Design Orchestration (Meta-Skill)

Purpose

Ensure that ideas become designs, designs are reviewed, and only validated designs reach implementation.

This skill does not generate designs. It controls the flow between other skills.

Operating Model

This is a routing and enforcement skill, not a creative one.

It decides:

• which skill must run next
• whether escalation is required
• whether execution is permitted

Controlled Skills

This meta-skill coordinates the following:

• brainstorming — design generation
• multi-agent-brainstorming — design validation
• downstream implementation or planning skills

Entry Conditions

Invoke this skill when:

• a user proposes a new feature, system, or change
• a design decision carries meaningful risk
• correctness matters more than speed

Routing Logic

Step 1 — Brainstorming (Mandatory)

If no validated design exists:

• Invoke brainstorming
• Require:
  • Understanding Lock
  • Initial Design
  • Decision Log started

You may NOT proceed without these artifacts.

Step 2 — Risk Assessment

After brainstorming completes, classify the design as:

• Low risk
• Moderate risk
• High risk

Use factors such as:

• user impact
• irreversibility
• operational cost
• complexity
• uncertainty
• novelty

Step 3 — Conditional Escalation

• Low risk
  → Proceed to implementation planning

• Moderate risk
  → Recommend multi-agent-brainstorming

• High risk
  → Require a substantive review; use multi-agent-brainstorming only with explicit delegation authorization, otherwise perform a documented single-agent review

Do not silently skip a required substantive review. Review depth is not permission to spawn agents or override the user’s workflow.

Step 4 — Multi-Agent Review (If Invoked)

If multi-agent-brainstorming is run:

Require:

• completed Understanding Lock
• current Design
• Decision Log

Do NOT allow:

• new ideation
• scope expansion
• reopening problem definition

Only critique, revision, and decision resolution are allowed.

Step 5 — Execution Readiness Check

Before allowing implementation:

Confirm:

• design is approved (single-agent or multi-agent)
• Decision Log is complete
• major assumptions are documented
• known risks are acknowledged

If any condition fails:

• block execution
• return to the appropriate skill

Enforcement Rules

• Do NOT allow implementation without a validated design
• Do NOT allow skipping required review
• Do NOT allow silent escalation or de-escalation
• Do NOT merge design and implementation phases

Exit Conditions

This meta-skill exits ONLY when:

• the next step is explicitly identified, AND
• all required prior steps are complete

Possible exits:

• “Proceed to implementation planning”
• “Run multi-agent-brainstorming”
• “Return to brainstorming for clarification”
• "If a reviewed design reports a final disposition of APPROVED, REVISE, or REJECT, you MUST route the workflow accordingly and state the chosen next step explicitly."

Design Philosophy

This skill exists to:

• slow down the right decisions
• speed up the right execution
• prevent costly mistakes

Good systems fail early. Bad systems fail in production.

This meta-skill exists to enforce the former.

When to Use

Use when a material feature/system decision needs a design, risk assessment and implementation-readiness review. Respect already approved designs and project-required workflows; routine bounded fixes do not need invented artifacts or mandatory brainstorming.

Example

User request:

Review this interface with @design-orchestration, identify the highest-impact design problems, and propose an implementation-ready improvement.

Limitations

• A routing skill cannot grant execution, publishing, spending or delegation permissions. Interpret Understanding Lock/Decision Log as actual project artifacts or concise evidence, not missing tools to invent or a reason to repeatedly stop authorized work.
• Do not treat the output as a substitute for environment-specific validation, testing, or expert review.
• Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.