C.O.D.E.S. Collaboration Model

The C.O.D.E.S. model structures AI-assisted development into clear phases, ensuring that human judgment guides the process while AI accelerates execution.

The Five Phases

C — Clarify

Define what you're building before touching code.

Activities:

• Understand the problem fully
• Gather requirements
• Identify constraints
• Define success criteria

AI's role: Help explore the problem space, ask clarifying questions

O — Outline

Plan the approach before implementation.

Activities:

• Break down into components
• Choose patterns and architecture
• Identify dependencies
• Sequence the work

AI's role: Suggest approaches, discuss trade-offs, create technical outlines

D — Develop

Build the solution iteratively.

Activities:

• Write code with AI assistance
• Implement features incrementally
• Integrate components
• Handle edge cases

AI's role: Generate code, suggest implementations, handle boilerplate

E — Evaluate

Verify the solution works correctly.

Activities:

• Test functionality
• Review code quality
• Check requirements are met
• Identify improvements

AI's role: Generate tests, review code, suggest optimizations

S — Ship

Deploy with confidence.

Activities:

• Final review
• Documentation
• Deployment
• Monitoring setup

AI's role: Generate docs, create deployment scripts, review for production readiness

Why Structure Matters

Without a model, AI collaboration can become chaotic — jumping into code before understanding requirements, or over-engineering before validating the approach. C.O.D.E.S. keeps the process grounded.