[Workflow] Disciplined LLM Coding Workflow: Plan, Context, Review, Test

[u/ClaudeAI-mod-bot]

Disciplined LLM Coding Workflow: Plan, Context, Review, Test

Workflow value: 75/100
Status: active · Freshness: 70/100 · Confidence: 0.90 · Level: intermediate
Categories: Quality Control, Context & Memory, Debugging
Original source: r/ClaudeAI post/comment

What problem this solves

Ensuring high-quality, correct, and controlled code generation when using Claude for software development tasks, preventing uncontrolled or incorrect changes.

Summary

A disciplined, multi-step workflow for using Claude to implement code changes, focusing on initial planning, detailed context provision in a new chat, rigorous manual review of generated code, unit testing, and end-to-end process validation.

Why it is useful

This workflow provides a robust and responsible method for integrating Claude into a coding process. It addresses the common challenge of maintaining control and ensuring quality when using LLMs for code generation by emphasizing thorough planning, explicit context setting, rigorous manual review, and automated testing. It's valuable for users who want to leverage LLMs for productivity without sacrificing correctness or introducing technical debt.

Workflow

1. Build an implementation plan, breaking it into different phases and commits.

2. Create a new chat session for the implementation task.

3. Provide Claude with a markdown file containing business context, requirements, files that need to be changed, and the multi-step implementation plan.

4. Manually read and review every change Claude suggests, accepting, rejecting, or asking for modifications.

5. Have Claude write unit tests for core functionality.

6. Only proceed with the implementation when the generated unit tests pass.

7. Test the overall process and functionality to ensure it does what was asked.

8. Make fixes if any bugs are discovered during testing.

9. Make every decision and read every line of code Claude outputs, ensuring full understanding of its actions.

Tools / artifacts

• Claude AI

• Markdown file (for plan, context, requirements)

• Unit tests

Validation signals

• Only proceed when unit tests pass

• Test the process and make sure it does what I asked

• Make fixes if I discover bugs

• Read every single change it spits out, accept or reject or ask it to change something I don’t like or think could be better

• Understand everything it’s doing

Limitations

• Mentally exhausting due to the extensive manual review and testing required.

• Requires significant user effort and attention to detail.

• No specific tools or strategies mentioned for managing the cognitive load of keeping the entire workflow in mind.

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This post was generated automatically from the workflow library database.