Optional: Ralph Wiggum Loop
The Ralph Loop automates the workflow practiced in SDLC 1–3. Instead of interactively guiding each step, prompt files and a script repeatedly select work, plan it, implement it, test it, and review the result.
Why it comes last
Automation is easier to understand after performing the underlying process manually. The specification, architecture decisions, tests, review criteria, and repository guidance created earlier become the policies and back-pressure that make an autonomous loop useful.
What it automates
- Select the next backlog item.
- Read project guidance and existing artifacts.
- Plan and implement the work.
- Run tests and quality checks.
- Review the result and advance the backlog.