DevFlow: Research & Analysis Flow

Research and analyze topics, technologies, or requirements before creating epics or features.

When to Use

Use this flow when you need to:

• Research a new technology or library
• Analyze feasibility of an approach
• Gather requirements before planning
• Compare alternatives
• Assess risks and effort

Flow Diagram

flowchart TD
    A([BEGIN]) --> B[Understand research topic]
    B --> C[Determine depth level]
    C --> D{Depth?}
    D -->|shallow| E[Quick overview scope]
    D -->|medium| F[Balanced research scope]
    D -->|deep| G[Comprehensive analysis scope]
    E --> H[Define research areas]
    F --> H
    G --> H
    H --> I[Gather information]
    I --> I1[WebSearch for articles]
    I --> I2[WebFetch documentation]
    I --> I3[Search codebase patterns]
    I --> I4[Analyze existing implementations]
    I1 --> J[Analyze findings]
    I2 --> J
    I3 --> J
    I4 --> J
    J --> K[Compare alternatives]
    K --> L[Assess risks and trade-offs]
    L --> M[Estimate complexity]
    M --> N{Output format?}
    N -->|summary| O[Generate concise summary]
    N -->|detailed| P[Create extended analysis]
    N -->|report| Q[Create comprehensive report]
    O --> R[Provide recommendations]
    P --> R
    Q --> R
    R --> S{Significant initiative?}
    S -->|Yes| T[Guide to /flow:devflow-epic]
    S -->|No| U[Guide to /flow:devflow-feat]
    T --> V([END])
    U --> V

Node Details

1. Topic Understanding

Clarify with user:

• Specific research questions
• Context and constraints
• Decisions that depend on this research

2. Information Gathering

Use multiple sources:

• WebSearch: Current articles, comparisons
• WebFetch: Official documentation
• Grep/Glob: Internal codebase patterns
• Read: Existing implementations

3. Analysis Areas

Technology/Library Research:

• Adoption and maturity
• Documentation quality
• Integration complexity
• Performance characteristics
• Licensing and costs

Feature Research:

• User requirements
• Similar implementations
• Technical feasibility
• Dependencies

Architecture Research:

• Design patterns
• Scalability considerations
• Security aspects
• Testing strategies

4. Output Generation

Based on --output parameter:

• summary: Key findings and recommendations (1-2 paragraphs)
• detailed: Extended analysis with examples
• report: Full document with all sections

5. Next Steps

Guide user based on research outcome:

• Significant initiative → /flow:devflow-epic
• Standard feature → /flow:devflow-feat

Parameters

• <topic>: Required - topic to research
• --depth=shallow|medium|deep: Research thoroughness
• --output=summary|detailed|report: Output format

Example Usage

/flow:devflow-research "OAuth 2.0 integration"
/flow:devflow-research "microservices architecture" --depth=deep --output=report
/flow:devflow-research "React vs Vue" --output=detailed

Output

Research summary with:

• Key findings
• Risk assessment
• Recommendations
• Clear next step guidance