pdd-schedule

name

pdd-schedule

description

Use this skill to build a project schedule (a dated Gantt) that matches the ETR/Infinum Project Schedule tab. It takes any project information — deliverables, phases, and existing timelines from the SOW — and lays out phases and tasks across a week/day calendar, with each phase a different colour and heading, and milestones for delivery dates and client-feedback due dates. It always previews the schedule in chat for adjustments before building the spreadsheet. Triggers whenever a user wants to: create a project schedule or timeline, lay out a Gantt chart, schedule deliverables and milestones, or turn an SOW timeline into a schedule. Also trigger when the user says "schedule", "timeline", "project schedule", "gantt", or "lay out the phases" — even if they don't call it a skill. Output is an `.xlsx`. Cowork-ready.

PDD Schedule

Before you start: Read ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/instructions.md and follow its PDD persona and ways of working. The output reproduces the ETR/Infinum Project Schedule tab exactly (it's built by copying the bundled template), so its fonts and colours are already on-brand — don't re-apply the generic document styling.

Builds a Project Schedule — a dated Gantt of phases, tasks and milestones — in the exact style of the ETR/Infinum Project Schedule tab. It's built from the bundled template (assets/schedule-template.xlsx), so the week/day header, fonts and grid match. Read references/schedule-structure.md for the layout, colours, and config shape.

Needs openpyxl (pip install openpyxl --break-system-packages). Runs locally; nothing is written to any connected drive.

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Phase 0 — Gather project information

Scan the conversation and any project materials first — SOW, deliverables list, existing timeline, the estimate's phases, kickoff/start date, holidays, dependencies. To build a schedule you need:

Item	Why it matters
Start date	Anchors the calendar (use the kickoff; a Monday lines weeks up cleanly).
Phases	The colour-coded sections (e.g. Discovery, UX, Visual Design, Development).
Deliverables & tasks	The rows under each phase, with durations or dates.
SOW timeline / dates	Any fixed dates, durations, or milestones already committed.
Review cadence	How long client feedback windows are (to place feedback-due milestones).

Use what's there; ask for what's missing (at minimum the start date and the deliverables/phases). Don't invent committed dates — derive them from the SOW/estimate, or ask (Simplicity Takes Work).

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Phase 1 — Draft the schedule

Lay the work out as phases → tasks, sequenced from the start date:

• Give each phase its own colour and heading (Discovery, UX, Visual Design, Development, …).
• For every deliverable, include the work task plus two milestones: the delivery date and the matching client-feedback-due date (mark both milestone: true). Reviews and approvals are easy to forget — make them explicit.
• Account for dependencies, holidays, and realistic durations.

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Phase 2 — Preview in chat and confirm (required)

Always show the schedule in the conversation before building the spreadsheet. Present it as a compact table grouped by phase, e.g.:

Phase	#	Task / Milestone	Start	End	Milestone
Discovery	1.0	Discovery kickoff	7/8	7/8	◆
Discovery	1.1	Stakeholder interviews	7/9	7/20
Discovery	1.2	Discovery readout (delivery)	7/24	7/24	◆
Discovery	1.3	Client feedback due	7/29	7/29	◆

Note the overall duration and end date. Then ask:

Here's the draft schedule. Want to adjust anything — dates, durations, phase breakdown, or the delivery/feedback milestones — before I build the spreadsheet?

Wait for approval or edits. Revise and re-show if needed. Only build once the user confirms.

---

Phase 3 — Build the spreadsheet

1. Ensure openpyxl: pip install openpyxl --break-system-packages -q
2. Write the approved plan to config.json (title, start, phases with tasks; set milestone: true on delivery and feedback-due dates — see references/schedule-structure.md).
3. Run the build script (uses the bundled template automatically):

   python3 "<this skill dir>/scripts/build_schedule.py" --config config.json --output "Project Schedule - [Project].xlsx"
   

   It keeps only the Project Schedule sheet, regenerates the week/day/date header from the start date, writes the colour-coded phases, tasks and milestones, and shades each task's Gantt bar.

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Phase 4 — Deliver

Present the .xlsx with present_files and include this starting-point note:

A note on this schedule: These dates are a working plan based on the SOW and what you shared — confirm them against the team's capacity and the client's review turnaround before committing. Milestones (deliveries and feedback-due dates) are best-effort; adjust as the timeline firms up. Per Keep It Human, this is a shared starting point to review and refine together with the team — not a finished, committed schedule.

Then offer to adjust dates/phases or regenerate after changes.

---

Quality checklist

• Dates come from the SOW/estimate or the user — none invented.
• Each phase has a heading and a distinct colour.
• Every deliverable has a delivery milestone and a client-feedback-due milestone.
• The draft was previewed in chat and approved before the spreadsheet was built.
• Gantt bars line up with each task's date range; the file opens cleanly.

Fallback

If the bundled template is missing, ask the user for the Project Schedule template (a local .xlsx) and pass it with --template. Install openpyxl if it isn't available.

Files in this skill

Path	Purpose
SKILL.md	This workflow
assets/schedule-template.xlsx	Bundled template (exact Project Schedule styling)
scripts/build_schedule.py	Keeps the schedule sheet, regenerates the Gantt from config
references/schedule-structure.md	Layout, colours, milestone convention, config shape