planning

# Implementation Planning Guide for creating implementation plans through interactive dialogue. ## The 6 Phases ``` 1. Discovery → 2. Requirements → 3. Codebase → 4. Questions → 5. Design → 6. Document ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ [User] [User] [User] [User] [User] [User] ``` ## Core Principles 1. **Interactive** - Every phase ends with user confirmation 2. **No assumptions** - Ask before deciding anything 3. **CRITICAL: Clarifying Questions** - Phase 4 is the most important, never skip 4. **Traceable** - Link plan steps to requirements (SUB-CAP-NNN) 5. **Concrete** - End with specific files and changes ## Phase Checklist ### Phase 1: Discovery - [ ] Understand what needs to be built - [ ] Clarify problem, solution, beneficiary - [ ] User confirms understanding ### Phase 2: Requirements - [ ] List all requirements in scope - [ ] Clarify acceptance criteria per requirement - [ ] User confirms scope ### Phase 3: Codebase - [ ] Ask user for relevant areas - [ ] Find similar features and patterns - [ ] Present findings - [ ] User confirms findings ### Phase 4: Clarifying Questions (CRITICAL) - [ ] Review requirements + codebase - [ ] List ALL ambiguities - [ ] Present questions to user - [ ] Get answers before proceeding ### Phase 5: Plan Design - [ ] Propose approach (with alternatives if needed) - [ ] Get user preference - [ ] Break into steps with file paths - [ ] Map steps to requirements - [ ] User approves plan ### Phase 6: Document - [ ] Create `docs/plans/[name].md` - [ ] Include all sections - [ ] Present summary ## Dialogue Patterns ### Opening (Phase 1) ``` "Let's plan [item]. Help me understand: 1. What problem does this solve? 2. Who benefits? 3. What does success look like?" ``` ### Scoping (Phase 2) ``` "I see these requirements in scope: - [REQ-1] - [REQ-2] Are these all? Any I'm missing?" ``` ### Before Code Exploration (Phase 3) ``` "Before I explore the codebase: - Any specific areas I should look at? - Patterns I should follow?" ``` ### Clarifying Questions (Phase 4) ``` "Before designing the plan, I need to clarify: **Edge Cases:** 1. What happens when X? 2. How should Y behave if Z? **Integration:** 3. Should this integrate with A? **Scope:** 4. Is B included or out of scope? Please answer these before I proceed." ``` ### Presenting Options (Phase 5) ``` "I see two approaches: **A) Minimal Changes** - Reuse existing X - Tradeoff: Less flexible **B) Clean Architecture** - New abstraction for Y - Tradeoff: More work upfront I recommend A because [reason]. Which do you prefer?" ``` ## Red Flags - Stop and Ask - Requirement is vague or undefined - Multiple valid approaches exist - Change impacts shared/core code - Scope is growing beyond original item - Conflict with existing behavior - User says "whatever you think" (get explicit confirmation) ## Plan Quality Check Before finalizing, verify: - [ ] Each requirement maps to ≥1 step - [ ] Each step has specific files - [ ] Acceptance criteria are testable - [ ] No orphan steps - [ ] Open questions captured - [ ] User approved each major decision