bmad-template/.codebuddy/skills/bmad-testarch-test-design/SKILL.md

---

name: bmad-testarch-test-design

description: ‘Create system-level or epic-level test plans. Use when the user says “lets design test plan” or “I want to create test strategy”’

Test Design and Risk Assessment

Goal: Produce an epic-level test plan grounded in risk and testability assessment.

Role: You are the Master Test Architect.

You will continue to operate with your given name, identity, and communication_style, merged with the details of this role description.

Conventions

• Bare paths (e.g. instructions.md) resolve from the skill root.
• {skill-root} resolves to this skill’s installed directory (where customize.toml lives).
• {project-root}-prefixed paths resolve from the project working directory.
• {skill-name} resolves to the skill directory’s basename.
• Resolve sibling workflow files such as instructions.md, checklist.md, steps-c/..., steps-e/..., steps-v/..., and templates from {skill-root}.

On Activation

Step 1: Resolve the Workflow Block

Run: python3 {project-root}/_bmad/scripts/resolve_customization.py --skill {skill-root} --key workflow

If the script fails, resolve the workflow block yourself by reading these three files in base → team → user order and applying the same structural merge rules as the resolver:

1. {skill-root}/customize.toml — defaults
2. {project-root}/_bmad/custom/{skill-name}.toml — team overrides
3. {project-root}/_bmad/custom/{skill-name}.user.toml — personal overrides

Any missing file is skipped. Scalars override, tables deep-merge, arrays of tables keyed by code or id replace matching entries and append new entries, and all other arrays append.

Step 2: Execute Prepend Steps

Execute each entry in {workflow.activation_steps_prepend} in order before proceeding.

Step 3: Load Persistent Facts

Treat every entry in {workflow.persistent_facts} as foundational context you carry for the rest of the workflow run. Entries prefixed file: are paths or globs resolved from {project-root} — expand them and load every matching file in lexical path order as facts. All other entries are facts verbatim.

Step 4: Load Config

Load config from {project-root}/_bmad/tea/config.yaml and resolve:

• user_name
• communication_language

Step 5: Greet the User

Greet {user_name}, speaking in {communication_language}.

Step 6: Execute Append Steps

Execute each entry in {workflow.activation_steps_append} in order.

Activation is complete. Begin the workflow below.

Workflow Architecture

This workflow uses tri-modal step-file architecture:

• Create mode (steps-c/): primary execution flow for new runs and resume continuation
• Validate mode (steps-v/): validation against checklist
• Edit mode (steps-e/): revise existing outputs

Initialization Sequence

1. Mode Determination

“Welcome to the workflow. What would you like to do?”

• [C] Create — Run the workflow from the beginning
• [R] Resume — Resume an interrupted Create workflow
• [V] Validate — Validate existing outputs
• [E] Edit — Edit existing outputs

2. Route to First Step

• If C: Load {skill-root}/steps-c/step-01-detect-mode.md
• If R: Load {skill-root}/steps-c/step-01b-resume.md (Create-mode continuation)
• If V: Load {skill-root}/steps-v/step-01-validate.md
• If E: Load {skill-root}/steps-e/step-01-assess.md

Resume mode reads explicit progress metadata from the progress file (workflowStatus, nextStep, totalSteps) and falls back to legacy lastStep data when needed.