Intent Phase

The Intent phase answers two questions: What are we building? and Why does it matter? Everything in the DLC traces back to artifacts produced here.

Purpose

Without clear intent, AI assistants generate code that’s technically correct but strategically wrong. The Intent phase forces clarity before anyone writes code, designs architecture, or creates tasks.

Key Artifacts

Intent Statement

The starting point. A concise declaration of:

Who it’s for (specific personas, not “users”)
What problem they face
Why now — the trigger for this work
What outcome you expect
How you’ll measure success

Created by: cat-intent-statement with Clara

Intent Brief

The operational expansion of the Intent Statement. Adds:

Detailed scope (in/out) with specific boundaries
Success metrics with measurable targets
Assumptions and constraints
Key risks with mitigations
Dependencies on other teams or systems
Non-functional requirements (performance, security, reliability)

Created by: cat-intent-brief with Clara

Quick Intent

For small changes (1–3 bolts), combines Statement and Brief into a single lightweight artifact using a streamlined conversation.

Created by: cat-quick-intent with Clara

Feature List

A decomposition of the Intent Brief into discrete features. Each feature becomes a unit that gets bolts in Construction.

Created by: cat-features-create with Clara

Research Workflows

Before or during intent capture, research workflows build understanding:

Workflow	Agent	Purpose
`cat-market-research`	Livia	Competitive landscape, customer analysis
`cat-domain-research`	Livia	Industry knowledge, domain concepts
`cat-technical-research`	Livia	Technology evaluation, architecture patterns
`cat-product-brief`	Livia	Product concept documentation
`cat-prfaq`	Livia	Working Backwards PRFAQ challenge

Phase Gate: Intent Checkpoint

cat-intent-checkpoint

Validates that intent artifacts are:

Complete — All required sections populated
Specific — Metrics are measurable, scope is bounded
Compliance-ready — Proper frontmatter for audit trail

This gates the transition to Architecture. A passed checkpoint means: “The Solution Architect can start the ARC without calling a meeting.”

Common Pitfalls

Pitfall	Fix
Vague metrics (“improve performance”)	Add specific targets (“reduce P95 latency from 800ms to 200ms”)
Scope defined by what you’ll build, not boundaries	Add explicit “Out of Scope” section
Missing “Why Now”	Without urgency, intent becomes a backlog wish
Skipping intent for “obvious” changes	Even small changes benefit from `cat-quick-intent`