer's site
AI-DLC and AIDD for Forward-Deployed Engineers: Field GuideAI-DLC and AIDD applied by a forward-deployed engineer across the four phases on a customer's siteWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1398
Six building methods above, the agentic PDLC below: methods for building with AI against a lifecycle for a product that contains AI
AI-DLC vs AIDD vs Agentic SDLC vs PDLC: What Each Term MeansSix building methods above, the agentic PDLC below: methods for building with AI against a lifecycle for a product that contains AIWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1218
The ten questions in this bank, grouped: Architecture; Access, security and data; Cost and resilience; Operate
AWS Generative AI Interview Questions: Bedrock, AgentCoreThe ten questions in this bank, grouped: Architecture; Access, security and data; Cost and resilience; OperateWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1356
Three bands: what compresses when AI builds, what compresses only by redesign, what does not compress
Cut Delivery from Months to Weeks: What Shrinks, What Won'tThree bands: what compresses when AI builds, what compresses only by redesign, what does not compressWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1242
Six lifecycles from plan-driven to agentic, each naming its bottleneck and its answer
Evolution of the PDLC: From Waterfall to Agentic DeliverySix lifecycles from plan-driven to agentic, each naming its bottleneck and its answerWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1390
The ten questions in this bank, grouped: Frame; Deliver; Evolve
Forward Deployed Engineer Interview Questions and AnswersThe ten questions in this bank, grouped: Frame; Deliver; EvolveWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1266
The ten questions in this bank, grouped: Quality; Performance and cost; Safety and structure; State and story
GenAI Engineer Interview Questions: RAG, Evals and CostThe ten questions in this bank, grouped: Quality; Performance and cost; Safety and structure; State and storyWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1274
AI-DLC, BMAD, Kiro, Spec Kit, Scrum and Shape Up placed on the four phases
How AI-DLC, BMAD, Spec Kit and Scrum Fit One LifecycleAI-DLC, BMAD, Kiro, Spec Kit, Scrum and Shape Up placed on the four phasesWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1382
Three questions size a change as shallow, standard or deep
How Much Process Does a Change Need? Sizing Agentic WorkThree questions size a change as shallow, standard or deepWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1304
The seven parts every lesson has, in order
How This Tutorial Works, and Why Every Lesson Looks the SameThe seven parts every lesson has, in orderWhere it is used · Download · 2144×882
Six kinds of AI interview question, each matched to the framework for answering it
How to Answer AI Interview Questions: Six FrameworksSix kinds of AI interview question, each matched to the framework for answering itWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1356
Four metrics AI inflates beside the four you report
How to Measure AI Productivity Without Fooling YourselfFour metrics AI inflates beside the four you reportWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1212
One question routes a change to R4-R5 with two readers, R2-R3 with one, or R1 with the harness alone
How to Review AI-Generated Code: By Risk, Not by Diff SizeOne question routes a change to R4-R5 with two readers, R2-R3 with one, or R1 with the harness aloneWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1040
A ninety-day rollout in five stages from choosing the feature to reporting two numbers every cycle
How to Roll Out Agentic AI Delivery: A 90-Day PlanA ninety-day rollout in five stages from choosing the feature to reporting two numbers every cycleWhere it is used · Download · 2144×756
A kanban board for agentic delivery: nine columns across the four phases, each with its exit criterion
How to Set Up a Kanban Board for an Agentic AI ProjectA kanban board for agentic delivery: nine columns across the four phases, each with its exit criterionWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1356
Three layers: a sponsor for governance, a product team of four owning P0 to P3, and a shared platform team
How to Structure Teams for Agentic AI: Roles, Pods and SeamsThree layers: a sponsor for governance, a product team of four owning P0 to P3, and a shared platform teamWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1390
The AI-fit funnel: judgement call, volume, recoverability; each no exits to a rule, a person, or a person in the loop
P0 Frame: How to Decide If an AI Agent Is Worth BuildingThe AI-fit funnel: judgement call, volume, recoverability; each no exits to a rule, a person, or a person in the loopWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1388
The eight-field spec: three classical fields and five agentic ones
P1 Design & Spec: Write a Spec an AI Agent Can Build FromThe eight-field spec: three classical fields and five agentic onesWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1184
The P2 harness: build, exact checks, golden slice, judge, score per slice, then merge or reject
P2 Build & Prove: How to Build an AI Agent in Proven SlicesThe P2 harness: build, exact checks, golden slice, judge, score per slice, then merge or rejectWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1020
The AI incident postmortem in five moves, from the one question to the next P0 brief
Postmortems for AI Incidents: Find the Missing ControlThe AI incident postmortem in five moves, from the one question to the next P0 briefWhere it is used · Download · 2144×724
DevOps and platform's eight steps across the four phases, leading P3
The Agentic PDLC for DevOps and Platform TeamsDevOps and platform's eight steps across the four phases, leading P3Where it is used · Download · 2144×1272
The product manager's eight steps laid across the four phases, leading P0
The Agentic PDLC for Product Managers: What Changes MondayThe product manager's eight steps laid across the four phases, leading P0Where it is used · Download · 2144×1272
The QA lead's eight steps across the four phases, leading P2
The Agentic PDLC for QA: How to Test Probabilistic SoftwareThe QA lead's eight steps across the four phases, leading P2Where it is used · Download · 2144×1392
The engineer's eight steps across the four phases, six of them in P2
The Agentic PDLC for Software Engineers: Build With AgentsThe engineer's eight steps across the four phases, six of them in P2Where it is used · Download · 2144×1396
The evidence pack: what each of the four hand-offs owes, with the test for each
The Evidence Pack: What Must Exist Before Each AI Hand-offThe evidence pack: what each of the four hand-offs owes, with the test for eachWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1312
Four questions decide whether an open decision is a hard gate or a soft one
The Hard Gate: The Hand-off You Can't Skip in AI DeliveryFour questions decide whether an open decision is a hard gate or a soft oneWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1392
A product engineer builds one capability for many customers; a forward-deployed engineer makes many capabilities work for one, and codifies the patterns back
What Is a Forward Deployed Engineer? The FDE Role, ExplainedA product engineer builds one capability for many customers; a forward-deployed engineer makes many capabilities work for one, and codifies the patterns backWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1266
AI-DLC's three phases: Inception with mob elaboration, Construction with mob construction, Operations
What Is AI-DLC? AWS's AI-Driven Development LifecycleAI-DLC's three phases: Inception with mob elaboration, Construction with mob construction, OperationsWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1248
AIDD in five moves from context file to a same-day merge
What Is AI-Driven Development (AIDD)? The Daily CraftAIDD in five moves from context file to a same-day mergeWhere it is used · Download · 2144×886
Spec-driven development: what you decide, what Kiro and Spec Kit keep in P1, and what the agent does in P2
What Is Spec-Driven Development? Kiro and Spec Kit ExplainedSpec-driven development: what you decide, what Kiro and Spec Kit keep in P1, and what the agent does in P2Where it is used · Download · 2144×1318
The agentic PDLC: P0 Frame, P1 Design and Spec, the hard gate, P2 Build and Prove, P3 Run and Learn, and the next P0
What Is the Agentic PDLC? The P0 to P3 Framework ExplainedThe agentic PDLC: P0 Frame, P1 Design and Spec, the hard gate, P2 Build and Prove, P3 Run and Learn, and the next P0Where it is used · Download · 2144×918
BMAD's four paths, trivial to project: the same Build unit, with a spec, stories and the organisation's documents added as the work grows
What Is the BMAD Method? Five Agents, One Build LoopBMAD's four paths, trivial to project: the same Build unit, with a spec, stories and the organisation's documents added as the work growsWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1386
Seven failure modes of agentic AI projects, placed on the phase that catches each
Why Agentic AI Projects Fail: 7 Failure Modes and FixesSeven failure modes of agentic AI projects, placed on the phase that catches eachWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1358

Hand-drawn sketches 31

One idea each, drawn as a small scene: a worker doing the thing its lesson has just said.

A notice reading limit $400 hangs from a pipe. A worker leans in and reaches up with both hands for a valve that is not there, and coins marked $2,000 pour out of the far end of the pipe.
A notice where the valve should beA limit written in a prompt reads like a limit and refuses nothing. Ask to see the line of code that says no.Where it is used · Download · 1520×760
In a field a small machine with one eye waves its arms at two crows. Beside it a worker is planting a scarecrow, which would do the same job.
A scarecrow would doAsk for agents and you get agents, even where a rule does the job better. Expect two or three of your top five to be rules.Where it is used · Download · 1520×760
A notice on a post reads max $400. Beside it stands a metal bag sizer. A worker shoves a large bag marked $2,000 at the sizer and it will not go in.
A sign or a sizerThe $400 limit was a line in the prompt, and the refund tool accepted any amount. A sign asks; a frame the bag must fit refuses.Where it is used · Download · 1520×760
A garden tap runs through a hose onto a raised bed with nothing planted in it. A meter on the hose is turning. A worker has just got a hand to the tap.
A tap left on over bare soilSome services bill for existing, not for use. The meter starts before a single line of the feature is written.Where it is used · Download · 1520×760
A dashed line runs down the floor. On one side is the customer's desk. On the other, a worker leans into a rock labelled the refund limit and shoves it back across the line.
Back over the contract lineSetting the customer's refund limit yourself is faster, and it makes their risk yours. Push the decision back to their side of the contract.Where it is used · Download · 1520×760
A gutter runs down from a meeting table on a ledge, over a worker's head, to an open box on the floor. The worker bends over the box with a screwdriver in the works, back to the slope, as a marble drops in.
Decisions roll downhillA decision nobody makes in P0 gets made later, in code, by whoever wires the first tool.Where it is used · Download · 1520×784
A small machine says a total out loud, $80. A worker moves the beads of an abacus on a bench, and the abacus comes to $62.
Eighty said sixty two countedThe agent returned $80 where the ledger said $62, with no error. A number the feature acts on comes from tested code, never from a prompt.Where it is used · Download · 1520×760
A small house marked prototype stands on two props over a trench. A worker digs under it with a spade, putting the foundations in after the house.
Foundations dug under the houseBuild the prototype first and the requirements get written around it. The order of the twelve steps is the point.Where it is used · Download · 1520×784
A small snowball at the top of a hill has rolled down past four marks, growing at each. At the bottom it is taller than the worker, who braces against it with both hands.
Four habits one snowballNothing ran away. Four ordinary habits multiplied, and by day 75 the bill was 4.4 times its estimate with traffic flat.Where it is used · Download · 1520×810
A plank balances on a log. A rock sits on one end. A worker lowers a fourth pebble onto the other end, and the plank comes level.
Four pebbles one rockThe bar for partner flights is 80% because one wrong answer weighs as much as four right ones.Where it is used · Download · 1520×760
A small machine with one eye has wheeled in a barrow heaped with apples, and more lie in a pile. One worker holds a single apple up to look at it and puts the checked ones in a crate.
One apple at a timeFaros AI measured 98% more pull requests merged per developer and flat delivery: more changes were produced, and the same number of people read them.Where it is used · Download · 1520×760
One small machine stands on a stage. More of them queue at the steps, and a worker spreads both arms to bar the way until one can name the limit it is there for.
One on stage the rest waitSkyWays' fifteen agents collapsed to one agent, a fan-out tool, a function and a checker. A second agent must name the limit it is there for.Where it is used · Download · 1520×760
A bank safe stands roped off at one end. A worker walks a small machine with one eye past it, towards a table with small stacks of coins.
Past the safe to the penniesPick the first feature for provability, not value. The flagship has the highest bar, the least tolerance for a first attempt and the most spectators.Where it is used · Download · 1520×760
A jar is full of plain marbles with one red one among them. A worker lifts a red marble out with one hand and sets another in a tray that holds only red ones.
Pick the rare ones by handA sample that looks like traffic holds few of the rare, costly cases. Draw each kind separately and take extra of those.Where it is used · Download · 1520×760
A worker pins a paper pattern to cloth on a cutting table. Across the table a small machine holds open scissors at the edge of the cloth, waiting to cut where the pins are.
Pin the pattern before the cutA coding agent builds exactly what the spec says and cannot ask what you meant. The deciding happens before the cut.Where it is used · Download · 1520×760
A worker pushes a plunger down one arm of a U-shaped tube. The liquid in the other arm rises.
Push one side downA number reported alone gets pushed. Report what the feature saved and what it cost, with the review hours and re-runs beside them.Where it is used · Download · 1520×760
A worker holds up two recipe cards, one marked Scrum and one marked Spec Kit, and looks from one to the other. Behind its back a saucepan boils over on the stove with nobody watching it.
Recipes and the unwatched potThe argument is about which method wins. No method says who watches the agent once it is live.Where it is used · Download · 1520×760
A long plank lies on two trestles, marked along its length as three months to launch. A worker has sawn a small piece off one end, marked build, two days. The plank looks as long as before.
Sawing two days off the plankThe agent wrote the feature in two days and it launched in three months. The time went to the parts nobody redesigned.Where it is used · Download · 1520×760
A ticked document hangs on a post. A worker lowers a crate onto a dashed outline on the ground. The solid block that used to stand there is further along.
Set down on an outlineA stale document passes every check that asks whether it exists. The next phase starts, then builds on a fiction.Where it is used · Download · 1520×760
A worker carries a pile of six binders up to a wall. The only way through is a hatch the size of a postcard.
Six binders one small hatchSix documents suit a product three teams build. For a typo fix, BMAD's own advice is to skip it.Where it is used · Download · 1520×760
Beside a hat stand holding hats labelled product, architect, platform and consultant, a small worker in a hard hat labelled engineer takes a cap labelled QA off the stand, and two arrows swap the cap and the hard hat.
Six hats one headSome weeks you are the whole team at a customer, one hat at a time. No hat lets you take the customer's own decisions.Where it is used · Download · 1520×836
A sink is nearly full. Its tap pours fast and its drain lets out one drop at a time. A worker steadies the pipe with one hand and turns the tap down with the other.
Tap turned down to the drainReview cleared 4.5 slots a day at SkyWays. The limit goes on what enters the build, to match what review can clear.Where it is used · Download · 1520×760
Two small machines stand on a running track, one that has finished its leg and one waiting and looking back. A red relay baton lies on the track between them. A worker bends over it and picks it up with both hands.
The baton on the trackAgents build a story in hours. The weeks go in the waits between phases, which belong to nobody unless they belong to you.Where it is used · Download · 1520×760
A finished birdhouse stands on a bench. One drawing of it lies crumpled in a bin. A worker pins another copy back on the wall above the bench.
The drawing goes back on the wallSpec-first throws the spec away when the task is done. Spec-anchored keeps it and changes it with the feature, on every change.Where it is used · Download · 1520×760
A stream seen from above narrows at two places. A worker on the bank has poled the logs through the first narrow place, and they are piling up at the second.
The jam moves downstreamEach lifecycle cleared the jam of its day, and the work piled up at the next narrow place. Which jam does a new method move?Where it is used · Download · 1520×760
A small machine pushes a pile of drafts along a bench. At the other end a worker leans in and holds one sheet in both hands over two trays, one marked with a tick and one with a cross.
The machine drafts a person decidesIn AI-DLC the AI starts the work: plans, questions, code. People validate what it proposes and make the decisions.Where it is used · Download · 1520×760
A worker walks with both hands on a large compass and its eyes on the needle. The needle points straight ahead, and one step ahead the ground ends in a drop.
The needle never shakesA model is right most of the time and sounds sure all of the time. When it is wrong, nothing shakes and no alarm rings.Where it is used · Download · 1520×760
An org chart stands on an easel. A worker looks at it with one hand on the chart and the other placing the first of three small machines, which stand in a row to match the chart's three boxes. Red marks sit between the machines.
The org chart set out on the floorOne agent per department is often an org chart, not a design. Decide the seams on purpose, and give each hand-off a named limit.Where it is used · Download · 1520×760
A windsock points one way; a faint outline shows it pointed the other way before. A worker walks out to it carrying a calendar with a tick on it.
The wind didBehaviour drifts with no deploy and no alarm. The check runs every week, even when nothing changed.Where it is used · Download · 1520×760
A worker holds up a rake and a spade, with more tools standing behind. Along the field runs a fence with one panel missing, and a small machine with one eye stands in the gap, about to walk out.
Tools in hand and a gap in the fenceA team with many AI tools and no gates is less mature than a team with one tool and tight control. Count the controls.Where it is used · Download · 1520×760
A worker stands behind a big mixing bowl with a shaker in each raised hand, tipping both in at once. On the bowl is written: which one failed?
Two shakers one bowlPut two unknowns in one bolt and a failure cannot tell you which of them it was.Where it is used · Download · 1520×760

From the workbench 10

The flight plan, the loop, the three efforts and the concept map.

A traditional lifecycle as six stages in a line beside the SkyWays PDLC as a loop of four phases, with the five published methods plugging into the loop
A line, or a loopA traditional lifecycle as six stages in a line beside the SkyWays PDLC as a loop of four phases, with the five published methods plugging into the loopWhere it is used · Download · 2056×1718
P0 Frame, P1 Specify, P2 Build and prove, P3 Run and learn, with the soft and hard gates between them and what each phase leaves you with
Four phases on one spineP0 Frame, P1 Specify, P2 Build and prove, P3 Run and learn, with the soft and hard gates between them and what each phase leaves you withWhere it is used · Download · 2056×918
The spine with its gates: the hard gate between P1 and P2, the soft gates that run alongside the build
Hard gates and soft gatesThe spine with its gates: the hard gate between P1 and P2, the soft gates that run alongside the buildWhere it is used · Download · 2056×854
Fifty-five concepts placed by loop, phase and role, as one map
The concept mapFifty-five concepts placed by loop, phase and role, as one mapWhere it is used · Download · 1504×1360
The SkyWays PDLC as one route: four legs from P0 to P3 under the sky, thirteen stops, the gates between legs, and the control tower at Day 90
The flight planThe SkyWays PDLC as one route: four legs from P0 to P3 under the sky, thirteen stops, the gates between legs, and the control tower at Day 90Where it is used · Download · 2056×2988
Four phases on a spine and eight loops that open in one phase and close in another, with the hard gate between P1 and P2
The Loop MapFour phases on a spine and eight loops that open in one phase and close in another, with the hard gate between P1 and P2Where it is used · Download · 2056×1218
Answering customers' booking questions built as a chat, as a platform flow and as a product feature
The same task at three effortsAnswering customers' booking questions built as a chat, as a platform flow and as a product featureWhere it is used · Download · 2056×676
Low effort in a chat, mid effort on a platform, high effort in code: who builds, how long, what it fits and how much of the method applies
Three efforts, one methodLow effort in a chat, mid effort on a platform, high effort in code: who builds, how long, what it fits and how much of the method appliesWhere it is used · Download · 2056×1778
Spec Kit, Kiro, BMAD, AI-DLC and AIDD on the spine, and what the SkyWays PDLC adds where they are silent
Where each method plugs inSpec Kit, Kiro, BMAD, AI-DLC and AIDD on the spine, and what the SkyWays PDLC adds where they are silentWhere it is used · Download · 2056×2160
Six roles along the four phases, each step named
Who does what, whenSix roles along the four phases, each step namedWhere it is used · Download · 2056×3108

Posters and cheat sheets 6

Drawn to be shared: one page each.

Eighteen anti-patterns across five stages, from requirements to running, with what is left over returning as the next cycle's requirement
Eighteen anti-patternsEighteen anti-patterns across five stages, from requirements to running, with what is left over returning as the next cycle's requirementWhere it is used · Download · 2144×848
Five kinds of past failure, each pointing to the scenarios that rehearse it
Five kinds of failure, rehearsedFive kinds of past failure, each pointing to the scenarios that rehearse itWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1214
Fourteen formulas placed on the four phases, each with the question it answers
Fourteen formulas on four phasesFourteen formulas placed on the four phases, each with the question it answersWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1814
Every role's eight steps in journey order, with the prompt template each step ships with
Prompt templates by roleEvery role's eight steps in journey order, with the prompt template each step ships withWhere it is used · Download · 2144×2422
The anatomy of a prompt template: the job, the inputs, do, the output shape, then the check, with one prompt taken apart
The anatomy of a prompt templateThe anatomy of a prompt template: the job, the inputs, do, the output shape, then the check, with one prompt taken apartWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1434
Twelve mental models placed on the four phases
Twelve mental models on one pageTwelve mental models placed on the four phasesWhere it is used · Download · 2144×1806

Reuse. The pictures are part of the repository and share its MIT licence: use them, adapt them, teach with them, and keep the credit Akash Das, SkyWays Consultancy with a link to the page each one comes from. The ones marked as a working method are this manual's own construction; the ones drawn from a published method or vendor documentation say so on their page.

The sketches. Their style is adapted from Ian's Xiaohei illustrations (MIT licence): a sheet of paper, a black hand-drawn line, a small black worker who does the thing, and a few handwritten notes. These are drawn in code for this manual and are not copies of Ian's drawings. The handwriting is Patrick Hand (SIL Open Font Licence).

Every picture comes from a page that explains it.

The method, on one pageThe tutorial, lesson by lesson