.. _context-everywhere:

===================
Context Everywhere
===================

Unify decisions, designs, and code. Buildly Labs links Slack, Figma, and repos so the "why" travels with the "what."

The Context Problem
===================

In traditional development workflows, critical context gets scattered across multiple tools:

* **Design decisions** are buried in Figma comments
* **Technical discussions** happen in Slack threads that disappear
* **Code rationale** exists only in PR descriptions (if you're lucky)
* **Product requirements** live in separate documents
* **User feedback** is fragmented across support tickets

**The Result:** Developers waste hours hunting for context, leading to:

* Duplicated effort
* Inconsistent implementations
* Poor technical decisions
* Lost institutional knowledge
* Slow onboarding for new team members

The RAD Approach: Context as Infrastructure
============================================

RAD treats context not as documentation, but as a **first-class citizen** of the development process.

**Core Principle:** Every decision, design, and line of code should carry its context—the "why" behind the "what."

How Context Flows in Buildly Labs
==================================

**Unified Context Layer**

Buildly Labs creates a connected layer across your tools:

.. code-block:: text

   Slack Conversation
        ↓
   Product Decision
        ↓
   Figma Design
        ↓
   Issue/Task in Buildly
        ↓
   Code Commit
        ↓
   Deployed Feature

At every step, context is preserved and accessible.

**1. Chat → Decision Tracking**

When important decisions happen in Slack:

* BabbleBeaver detects decision-making conversations
* Prompts team to capture the decision
* Automatically links to relevant tasks/features
* Makes decisions searchable and traceable

**Example:**

.. code-block:: text

   Slack Thread: "Should we use GraphQL or REST for the new API?"
   
   ↓ BabbleBeaver suggests:
   
   "I detected an architecture decision. Should I:
   - Create a decision record?
   - Link to the API development task?
   - Notify the team leads?"

**2. Design → Implementation**

Figma designs link directly to development tasks:

* Design specs appear in task descriptions
* Developers see latest mockups in context
* Design changes trigger notifications
* Implementation status visible to designers

**Example:**

.. code-block:: text

   Figma Update: "Login screen revised - added social auth buttons"
   
   ↓ Automatically updates:
   
   Task: "Implement login screen"
   - Linked design: ✅ Updated 2 hours ago
   - Dev status: 🟡 In progress
   - Notification sent to: @frontend-team

**3. Code → Knowledge**

Code commits carry context automatically:

* Linked to originating task/feature
* Connected to design decisions
* Tagged with relevant discussions
* Searchable by intent, not just keywords

**Example:**

.. code-block:: text

   Commit: "Implement exponential backoff for API retries"
   
   ↓ Context automatically attached:
   
   - Task: "Improve API reliability"
   - Discussion: Slack thread about timeout issues
   - Decision: "Use exponential backoff pattern"
   - Referenced by: 3 related tasks

Current Context Features
=========================

**Available Now in Buildly Labs:**

**Intelligent Linking**

* Automatic detection of related items across tools
* Bi-directional links between tasks, designs, and code
* Context suggestions as you work
* Smart search across all connected content

**Decision Logs**

* Capture architectural and product decisions
* Link decisions to affected code and features
* Track decision outcomes and impact
* Search historical decisions by topic

**Integration Hub**

Currently integrated:

* ✅ **GitHub/GitLab** - Code and pull requests
* ✅ **Slack** - Team communications
* ✅ **Figma** - Design files and comments
* ✅ **Jira/Linear** - External project management (import)

**Context-Aware Search**

Search by:

* Natural language queries ("Why did we choose MongoDB?")
* Semantic similarity (finds related context)
* Time ranges ("Decisions made last quarter")
* People ("What did Sarah decide about the API?")

**Context Visualization**

* Timeline view of related events
* Dependency graphs showing connections
* Context trails showing decision evolution
* Impact analysis for changes

Practical Benefits
==================

**For Developers**

* **Faster onboarding** - New team members find context quickly
* **Better decisions** - See past reasoning before making changes
* **Less interruption** - Find answers without asking teammates
* **Clearer PRs** - Context flows from task to code automatically

**For Product Managers**

* **Traceability** - Track features from idea to deployment
* **Impact analysis** - Understand ripple effects of changes
* **Status visibility** - See progress without status meetings
* **Decision history** - Reference past choices and outcomes

**For Designers**

* **Implementation tracking** - Know what's been built vs. designed
* **Context awareness** - Understand technical constraints
* **Feedback loops** - See how designs perform in production
* **Handoff clarity** - Specs and context travel together

Context in Action: A User Story
================================

**Traditional Approach:**

.. code-block:: text

   Week 1:
   - PM: Creates ticket "Add dark mode"
   - Designer: Creates Figma mockups
   - Developer: Asks in Slack "Where are the specs?"
   
   Week 2:
   - Developer: Finds old Figma link in chat history
   - Developer: Builds feature based on outdated mockup
   - Designer: "Why didn't you use the new design?"
   
   Week 3:
   - Developer: Rebuilds with correct design
   - QA: "Why does dark mode work this way?"
   - Developer: "I don't remember, let me check..."
   
   Total: 3 weeks, lots of frustration

**RAD Approach with Context:**

.. code-block:: text

   Day 1:
   - PM: Creates feature "Add dark mode" in Buildly
   - Designer: Links Figma file to feature
   - BabbleBeaver: Suggests task breakdown with design context
   
   Day 2:
   - Developer: Opens task, sees current design specs inline
   - Developer: Implements feature with full context
   - Designer: Gets notification when implementation starts
   
   Day 3:
   - QA: Reviews feature, sees design rationale and decisions
   - Developer: Ships feature with context preserved
   - Future developer: Can easily understand the implementation
   
   Total: 3 days, complete context trail

Coming Soon: Enhanced Context Features
=======================================

**🚀 In Development:**

**AI-Powered Context Synthesis**

* Automatic summarization of long discussion threads
* Context suggestions based on code changes
* Proactive linking of related decisions
* Smart context recommendations in PRs

**Video/Meeting Integration**

* Transcription of technical discussions
* Key decision extraction from meetings
* Automatic linking to affected tasks
* Searchable meeting archives

**Code → Documentation Generation**

* Auto-generate docs from code + context
* Update docs when context changes
* Maintain architecture decision records (ADRs)
* Create knowledge base from past decisions

**Context Analytics**

* Identify knowledge gaps in documentation
* Detect missing context for tasks
* Suggest when to capture decisions
* Measure context quality over time

.. note::
   See :doc:`../babblebeaver/coming-soon` for timelines on upcoming context features.

Best Practices for Context Management
======================================

**1. Capture Decisions When They Happen**

Don't wait for documentation sprints:

* Record decisions as they're made
* Include who, what, why, and alternatives considered
* Link to affected code and designs
* Tag for easy discovery later

**2. Connect the Dots**

Always link related items:

* Tasks → Designs
* Code → Decisions
* Discussions → Features
* Bugs → Root cause analysis

**3. Make Context Searchable**

Use consistent:

* Naming conventions
* Tags and labels
* Descriptive titles
* Keywords in descriptions

**4. Review and Refine**

Regularly:

* Update outdated context
* Archive obsolete decisions
* Improve discoverability
* Fill context gaps

The Power of Preserved Context
===============================

When context travels with code:

* **Faster debugging** - Understand why code was written this way
* **Better refactoring** - Know what constraints to respect
* **Informed architecture** - Learn from past decisions
* **Institutional memory** - Survive team turnover
* **Confident changes** - Modify code with full understanding

.. seealso::

   * :doc:`transparency-by-default` - How context enables transparency
   * :doc:`continuous-reflection` - Using context for retrospectives
   * :doc:`../babblebeaver/overview` - AI tools that manage context