QUAD™ - Quick Unified Agentic Development (Summary)

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QUAD - Quick Unified Agentic Development
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MGMTDEV
BA/PM/TLFS/BE/UI
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QAINFRA
Test/AutoDevOps/SRE

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QUAD™ = 4 Circles + AI Agents + Docs-First Development

What is QUAD?

QUAD (Quick Unified Agentic Development) is a modern software development methodology designed for the AI era. It combines 4 functional circles with AI agents at every step and a documentation-first approach.

The Name

LetterMeaning QQuick - Faster development with AI assistance UUnified - 4 circles working together seamlessly AAgentic - AI agents at every step DDevelopment - Software development methodology

Core Principles

PrincipleDescription 4 CirclesManagement, Development, QA, Infrastructure AI AgentsEvery circle has AI agent helpers Docs-FirstDocumentation before and with code One Source of TruthGit-versioned documentation Continuous FlowWork flows through pipeline, monthly checkpoints Human ApprovalAI assists, humans decide

Key Differentiators

vs TraditionalQUAD Approach Scrum MasterAI Scheduling Agent Sprint pressureContinuous flow with monthly checkpoints Scattered docsFlow documentation (UI + API + DB + Tests) "I don't know what to test"Test cases embedded in flow docs Knowledge silosOne source of truth 8-hour days, 5 daysPotential 4-day work week

The 4 Circles Overview

Circle 1: Management (Business 80% / Technical 20%)

Roles: Business Analyst, Project Manager, Tech Lead AI Agents: Story Agent, Scheduling Agent, Documentation Agent, Estimation Agent

Circle 2: Development (Business 30% / Technical 70%)

Roles: Full Stack Developer, Backend Developer, UI Developer, Mobile Developer AI Agents: Dev Agent (UI), Dev Agent (API), Code Review Agent, Refactor Agent

Circle 3: QA (Business 30% / Technical 70%)

Roles: QA Engineer, Automation Engineer, Performance Tester, Security Tester AI Agents: UI Test Agent, API Test Agent, Performance Agent, Test Generator Agent

Circle 4: Infrastructure (Business 20% / Technical 80%)

Roles: DevOps Engineer, SRE, Cloud Engineer, DBA AI Agents: Deploy Agent (DEV/QA/PROD), Monitoring Agent, Incident Agent, Cost Agent

QUAD Cycle (Monthly Checkpoints)

QUAD uses a hybrid approach: Monthly Checkpoints with Continuous Flow within.

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QUAD CYCLE (4 weeks)
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WEEK 1          WEEK 2          WEEK 3          WEEK 4



v               v               v               v
PulsePulsePulseCHECKPOINT
(opt)(opt)(opt)+ CALIBRATION


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Why Monthly Checkpoints?

ReasonBenefit AI works continuouslyNo artificial 2-week boundaries Humans need rhythmMonthly demo keeps stakeholders engaged Business needs dates"Q1 cycle" easier than "whenever ready" Less pressureNo sprint-end crunch 4-day week fitsNo Friday cramming

Docs-First Approach

The Problem QUAD Solves

TRADITIONAL APPROACH (Scattered Documentation):
+----------+    +----------+    +----------+    +----------+
UIAPIDBTest
SpecsDocsSchemaCases
(Figma)(Swagger)(Wiki)(Excel)
+----------+    +----------+    +----------+    +----------+
      
      +-------+------+------+------+
              |
         ALL SEPARATE!
         Not linked
         Gets stale
         QA: "What should I test?"
         Dev: "Where's the spec?"

QUAD Solution: One Source of Truth

Each feature has a Flow Document that includes:

• UI screens and user actions

• API endpoints (request/response)

• Database queries

• Test cases

All in one Git-versioned document. QA knows exactly what to test. Dev knows exactly what to build.

Methodology Comparison

AspectWaterfallAgile/ScrumDevOpsQUAD PlanningAll upfrontSprint-basedContinuousAI-assisted CyclePhases2-week sprintsContinuousMonthly checkpoint RolesPhase silosCross-functionalDev + Ops4 Circles + AI DocumentationHeavy upfrontLight/skippedCode-as-docsDocs-First TestingEnd phasePer sprintAutomatedAI Test Agents MeetingsPhase gatesDaily standupAs neededPulse (optional) FeedbackMonths2-4 weeksDaysReal-time AI IntegrationNoneOptionalOptionalCore

When to Use QUAD

Project TypeQUAD FitNotes Greenfield (new product)ExcellentFull QUAD from start Brownfield (legacy)ModerateGradual adoption Maintenance/SupportGoodCircle 3 + 4 heavy Regulated (Healthcare)GoodMore approval gates Startup (MVP)ExcellentSmall team + AI = fast

QUAD Benefits Summary

BenefitHow QUAD Achieves It Faster deliveryAI handles repetitive tasks Better qualityDocs-First, automated testing Less meetingsAI dashboard replaces standups Knowledge sharingOne source of truth Employee retentionLess stress, potential 4-day week No single dependencyEverything documented Easy transitionsPeople can move between projects

Getting Started

Minimum Viable QUAD

Start small, add agents gradually:

WeekEnableLearn 1-2Story Agent onlyAI-enhanced requirements 3-4+ Dev Agent (one platform)AI code scaffolding 5-6+ Deploy Agent (DEV only)Automated deployments 7-8+ Test AgentsAutomated testing 9++ Full pipelineEnd-to-end automation

License & Attribution

QUAD™ (Quick Unified Agentic Development)

Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).

Required Attribution:

"QUAD Methodology by Suman Addanke / A2 Vibe Creators"

Contact: ChannelLink Websitehttps://a2vibecreators.com GitHubhttps://github.com/a2vibecreators AuthorSuman Addanke

QUAD™ - A methodology by Suman Addanki | First Published: December 2025