ddd-strategic-design
Design DDD strategic artifacts including subdomains, bounded contexts, and ubiquitous language for complex business domains.
About this skill
This skill empowers AI agents to perform strategic Domain-Driven Design (DDD), a crucial methodology for managing complexity in large-scale software development. It guides the agent through the process of identifying, defining, and structuring core DDD artifacts. The agent will assist in delineating subdomains (core, supporting, generic), establishing clear bounded contexts to manage domain complexity and team alignment, and collaboratively building a ubiquitous language with domain experts. This process is essential for architectural clarity, efficient team organization, and ensuring a shared understanding of the business domain across development teams, ultimately leading to more robust and maintainable software systems.
Best use case
Defining architectural boundaries for new or existing systems, refactoring monolithic applications into microservices, aligning software development teams with specific domain responsibilities, and fostering a common understanding of business concepts among stakeholders.
Design DDD strategic artifacts including subdomains, bounded contexts, and ubiquitous language for complex business domains.
Clearly defined subdomains (core, supporting, generic), precise bounded contexts with identified responsibilities and boundaries, a well-documented ubiquitous language agreed upon by domain experts and developers, and improved architectural clarity that facilitates team alignment and effective software development.
Practical example
Example input
Agent: `Use the ddd-strategic-design skill to analyze the 'Healthcare Patient Management' business domain. Focus on identifying potential subdomains for patient admissions, medical record keeping, and billing. Suggest initial bounded contexts and a ubiquitous language for these areas, considering a hospital environment.`
Example output
Skill: `Based on the 'Healthcare Patient Management' domain for a hospital, here's a proposed strategic design:` `- **Subdomains:** `- Core: Patient Diagnosis & Treatment, Medical Records Management` `- Supporting: Patient Admissions, Billing & Insurance, Pharmacy Services` `- Generic: Staff Scheduling, Facility Management` `- **Bounded Contexts:** `- **AdmissionContext:** Manages patient registration, bed assignment, initial assessment. Ubiquitous Language: Patient, Admission, Ward, Room, Encounter Type.` `- **MedicalRecordContext:** Handles clinical data, diagnoses, prescriptions, treatment plans. Ubiquitous Language: Medical Record, Diagnosis, Treatment, Prescription, Symptom.` `- **BillingContext:** Manages charges, insurance claims, patient payments. Ubiquitous Language: Invoice, Claim, Payer, Service Code, Co-pay.` `- **Ubiquitous Language (Cross-Domain):** Doctor, Nurse, Patient ID, Appointment, Department.`
When to use this skill
- When initiating a new software project, re-architecting an existing system, encountering significant domain complexity, or needing to improve communication and alignment between business and development teams regarding a software's purpose and structure.
When not to use this skill
- When the system's domain model is already mature and well-defined, the primary need is for low-level tactical coding patterns, or the task is focused solely on infrastructure or user interface development without significant domain modeling implications.
Installation
Claude Code / Cursor / Codex
Manual Installation
- Download SKILL.md from GitHub
- Place it in
.claude/skills/ddd-strategic-design/SKILL.mdinside your project - Restart your AI agent — it will auto-discover the skill
How ddd-strategic-design Compares
| Feature / Agent | ddd-strategic-design | Standard Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Platform Support | Claude | Limited / Varies |
| Context Awareness | High | Baseline |
| Installation Complexity | medium | N/A |
Frequently Asked Questions
What does this skill do?
Design DDD strategic artifacts including subdomains, bounded contexts, and ubiquitous language for complex business domains.
Which AI agents support this skill?
This skill is designed for Claude.
How difficult is it to install?
The installation complexity is rated as medium. You can find the installation instructions above.
Where can I find the source code?
You can find the source code on GitHub using the link provided at the top of the page.
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SKILL.md Source
# DDD Strategic Design ## Use this skill when - Defining core, supporting, and generic subdomains. - Splitting a monolith or service landscape by domain boundaries. - Aligning teams and ownership with bounded contexts. - Building a shared ubiquitous language with domain experts. ## Do not use this skill when - The domain model is stable and already well bounded. - You need tactical code patterns only. - The task is purely infrastructure or UI oriented. ## Instructions 1. Extract domain capabilities and classify subdomains. 2. Define bounded contexts around consistency and ownership. 3. Establish a ubiquitous language glossary and anti-terms. 4. Capture context boundaries in ADRs before implementation. If detailed templates are needed, open `references/strategic-design-template.md`. ## Required artifacts - Subdomain classification table - Bounded context catalog - Glossary with canonical terms - Boundary decisions with rationale ## Examples ```text Use @ddd-strategic-design to map our commerce domain into bounded contexts, classify subdomains, and propose team ownership. ``` ## Limitations - This skill does not produce executable code. - It cannot infer business truth without stakeholder input. - It should be followed by tactical design before implementation.
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