Project Development Workflow Template

A comprehensive, configurable workflow for AI-assisted project development from initialization to publication-ready documentation.

Overview

This template provides a structured approach to developing software projects with AI assistance. It covers the complete lifecycle:

1. Project Generation - Structure, configuration, initial setup
2. Code Writing - Implementation with best practices
3. Testing - Unit tests, integration tests, validation
4. Iteration - Debugging, optimization, refinement
5. Documentation - API docs, Doxygen, user guides
6. Publication - Academic-ready documentation

Quick Start

Option 1: Use the Master Prompt

Copy the contents of prompts/master_workflow_prompt.md and provide it to your AI assistant at the start of a project.

Option 2: Use Individual Stage Prompts

Select specific stages from prompts/stages/ based on your needs.

Option 3: Interactive Configuration

Use workflow_config.yaml to specify which components to include:

stages:
  project_generation: true
  code_writing: true
  testing: true
  documentation: true
  publication: false  # Skip if not academic project

Directory Structure

project_workflow_template/
├── README.md                    # This file
├── workflow_config.yaml         # Configuration for stage selection
│
├── prompts/
│   ├── master_workflow_prompt.md    # Complete workflow prompt
│   └── stages/
│       ├── 01_project_generation.md
│       ├── 02_code_writing.md
│       ├── 03_testing.md
│       ├── 04_iteration.md
│       ├── 05_documentation.md
│       └── 06_publication.md
│
├── templates/
│   ├── project_structure/       # Directory templates
│   ├── config_files/            # Config file templates
│   ├── test_templates/          # Test file templates
│   └── doc_templates/           # Documentation templates
│
├── checklists/
│   ├── pre_development.md       # Before starting
│   ├── code_review.md           # Code quality checks
│   ├── testing_checklist.md     # Test coverage
│   └── release_checklist.md     # Before release
│
└── examples/
    └── yeast_wcm_project/       # Example from our project

Workflow Stages

Stage	Purpose	Output
1. Generation	Create project structure	Organized directories, configs
2. Code Writing	Implement functionality	Source code, modules
3. Testing	Verify correctness	Test suite, coverage reports
4. Iteration	Refine and fix	Improved code, resolved issues
5. Documentation	Document code/APIs	API docs, user guides
6. Publication	Academic summary	Manuscript, figures, tables

Usage Tips

1. Be Specific: Provide domain context at the start
2. Iterate: Don't expect perfection on first pass
3. Verify: Always test AI-generated code
4. Customize: Adapt templates to your project needs