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+# Stage Transition Templates
+
+## Overview
+
+These templates help you transition smoothly between the four development stages: Exploration → Prototype → Development → Production. Each transition requires careful assessment and knowledge consolidation.
+
+## Template 1: Exploration → Prototype Transition
+
+### Readiness Assessment
+```
+Stage transition readiness: Exploration → Prototype
+
+## 🎯 EXPLORATION COMPLETION CHECKLIST
+**Concept Validation (Must Complete All):**
+- [ ] Core game mechanic proven feasible
+- [ ] Technology stack tested and confirmed
+- [ ] User need validated through research/testing
+- [ ] Performance targets achievable with chosen approach
+- [ ] Key technical risks identified and mitigated
+
+**Research Documentation:**
+- [ ] Technology comparison documented
+- [ ] Architecture decisions recorded with rationale
+- [ ] Performance benchmarks established
+- [ ] User research findings captured
+- [ ] Competitive analysis completed
+
+## 📊 TRANSITION READINESS SCORE: ___/10
+
+**Missing Elements (if score <8):**
+- [ ] Item 1: [What needs completion]
+- [ ] Item 2: [What needs completion]
+
+## 🚀 PROTOTYPE STAGE PREPARATION
+**Updated Project Description:**
+```markdown
+**STAGE:** Prototype Development
+**VALIDATED CONCEPT:** [Proven concept from exploration]
+
+**EXPLORATION FINDINGS:**
+- ✓ [Key technical validation]
+- ✓ [User need confirmation]
+- ✓ [Performance feasibility]
+
+**PROTOTYPE SCOPE:**
+- **Core Feature:** [Single most important feature to prove]
+- **Success Metric:** [Measurable goal for prototype]
+- **Non-Goals:** [What we're deliberately NOT building]
+
+**TECHNOLOGY STACK:**
+- **Primary:** [Main technologies with rationale]
+- **Architecture:** [High-level approach]
+- **Performance Target:** [Specific benchmarks]
+```
+
+**Updated Project Instructions:**
+```
+DEVELOPMENT STAGE: Prototype Development
+PROJECT FOCUS: Building proof-of-concept with core functionality
+
+**PROTOTYPE PRIORITIES:**
+- Prioritize working functionality over code perfection
+- Use established patterns from exploration phase
+- Focus on proving core user-facing features
+- Document shortcuts taken for future cleanup
+```
+
+## 🧠 KNOWLEDGE CONSOLIDATION
+**Archive from Exploration:**
+- Move research documents to `archive/exploration/`
+- Preserve decision rationale for future reference
+- Extract patterns for reuse in future projects
+
+**Carry Forward to Prototype:**
+- Core architectural decisions
+- Performance benchmarks and targets
+- Key learnings about user needs
+- Technology constraints and capabilities
+```
+
+## Template 2: Prototype → Development Transition
+
+### Readiness Assessment
+```
+Stage transition readiness: Prototype → Development
+
+## 🎯 PROTOTYPE COMPLETION CHECKLIST
+**Core Functionality (Must Complete All):**
+- [ ] Primary feature working as intended
+- [ ] User interface proves usability
+- [ ] Performance targets achieved in testing
+- [ ] Technology stack handles requirements
+- [ ] Architecture scales to full feature set
+
+**Validation Documentation:**
+- [ ] User testing completed with positive results
+- [ ] Performance benchmarks documented
+- [ ] Architecture stress-tested with realistic data
+- [ ] Code quality assessment completed
+- [ ] Technical debt inventory created
+
+## 📊 TRANSITION READINESS SCORE: ___/10
+
+**Prototype Lessons Learned:**
+- **What Worked:** [Successful patterns to continue]
+- **What Didn't:** [Approaches to avoid in development]
+- **Surprises:** [Unexpected discoveries or challenges]
+
+## 🏗️ DEVELOPMENT STAGE PREPARATION
+**Updated Project Description:**
+```markdown
+**STAGE:** Active Development
+**PROVEN PROTOTYPE:** [What the prototype successfully demonstrated]
+
+**VALIDATED ARCHITECTURE:**
+- **Frontend:** [Confirmed approach and patterns]
+- **Backend:** [If applicable - confirmed stack]
+- **Performance:** [Achieved benchmarks]
+
+**DEVELOPMENT SCOPE:**
+- **Feature Set:** [Complete list of planned features]
+- **Quality Standards:** [Code quality, testing, documentation requirements]
+- **Timeline:** [Estimated completion timeframe]
+
+**SUCCESS CRITERIA:**
+- All features implemented and tested
+- Production-ready code quality
+- Comprehensive documentation
+- Deployment pipeline established
+```
+
+**Updated Project Instructions:**
+```
+DEVELOPMENT STAGE: Active Development
+PROJECT FOCUS: Building production-quality features and architecture
+
+**PRODUCTION QUALITY STANDARDS:**
+- Follow established architectural patterns strictly
+- Implement comprehensive error handling and validation
+- Write maintainable, well-documented code
+- Consider security implications for all features
+- Optimize for performance and scalability
+```
+
+## 🔄 PROTOTYPE TO DEVELOPMENT HANDOFF
+**Code Quality Upgrade:**
+- [ ] Refactor prototype shortcuts
+- [ ] Implement proper error handling
+- [ ] Add comprehensive commenting
+- [ ] Establish testing framework
+- [ ] Set up linting and formatting
+
+**Architecture Refinement:**
+- [ ] Finalize component structure
+- [ ] Establish coding standards
+- [ ] Define API contracts
+- [ ] Plan database schema (if applicable)
+- [ ] Design deployment architecture
+```
+
+## Template 3: Development → Production Transition
+
+### Readiness Assessment
+```
+Stage transition readiness: Development → Production
+
+## 🎯 DEVELOPMENT COMPLETION CHECKLIST
+**Feature Completion (Must Complete All):**
+- [ ] All planned features implemented
+- [ ] Comprehensive testing completed (unit, integration, E2E)
+- [ ] User acceptance testing passed
+- [ ] Performance optimization completed
+- [ ] Security audit completed
+
+**Production Readiness:**
+- [ ] Deployment pipeline established and tested
+- [ ] Monitoring and analytics implemented
+- [ ] Error tracking and logging configured
+- [ ] Backup and recovery procedures tested
+- [ ] Documentation complete and current
+
+**Quality Assurance:**
+- [ ] Code review process completed
+- [ ] Load testing passed
+- [ ] Cross-platform compatibility verified
+- [ ] Accessibility requirements met
+- [ ] Legal and compliance requirements satisfied
+
+## 📊 TRANSITION READINESS SCORE: ___/10
+
+**Pre-Launch Checklist:**
+- [ ] Domain and hosting configured
+- [ ] SSL certificates installed
+- [ ] CDN and caching configured
+- [ ] Database optimization completed
+- [ ] Backup systems verified
+
+## 🚀 PRODUCTION STAGE PREPARATION
+**Updated Project Description:**
+```markdown
+**STAGE:** Production & Maintenance
+**DEPLOYMENT STATUS:** [Live URL and current status]
+
+**PRODUCTION METRICS:**
+- **Users:** [Current active user count]
+- **Performance:** [Key metrics and targets]
+- **Uptime:** [Target and monitoring setup]
+
+**MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE:**
+- **Daily:** [Monitoring and health checks]
+- **Weekly:** [Performance review and optimization]
+- **Monthly:** [Feature planning and user feedback review]
+
+**ENHANCEMENT PIPELINE:**
+- **Priority 1:** [Next features based on user feedback]
+- **Priority 2:** [Performance and scaling improvements]
+- **Priority 3:** [Long-term strategic enhancements]
+```
+
+**Updated Project Instructions:**
+```
+DEVELOPMENT STAGE: Production & Maintenance
+PROJECT FOCUS: Maintaining live application and planning enhancements
+
+**PRODUCTION MAINTENANCE:**
+- Prioritize stability and backward compatibility
+- Consider impact on existing users for all changes
+- Implement gradual rollouts for significant changes
+- Maintain comprehensive monitoring and logging
+- Plan for rollback scenarios on all deployments
+```
+
+## 🎯 PRODUCTION LAUNCH PREPARATION
+**Launch Strategy:**
+- [ ] Soft launch with limited users
+- [ ] Monitor system performance under real load
+- [ ] Gather initial user feedback
+- [ ] Address any critical issues
+- [ ] Plan full public launch
+
+**Post-Launch Monitoring:**
+- [ ] Set up automated alerts for critical issues
+- [ ] Establish user feedback collection channels
+- [ ] Plan regular performance reviews
+- [ ] Schedule security audits
+- [ ] Define success metrics and tracking
+```
+
+## Template 4: Production → Next Project Transition
+
+### Knowledge Extraction
+```
+Project completion and knowledge extraction
+
+## 📚 PROJECT RETROSPECTIVE
+**Overall Success Assessment:**
+- **Goals Achieved:** [Original objectives met]
+- **User Impact:** [Actual user adoption and satisfaction]
+- **Technical Success:** [Performance and reliability metrics]
+- **Business Success:** [Revenue, growth, or other business metrics]
+
+**Key Learnings:**
+- **Technical:** [Architecture patterns, technology choices, performance optimization]
+- **Process:** [Development workflow, team collaboration, project management]
+- **User Experience:** [Interface design, user behavior, feedback patterns]
+
+## 🔄 REUSABLE PATTERNS
+**Extract for Future Projects:**
+- [ ] Successful architectural patterns
+- [ ] Effective development workflows
+- [ ] User research methodologies
+- [ ] Testing and quality assurance processes
+- [ ] Deployment and operations procedures
+
+**Template Creation:**
+- [ ] Create project template from successful patterns
+- [ ] Document decision frameworks
+- [ ] Package reusable code components
+- [ ] Create process documentation templates
+
+## 🎯 NEXT PROJECT PREPARATION
+**Apply Learnings:**
+- Use successful patterns as starting point
+- Avoid repeated mistakes
+- Leverage proven technology choices
+- Apply refined development processes
+
+**Knowledge Transfer:**
+- Archive complete project documentation
+- Create summary for stakeholders
+- Prepare handoff documentation if needed
+- Update personal/team knowledge base
+```
+
+## Usage Guidelines
+
+### When to Use These Templates
+- **Monthly reviews** - Assess readiness for transition
+- **Milestone completion** - Formal stage evaluation
+- **Project planning** - Understand what each stage requires
+- **Team handoffs** - Ensure complete knowledge transfer
+
+### Customization Tips
+- Adapt checklists to your specific project type
+- Add domain-specific requirements
+- Include team-specific processes
+- Adjust timeline expectations based on project scope
+
+### Success Metrics
+- **Smooth transitions** - No lost context or momentum
+- **Quality maintenance** - Each stage builds on previous properly
+- **Knowledge retention** - Decisions and learnings preserved
+- **Stakeholder confidence** - Clear progress and communication
+
+Remember: Stage transitions are investment opportunities. Spend the time to consolidate knowledge properly, and future stages will be much more efficient.
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