Operating Model
How Catalyst structures AI-assisted delivery from discovery to production.
Purpose
The Catalyst operating model exists to:
- Prevent drift between stakeholder intent and delivered product
- Reduce rework by validating early with quality code
- Provide a safe pathway from POC to production
- Enable consistent, repeatable delivery across projects
Principles + Non-Negotiables
Proof over wireframes
Working code is the source of truth, not static designs.
Intent is captured durably
Vision, Architecture, and Requirements are written artefacts, not verbal agreements.
Gates are non-negotiable
No skipping Intent, Build, or Release gates.
Stages have quality expectations
POC quality is not production quality. Each stage has defined standards.
Roles have clear boundaries
Different responsibilities for humans and AI agents.
Roles and Accountability
Project Lead (Human)
- • Drives clarity and momentum
- • Manages client expectations
- • Approves phase plans and gate decisions
- • Owns delivery outcomes
Project Agent (AI)
- • Crystallises intent, vision, and scope
- • Produces Vision, Architecture, and Requirements docs
- • Challenges assumptions via stress testing
- • Maintains State of Play document
Coding Agent / Dev Lead
- • Executes against intent with discipline
- • Proposes phased build plans
- • Implements incrementally with review points
- • Maintains code quality and standards
Reviewer
- • Reviews code and artefacts
- • Validates gate criteria
- • Provides technical guidance
- • Approves stage transitions
Client
- • Provides context and requirements
- • Participates in workshops and reviews
- • Makes scope decisions
- • Approves stage completions
Artefacts
Durable documents that capture intent and track progress:
Vision
What success looks like. The north star for the project.
Architecture
Technical approach, stack choices, and system boundaries.
Requirements
Specific features and acceptance criteria by phase.
State of Play
Current status, decisions made, and next actions.
Two Lanes
Catalyst separates work into two lanes with different quality expectations:
POC Lane
- • Stack A (Next.js only)
- • Mock data acceptable
- • Speed over polish
- • Validate assumptions quickly
- • No production deployment
Production Lane
- • Stack B or C
- • Real data and auth
- • Full quality standards
- • Security and performance tested
- • Release Gate required
Stages
Projects progress through defined stages with increasing quality requirements:
Prove the concept. Validate with stakeholders. Stack A.
Core features for early users. Real data. Stack B/C.
Minimum marketable. Ready for wider release.
Full production. Operational readiness and support.
See Stages for detailed quality expectations at each stage.
Stacks
Three stack configurations for different project needs:
Next.js Only
POC proof. No backend. Mock data.
Next.js + Supabase
Auth and database. Real persistence.
Next.js + Laravel
Complex backend. APIs and integrations.
See Stacks for detailed guidance on stack selection and progression.
Next Steps
Read about Gates to understand the quality checkpoints, then Workflow for the day-to-day delivery process.