Watch the PRE & POST video on YouTube (optional video; this text is the current reference).
What exists around the four-phase Core?
Ideas, blueprints and optional prototypes can clarify uncertainty before PRD; evidence, human acceptance and release activities place implementation in its wider engineering context. These activities do not add mandatory phases to the Core: PRD → PLAN → TASK → IMPLEMENTATION.
This retained reference discusses surrounding engineering activities, not the primary structure of AI Architect Mastery's AI Driven Development Methodology. Its four-step workflow describes accountable development, not every activity in a software organization's delivery process.
Before the Core: reduce relevant uncertainty
idea / intent → blueprint → optional POC or prototype → PRD
A blueprint may orient the change. A proof of concept or prototype is useful when a specific uncertainty justifies it; neither is an obligatory gate for every task. Findings inform the PRD rather than replacing a durable statement of intent.
After implementation: decide before release
IMPLEMENTATION → evidence / validation → Human Checkpoint → release / deploy
This wider view shows the relationship to delivery. It does not move testing and review out of IMPLEMENTATION, where they already belong. A reviewed result still follows the project's release and deployment controls.
Constructed decision: skip an unnecessary prototype
An export authorization correction uses a known interface and existing helper. The team can define a bounded PRD without building a prototype first. If an unfamiliar dependency creates genuine uncertainty, a separate investigation may be justified before selecting the implementation approach.
A wider diagram must not dilute the Core
Lowercase idea and evidence are boundary concepts, not fifth and sixth Core phases. Optional exploration does not remove the need for acceptance criteria. A successful build does not authorize automatic merge or deployment.
Related concepts
Watch the full methodology overview on YouTube (optional video; this text is the current reference).