starting-a-design-plan

name	starting-a-design-plan
description	Use when beginning any design process - orchestrates gathering context, clarifying requirements, brainstorming solutions, and documenting validated designs to create implementation-ready design documents

Starting a Design Plan

Overview

Orchestrate the complete design workflow from initial idea to implementation-ready documentation through six structured phases: context gathering, clarification, definition of done, brainstorming, design documentation, and planning handoff.

Core principle: Progressive information gathering -> clear understanding -> creative exploration -> validated design -> documented plan.

Announce at start: "I'm using the starting-a-design-plan skill to guide us through the design process."

Quick Reference

Phase	Key Activities	Output
1. Context Gathering	Ask for freeform description, constraints, goals, URLs, files	Initial context bundle
2. Clarification	Invoke asking-clarifying-questions skill	Disambiguated requirements
3. Definition of Done	Synthesize and confirm deliverables before brainstorming	Confirmed success criteria
4. Brainstorming	Invoke brainstorming skill	Validated design (in conversation)
5. Design Documentation	Invoke writing-design-plans skill	Committed design document
6. Planning Handoff	Offer to invoke writing-plans skill	Implementation plan (optional)

The Process

REQUIRED: Create task tracker at start

Use the todowrite tool to create todos for each phase:

• Phase 1: Context Gathering (initial information collected)
• (conditional) Read project design guidance (if .ed3d/design-plan-guidance.md exists)
• Phase 2: Clarification (requirements disambiguated)
• Phase 3: Definition of Done (deliverables confirmed)
• Phase 4: Brainstorming (design validated)
• Phase 5: Design Documentation (design written to docs/design-plans/)
• Phase 6: Planning Handoff (implementation plan offered/created)

Use todowrite to mark each phase as in_progress when working on it, completed when finished.

Phase 1: Context Gathering

Never skip this phase. Even if the user provides detailed information, ask for anything missing.

Use todowrite to mark Phase 1 as in_progress.

Ask the user to provide (freeform, not the question tool):

"I need some information to start the design process. Please provide what you have:

What are you designing?

• High-level description of what you want to build
• Goals or success criteria
• Any known constraints or requirements

Context materials (very helpful if available):

• URLs to relevant documentation, APIs, or examples
• File paths to existing code or specifications in this repository
• Any research you've already done

Project state:

• Are you starting fresh or extending existing functionality?
• Are there existing patterns in the codebase I should follow?
• Any architectural decisions already made?

Share whatever details you have. We'll clarify anything unclear in the next step."

Progressive prompting: If user already provided some of this information, acknowledge what you have and ask only for what's missing.

Example: "You mentioned OAuth2 integration. I have the high-level goal. To help design this effectively, I need:

• Any constraints (regulatory, existing auth system, etc.)
• URLs to the OAuth2 provider's documentation (if you have them)
• Whether this is for human users, service accounts, or both"

Mark Phase 1 as completed when you have initial context.

Between Phase 1 and Phase 2: Check for Project Guidance

Before clarification, check for project-specific design guidance.

Check if .ed3d/design-plan-guidance.md exists:

Use the read tool to check if .ed3d/design-plan-guidance.md exists in the session's working directory.

If the file exists:

1. Use todowrite to add: "Read project design guidance from [absolute path to .ed3d/design-plan-guidance.md]"
   • Place it after Phase 1 (Context Gathering) and before Phase 2 (Clarification) in the todo list — it must happen between them
2. Mark the task in_progress
3. Read the file and incorporate the guidance into your understanding
4. Mark the task completed
5. Proceed to Phase 2

If the file does not exist:

Proceed directly to Phase 2. Do not create a task or mention the missing file.

What project guidance provides:

• Domain-specific terminology to use in clarification
• Architectural constraints or preferences
• Technologies that are required, preferred, or forbidden
• Stakeholders and their priorities
• Project conventions that designs must follow

The guidance informs what questions you ask during clarification.

Phase 2: Clarification

Use todowrite to mark Phase 2 as in_progress.

REQUIRED SUB-SKILL: Use asking-clarifying-questions

Announce: "I'm using the asking-clarifying-questions skill to make sure I understand your requirements correctly."

The clarification skill will:

• Use subagents to try to disambiguate before raising questions to the user
• Disambiguate technical terms ("OAuth2" -> which flow?)
• Identify scope boundaries ("users" -> humans? services? both?)
• Clarify assumptions ("integrate with X" -> which version?)
• Understand constraints ("must use Y" -> why?)

Output: Clear understanding of what user means, ready to confirm Definition of Done.

Mark Phase 2 as completed when requirements are disambiguated.

Phase 3: Definition of Done

Before brainstorming the how, lock in the what. Brainstorming explores texture and approach — it assumes the goal is already clear.

Use todowrite to mark Phase 3 as in_progress.

Synthesize the Definition of Done from context gathered so far:

From Phases 1-2 (Context Gathering and Clarification), you should be able to infer or extract:

• What the deliverables are (what gets built/changed)
• What success looks like (how we know it's done)
• What's explicitly out of scope

If the Definition of Done is clear:

State it back to the user and confirm using the question tool:

Question: "Before we explore approaches, let me confirm what success looks like:"
Options:
  - "Yes, that's right" (Definition of Done is accurate)
  - "Needs adjustment" (User will clarify what's missing or wrong)

Present the Definition of Done as a brief statement (2-4 sentences) covering:

• Primary deliverable(s)
• Success criteria
• Key exclusions (if any were discussed)

If the Definition of Done is unclear:

Ask targeted questions to nail it down. Use the question tool when there are discrete options, or open-ended questions when you need the user to describe their vision.

Examples of clarifying questions:

• "What's the primary deliverable here — is it [X] or [Y]?"
• "How will you know this is done? What would you test or demonstrate?"
• "You mentioned [feature]. Is that in scope for this design, or a future addition?"

Do not proceed to brainstorming until Definition of Done is confirmed.

Create Design Document Immediately After Confirmation

REQUIRED: Once the user confirms the Definition of Done, create the design document file immediately. This captures the DoD at full fidelity before brainstorming begins.

Step 1: Get Design Plan Name

The slug becomes part of all acceptance criteria identifiers (e.g., my-feature.AC1.1) and appears in test names. Ask the user to choose it explicitly.

Generate 2-3 suggested slugs based on the conversation context. Good slugs are:

• Lowercase with hyphens (no spaces, underscores, or special characters)
• Terse but unambiguous — prefer short forms that don't create confusion (e.g., authn not authentication, but not auth since that's ambiguous with authz)
• Recognizable months later

Use the question tool:

Question: "What should we call this design plan? The name becomes the prefix for all acceptance criteria (e.g., `{slug}.AC1.1`) and appears in test names.

If you have a ticketing system, you can use the ticket name (e.g., PROJ-1234)."

Options:
  - "[auto-generated-slug-1]" (e.g., "oauth2-svc-authn")
  - "[auto-generated-slug-2]" (e.g., "svc-authn")
  - "[auto-generated-slug-3]" (if meaningfully different)

If user selects "Other": They can provide any name. Normalize it:

• Ticket names (pattern: UPPERCASE-DIGITS, e.g., PROJ-1234): keep as-is
• Descriptive names: lowercase, hyphens for spaces, strip invalid characters (e.g., "My Cool Feature" → my-cool-feature)

Step 2: Create File

File location: docs/design-plans/YYYY-MM-DD-{slug}.md

Use today's date and the user-chosen slug.

Initial file contents:

# [Feature Name] Design

## Summary
<!-- TO BE GENERATED after body is written -->

## Definition of Done
[The confirmed Definition of Done - copy exactly as confirmed with user]

## Acceptance Criteria
<!-- TO BE GENERATED and validated before glossary -->

## Glossary
<!-- TO BE GENERATED after body is written -->

Why write immediately:

• Captures Definition of Done at peak resolution (right after user confirmation)
• Prevents fidelity loss during brainstorming conversation
• Creates working document that grows incrementally
• Acceptance Criteria, Summary, and Glossary filled in later by writing-design-plans skill

Mark Phase 3 as completed when user confirms the Definition of Done AND the file is created.

Phase 4: Brainstorming

With clear understanding from Phases 1-3, explore design alternatives and validate the approach.

Use todowrite to mark Phase 4 as in_progress.

REQUIRED SUB-SKILL: Use brainstorming

Announce: "I'm using the brainstorming skill to explore design alternatives and validate the approach."

Pass context to brainstorming:

• Information gathered in Phase 1
• Clarifications from Phase 2
• Confirmed Definition of Done from Phase 3
• This reduces Phase 1 of brainstorming (Understanding) since much is already known

The brainstorming skill will:

• Complete any remaining understanding gaps (Phase 1)
• Propose 2-3 architectural approaches (Phase 2)
• Present design incrementally for validation (Phase 3)
• Use research agents for codebase patterns and external knowledge

Output: Validated design held in conversation context.

Mark Phase 4 as completed when design is validated.

Phase 5: Design Documentation

Append the validated design to the document created in Phase 3.

Use todowrite to mark Phase 5 as in_progress.

REQUIRED SUB-SKILL: Use writing-design-plans

Announce: "I'm using the writing-design-plans skill to complete the design document."

Important: The design document already exists from Phase 3 with:

• Title
• Summary placeholder
• Confirmed Definition of Done
• Acceptance Criteria placeholder
• Glossary placeholder

The writing-design-plans skill will:

• Append body sections (Architecture, Existing Patterns, Implementation Phases, Additional Considerations) to the existing file
• Structure with implementation phases (<=8 recommended)
  • DO NOT pad out phases in order to reach the number of 8. 8 is the maximum, not the target.
• Document existing patterns followed
• Generate Acceptance Criteria (success + failure cases for each DoD item), get human validation
• Generate Summary and Glossary to replace placeholders
• Commit to git

Output: Committed design document ready for implementation planning.

Mark Phase 5 as completed when design document is committed.

Phase 6: Planning Handoff

After design is documented, guide user to create implementation plan in fresh context.

Use todowrite to mark Phase 6 as in_progress.

Do NOT create implementation plan directly. The user needs to start a fresh session first.

Announce design completion and provide next steps:

Design complete! Design document committed to `docs/design-plans/[filename]`.

Ready to create the implementation plan? This requires fresh context to work effectively.

**IMPORTANT: Copy the message below BEFORE running /new (it will leave this conversation).**

(1) Copy this message now:

Use the starting-an-implementation-plan skill with the design plan at @docs/design-plans/[full-filename].md

(2) Start a fresh session:

/new

(3) Paste and run the copied message.

The starting-an-implementation-plan skill will create detailed tasks, set up a branch, and prepare for execution.

Why a fresh session instead of continuing:

• Implementation planning needs fresh context for codebase investigation
• Long conversations accumulate context that degrades quality
• A fresh session gives the next phase a clean slate

Mark Phase 6 as completed after providing instructions.

When to Revisit Earlier Phases

You can and should go backward when:

• Phase 2 reveals fundamental gaps -> Return to Phase 1
• Phase 3 reveals unclear deliverables -> Return to Phase 2 for more clarification
• Phase 4 uncovers new constraints -> Return to Phase 1, 2, or 3
• User questions approach during Phase 4 -> Return to Phase 2
• Phase 4 changes the Definition of Done -> Return to Phase 3 to reconfirm
• Design documentation reveals missing details -> Return to Phase 4

Don't force forward linearly when going backward gives better results.

Common Rationalizations - STOP

Excuse	Reality
"User provided details, can skip context gathering"	Always run Phase 1. Ask for what's missing.
"Requirements are clear, skip clarification"	Clarification prevents misunderstandings. Always run Phase 2.
"I know what done looks like, skip confirmation"	Confirm Definition of Done explicitly. Always run Phase 3.
"Simple idea, skip brainstorming"	Brainstorming explores alternatives. Always run Phase 4.
"Design is in conversation, don't need documentation"	Documentation is contract with writing-implementation-plans. Always run Phase 5.
"Can invoke implementation planning directly"	Must start a fresh session first. Provide copy-then-new-session workflow.
"I can combine phases for efficiency"	Each phase has distinct purpose. Run all six.
"User knows what they want, less structure needed"	Structure ensures nothing is missed. Follow all phases.

All of these mean: STOP. Run all six phases in order.

Key Principles

Principle	Application
Never skip brainstorming	Even with detailed specs, always run Phase 4 (may be shorter)
Progressive prompting	Ask for less if user already provided some context
Clarify before ideating	Phase 2 prevents building the wrong thing
Lock in the goal before exploring	Phase 3 confirms what "done" means before brainstorming the how
All brains in skills	This skill orchestrates; sub-skills contain domain expertise
Task tracking	YOU MUST create todos with todowrite and update them for all phases
Flexible progression	Go backward when needed to fill gaps