Established Projects FAQ

Quick answers to common questions about working on established projects with the BMad Method (BMM).

Questions

• Do I have to run document-project first?
• What if I forget to run document-project?
• Can I use Quick Flow for established projects?
• What if my existing code doesn't follow best practices?

Do I have to run document-project first?

Highly recommended, especially if:

• No existing documentation
• Documentation is outdated
• AI agents need context about existing code

You can skip it if you have comprehensive, up-to-date documentation including docs/index.md or will use other tools or techniques to aid in discovery for the agent to build on an existing system.

What if I forget to run document-project?

Don't worry about it - you can do it at any time. You can even do it during or after a project to help keep docs up to date.

Can I use Quick Flow for established projects?

Yes! Quick Flow works great for established projects. It will:

• Auto-detect your existing stack
• Analyze existing code patterns
• Detect conventions and ask for confirmation
• Generate context-rich spec that respects existing code

Perfect for bug fixes and small features in existing codebases.

What if my existing code doesn't follow best practices?

Quick Flow detects your conventions and asks: "Should I follow these existing conventions?" You decide:

• Yes → Maintain consistency with current codebase
• No → Establish new standards (document why in spec)

BMM respects your choice — it won't force modernization, but it will offer it.

Have a question not answered here? Please open an issue or ask in Discord so we can add it!