IntelliManage uses a structured set of artifacts to represent different levels of work, planning, and decision-making within a project. These artifacts are the core building blocks for managing workflows, tracking progress, and maintaining project context.

All primary artifacts are stored as individual TOML+MD files within the designated project directories (.ruru/projects/[project_slug]/) as defined in the File System Structure (01_File_System_Structure.md).

IntelliManage employs a hierarchical structure to break down work and align it with broader goals:

1. 🎯 Initiative (Optional): The highest level, representing a strategic business goal or theme, potentially spanning multiple projects.
2. 🗺️ Epic: A large body of work within a specific project, delivering significant value. Often groups multiple related Features.
3. 🌟 Feature: A distinct piece of user-facing functionality or capability within an Epic.
4. 🛠️ Task / ✨ Story / 🐞 Bug: The primary units of actionable work for the development team, typically sized for completion within an iteration or sprint. They implement Features or fix Bugs.
5. ☑️ Subtask: Granular steps defined within the Markdown checklist of a parent Task/Story/Bug. Not a separate file.

This hierarchy provides traceability from high-level strategy down to individual implementation steps.

• Purpose: Defines a high-level strategic objective.
• Location: .ruru/projects/[project_slug]/initiatives/INIT-ID_description.md
• Key Metadata: id, title, status, type="🎯 Initiative", project_name.
• Links: Can be linked from Epics (via initiative_id in Epic TOML).

• Purpose: Represents a significant chunk of work within a project, often spanning multiple sprints/iterations. Groups related Features.
• Location: .ruru/projects/[project_slug]/epics/EPIC-ID_description.md
• Key Metadata: id, title, status, type="🗺️ Epic", project_name, initiative_id (optional).
• Links: Linked from Features (via epic_id in Feature TOML). May link to an Initiative.

• Purpose: Defines a specific user-facing capability or functionality. Groups related Tasks/Stories/Bugs.
• Location: .ruru/projects/[project_slug]/features/FEAT-ID_description.md
• Key Metadata: id, title, status, type="🌟 Feature", project_name, epic_id (Required).
• Links: Linked from Tasks/Stories/Bugs (via feature_id). Links to an Epic.

• Purpose: Represents the day-to-day work items:
  • Task: A specific technical action needed.
  • Story: A user-centric requirement (e.g., "As a user, I want to...").
  • Bug: A defect or issue to be fixed.
• Location: .ruru/projects/[project_slug]/tasks/TYPE-ID_description.md (e.g., TASK-101_..., BUG-005_...)
• Key Metadata: id, title, status, type (Required: Task, Story, Bug, etc.), project_name, feature_id (Required). Optional: priority, assigned_to, estimated_effort, sprint_id, depends_on, related_commits, related_prs, related_issues.
• Links: Links to a Feature (Required). Can depend on other Tasks/Bugs.
• Subtasks: Defined within the Markdown body using checklists (- [ ] ...).

• Purpose: Represents a small, granular step needed to complete a parent Task/Story/Bug.
• Location: Defined as a checklist item (- [ ] or - [x]) within the Markdown body of the parent artifact file.
• Characteristics: Does not have its own file or TOML metadata. Status is binary (checked/unchecked).

• Purpose: Records significant architectural or technical decisions, their context, and consequences.
• Location: .ruru/projects/[project_slug]/decisions/ADR-NNN_description.md
• Format: Follows the standard ADR template (See .ruru/templates/toml-md/07_adr.md).

• Purpose: Store supporting project information like reports, high-level plans, or project-specific AI context.
• Location: .ruru/projects/[project_slug]/reports/, /planning/, /context/.
• Format: Typically TOML+MD, using appropriate templates (e.g., 09_documentation.md, 12_postmortem.md).

While the artifact hierarchy is consistent, how these artifacts are used and transitioned depends on the project's chosen methodology (project_config.toml):

• Scrum: Epics/Features form the Product Backlog. Stories/Tasks/Bugs are selected for Sprints (using sprint_id). Status transitions follow typical sprint phases.
• Kanban: Focus is on the flow of Tasks/Stories/Bugs through defined status columns. Epics/Features provide higher-level grouping.
• Custom: Workflow follows the custom_statuses defined in the configuration.

The IntelliManage artifact system provides a structured yet flexible way to represent project work. Understanding the hierarchy (Initiative > Epic > Feature > Task/Story/Bug > Subtask), the purpose of each artifact type, and their storage location within the .ruru/projects/ directory is essential for effective project management using Roo Commander and IntelliManage.