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Easy AI How-To

Advanced series · a pattern byGreg Alton

The Software Factory

Run AI coding agents like a production line. One file, AGENTS.md, is the Factory Manager that defines the whole process. Specialized sub-agents staff each station. Tickets flow in from Jira, reviews flow out to GitLab or Bitbucket, and every stage has a gate. The spec comes first, tests are derived from it, code is built to pass them, and validation gates each step.

  1. Spec
  2. Tests
  3. Code
  4. Validate
  5. Review
  6. Merge
  1. Part 1 · About 15 minutesThe Software Factory pattern: how a ticket becomes a reviewed PRA spec-driven, test-driven production line for AI coding agents: spec, then tests, then code, then validate, then review, then merge. An overview of the whole pattern.
  2. Part 2 · About 30 minutesWrite an AGENTS.md Factory Manager that defines your whole SDLCTurn AGENTS.md into the Factory Manager: one file that defines the spec-first, test-first production line, its gates, the artifacts each stage leaves, and what agents may never do.
  3. Part 3 · About 35 minutesCreate global sub-agents for every station of the Software FactoryWrite reusable sub-agents for planning, exploring, research, coding, validation, tracker updates, code review, and PR fixes, each with one job and a compact handoff.
  4. Part 4 · About 25 minutesConnect Jira through the Atlassian MCP so tickets flow through the factoryHook the Software Factory to Jira with Atlassian's Rovo MCP server: read a ticket, then post living Plan, Test Results, Execution Summary, and Handoff comments.
  5. Part 5 · About 30 minutesRead and write PR comments with the GitLab and Bitbucket MCP serversLet the factory's review agents post a structured code and security review, fix findings one at a time, and record a disposition on GitLab or Bitbucket, never merging.
  6. Part 6 · About 15 minutesThe developer's new job: review the factory's artifacts before you mergeIn the Software Factory, the developer is the final gate. A checklist for reviewing the spec trail, test evidence, review comments, and disposition report before merging.

The Software Factory pattern was created by Greg Alton. The example files in this series are generic templates; adapt them to your own tools and process.