bmad-code-org/bmad-method4 files

Bmad Correct Course

Assess the impact of a significant change during sprint execution across the PRD, epics, architecture, and UX documents, and produce a sprint change proposal. Use when the user says "correct course" or "propose sprint change"

Specification
Skill ID
bmad-code-org/bmad-method/bmad-correct-course
Publisher
bmad-code-org
Repository
bmad-method
Installs
148
Files
4
Synced
Sep 16, 2026
How to use it

Open any RiverX project, open the Skills panel in the chat, and search for this identifier. The files are fetched from the source repository at install time.

bmad-code-org/bmad-method/bmad-correct-courseInstalls these files
  • SKILL.md
  • checklist.md
  • customize.toml
  • module-manifest.toml

What this skill tells the agent

Correct Course - Sprint Change Management Workflow

Goal: Manage significant changes during sprint execution by analyzing impact across all project artifacts and producing a structured Sprint Change Proposal.

Your Role: You are a Developer navigating change management. Analyze the triggering issue, assess impact across PRD, epics, architecture, and UX artifacts, and produce an actionable Sprint Change Proposal with clear handoff.

Conventions

  • Bare paths (e.g. checklist.md) resolve from the skill root.
  • {skill-root} resolves to this skill's installed directory (where customize.toml lives).
  • {project-root}-prefixed paths resolve from the project working directory.
  • {skill-name} resolves to the skill directory's basename.

On Activation

Step 1: Resolve the Workflow Block

Run: uv run {project-root}/_bmad/scripts/resolve_customization.py --skill {skill-root} --project-root {project-root} --key workflow

If the script fails, resolve the workflow block yourself by reading these three files in base → team → user order and applying the same structural merge rules as the resolver:

  1. {skill-root}/customize.toml — defaults
  2. {project-root}/_bmad/custom/{skill-name}.toml — team overrides
  3. {project-root}/_bmad/custom/{skill-name}.user.toml — personal overrides

Any missing file is skipped. Scalars override, tables deep-merge, arrays of tables keyed by code or id replace matching entries and append new entries, and all other arrays append.

Step 2: Execute Prepend Steps

Execute each entry in {workflow.activation_steps_prepend} in order before proceeding.

Step 3: Load Persistent Facts

Treat every entry in {workflow.persistent_facts} as foundational context you carry for the rest of the workflow run. Entries prefixed file: are paths or globs under {project-root} — load the referenced contents as facts. All other entries are facts verbatim.

Step 4: Load Config

Run: uv run {project-root}/_bmad/scripts/resolve_config.py --project-root {project-root} --key core.project_name --key modules.bmm.implementation_artifacts --key modules.bmm.planning_artifacts --key modules.bmm.project_knowledge

  • date as system-generated current datetime
  • YOU MUST ALWAYS SPEAK OUTPUT in your Agent communication style
  • DOCUMENT OUTPUT: Updated epics, stories, or PRD sections. Clear, actionable changes.

Step 5: Greet the User

Greet the user.

Step 6: Execute Append Steps

Execute each entry in {workflow.activation_steps_append} in order.

Activation is complete. If activation_steps_prepend or activation_steps_append were non-empty, confirm every entry was executed in order before proceeding. Do not begin the main workflow until all activation steps have been completed.

Paths

  • default_output_file = {planning_artifacts}/sprint-change-proposal-{date}.md

Input Files

InputPathLoad Strategy
PRD{planning_artifacts}/*prd*.md (whole) or {planning_artifacts}/*prd*/*.md (sharded)FULL_LOAD
Epics{planning_artifacts}/*epic*.md (whole) or {planning_artifacts}/*epic*/*.md (sharded)FULL_LOAD
Architecture{planning_artifacts}/*architecture*.md (whole) or {planning_artifacts}/*architecture*/*.md (sharded)FULL_LOAD
UX Design{planning_artifacts}/*ux*.md (whole) or {planning_artifacts}/*ux*/*.md (sharded)FULL_LOAD
Spec{planning_artifacts}/*spec-*.md (whole)FULL_LOAD
Project ContextAGENTS.md in the affected repo (the bmad:context block)FULL_LOAD

Execution

Document Discovery - Loading Project Artifacts

Strategy: Course correction needs broad project context to assess change impact accurately. Load all available planning artifacts.

Discovery Process for FULL_LOAD documents (PRD, Epics, Architecture, UX Design, Spec):

  1. Search for whole document first - Look for files matching the whole-document pattern (e.g., *prd*.md, *epic*.md, *architecture*.md, *ux*.md, *spec-*.md)
  2. Check for sharded version - If whole document not found, look for a directory with index.md (e.g., prd/index.md, epics/index.md)
  3. If sharded version found:
  • Read index.md to understand the document structure
  • Read ALL section files listed in the index
  • Process the combined content as a single document
  1. Priority: If both whole and sharded versions exist, use the whole document

Discovery Process for Project Context:

  1. Read `AGENTS.md` in the repo the change affects — the block between the bmad:context markers carries the policy, frozen paths, and conventions a course correction must respect.
  2. Follow only the pointers that relate to the impacted areas — nested component files or linked rule files listed under "Where things are". Do not load them all.
  3. This document is optional — skip if the repo has no AGENTS.md (greenfield projects).

Fuzzy matching: Be flexible with document names — users may use variations like prd.md, bmm-prd.md, product-requirements.md, etc.

Missing documents: Not all documents may exist. PRD and Epics are essential; Architecture, UX Design, Spec, and Document Project are loaded if available. HALT if PRD or Epics cannot be found.

<workflow>

<step n="1" goal="Initialize Change Navigation"> <action>Confirm change trigger and gather user description of the issue</action> <action>Ask: "What specific issue or change has been identified that requires navigation?"</action> <action>Verify access to project documents:</action>

  • PRD (Product Requirements Document) — required
  • Current Epics and Stories — required
  • Architecture documentation — optional, load if available
  • UI/UX specifications — optional, load if available <action>Ask user for mode preference:</action>
  • Incremental (recommended): Refine each edit collaboratively
  • Batch: Present all changes at once for review <action>Store mode selection for use throughout workflow</action>

<action if="change trigger is unclear">HALT: "Cannot navigate change without clear understanding of the triggering issue. Please provide specific details about what needs to change and why."</action>

<action if="PRD or Epics are unavailable">HALT: "Need access to PRD and Epics to assess change impact. Please ensure these documents are accessible. Architecture and UI/UX will be used if available."</action> </step>

<step n="2" goal="Execute Change Analysis Checklist"> <action>Read fully and follow the systematic analysis from: checklist.md</action> <action>Work through each checklist section interactively with the user</action> <action>Record status for each checklist item:</action>

  • [x] Done - Item completed successfully
  • [N/A] Skip - Item not applicable to this change
  • [!] Action-needed - Item requires attention or follow-up <action>Maintain running notes of findings and impacts discovered</action> <action>Present checklist progress after each major section</action>

<action if="checklist cannot be completed">Identify blocking issues and work with user to resolve before continuing</action> </step>

<step n="3" goal="Draft Specific Change Proposals"> <action>Based on checklist findings, create explicit edit proposals for each identified artifact</action>

<action>For Story changes:</action>

  • Show old → new text format
  • Include story ID and section being modified
  • Provide rationale for each change
  • Example format:
  Story: [STORY-123] User Authentication
  Section: Acceptance Criteria

  OLD:
  - User can log in with email/password

  NEW:
  - User can log in with email/password
  - User can enable 2FA via authenticator app

  Rationale: Security requirement identified during implementation

<action>For PRD modifications:</action>

  • Specify exact sections to update
  • Show current content and proposed changes
  • Explain impact on MVP scope and requirements