Description
Description
The bmad-code-review skill writes deferred items to deferred-work.md (via step-04-present.md), but no other skill ever reads this file back. This creates a one-way data flow where tech debt accumulates silently until someone manually checks the file.
| Skill |
Reads deferred-work.md? |
Writes deferred-work.md? |
bmad-code-review |
No |
Yes (step-04-present.md) |
bmad-create-story |
No |
No |
bmad-agent-sm |
No |
No |
bmad-retrospective |
No |
No |
The key gap is in bmad-create-story. This skill runs before every story implementation and already loads previous story intelligence and git history — but it never checks deferred-work.md for items that overlap with files the new story will touch.
After running code reviews on 10+ stories, the deferred backlog can grow to 30-40 items — including critical bugs and security fixes — with no workflow ever surfacing them. Items that touch files modified by later stories could have been folded in at zero marginal cost, but bmad-create-story never checks.
Suggested fix
The primary fix belongs in bmad-create-story since it is the recurring workflow that runs before every story and already analyzes previous story context:
-
bmad-create-story/workflow.md — Add deferred-work.md as a conditional input file. During step 2 (after previous story intelligence), match deferred items by file path against the new story's files-to-modify list. If overlapping items exist, add them to the story's Dev Notes under a ### Deferred Items to Address section and add corresponding subtasks to the Tasks section.
-
bmad-agent-sm/SKILL.md — Add a capability for manually triaging the deferred backlog on demand. Add guidance that epic completion should verify all deferred items from that epic are addressed.
-
bmad-retrospective/workflow.md — Include deferred work stats (items created, resolved, carried forward) as a quality metric in epic retros.
Steps to reproduce
- Setup a project with multiple epics and stories
- Run
bmad-code-review on several completed stories — defer some findings each time
- Observe that
deferred-work.md grows with each review
- Run
bmad-create-story for a new story that touches files with existing deferred items — observe the generated story does NOT include those deferred items as tasks or dev notes
- After 10+ stories, open
deferred-work.md — it contains a large unaddressed backlog that no workflow surfaced
Expected behavior
Expected: bmad-create-story should detect overlapping deferred items and fold them into the new story as subtasks or dev notes.
Actual behavior
Actual: deferred-work.md is write-only — no skill reads it back into the workflow.
Screenshots
No response
Which module is this for?
BMad Method (BMM) - Core Framework
BMad Version
6.2.2
Which AI IDE are you using?
Claude Code
Operating System
Linux
Relevant log output
Confirm
Description
Description
The
bmad-code-reviewskill writes deferred items todeferred-work.md(viastep-04-present.md), but no other skill ever reads this file back. This creates a one-way data flow where tech debt accumulates silently until someone manually checks the file.deferred-work.md?deferred-work.md?bmad-code-reviewbmad-create-storybmad-agent-smbmad-retrospectiveThe key gap is in
bmad-create-story. This skill runs before every story implementation and already loads previous story intelligence and git history — but it never checksdeferred-work.mdfor items that overlap with files the new story will touch.After running code reviews on 10+ stories, the deferred backlog can grow to 30-40 items — including critical bugs and security fixes — with no workflow ever surfacing them. Items that touch files modified by later stories could have been folded in at zero marginal cost, but
bmad-create-storynever checks.Suggested fix
The primary fix belongs in
bmad-create-storysince it is the recurring workflow that runs before every story and already analyzes previous story context:bmad-create-story/workflow.md— Adddeferred-work.mdas a conditional input file. During step 2 (after previous story intelligence), match deferred items by file path against the new story's files-to-modify list. If overlapping items exist, add them to the story's Dev Notes under a### Deferred Items to Addresssection and add corresponding subtasks to the Tasks section.bmad-agent-sm/SKILL.md— Add a capability for manually triaging the deferred backlog on demand. Add guidance that epic completion should verify all deferred items from that epic are addressed.bmad-retrospective/workflow.md— Include deferred work stats (items created, resolved, carried forward) as a quality metric in epic retros.Steps to reproduce
bmad-code-reviewon several completed stories — defer some findings each timedeferred-work.mdgrows with each reviewbmad-create-storyfor a new story that touches files with existing deferred items — observe the generated story does NOT include those deferred items as tasks or dev notesdeferred-work.md— it contains a large unaddressed backlog that no workflow surfacedExpected behavior
Expected:
bmad-create-storyshould detect overlapping deferred items and fold them into the new story as subtasks or dev notes.Actual behavior
Actual:
deferred-work.mdis write-only — no skill reads it back into the workflow.Screenshots
No response
Which module is this for?
BMad Method (BMM) - Core Framework
BMad Version
6.2.2
Which AI IDE are you using?
Claude Code
Operating System
Linux
Relevant log output
Confirm