matt-pocock

name	matt-pocock
description	Routes software work through Matt Pocock planning and execution philosophy. Use when the user mentions Matt Pocock, PRD-first planning, PRD-to-issues decomposition, vertical slices, Ralph loop, behavior-first TDD, interface options, or refactor planning.

Matt Pocock Workflow Router

Use this as a meta-skill that classifies work, routes to the right downstream skills, and enforces planning-before-execution.

Core Flow

idea -> write-a-prd -> prd-to-issues -> execute vertical slices -> manual QA

Do not skip required artifacts. If required artifact is missing, route backward to generate it.

Routing Table

Situation	Route
New feature, unclear scope, ambiguous requirements	write-a-prd
PRD exists but implementation tasks are not decomposed	prd-to-issues
Bugfix or behavior change needs confidence	tdd
High-impact API/UI contract or unclear interface	design-an-interface
Multi-file risky refactor	request-refactor-plan
Commit safety / branch hygiene needed	git-guardrails-claude-code

Guardrails

1. Do not execute medium/large implementation work without clear acceptance criteria.
2. Prefer vertical slices over horizontal layer-by-layer execution.
3. Require dependency mapping when multiple issues/agents are involved.
4. Require behavior-first test evidence for bugfixes and non-trivial changes.
5. Keep artifacts concise and machine-operable.

Handoff Contract

Each routing hop should output explicit artifacts:

• write-a-prd -> prd.md with scope, stories, constraints, acceptance criteria.
• prd-to-issues -> issue list with dependencies, owners/agents, and slice boundaries.
• tdd -> failing test intent, implementation notes, passing evidence.
• design-an-interface -> compared options, chosen design, tradeoff rationale.
• request-refactor-plan -> invariants, sequence, rollback points, verification steps.

Reading Order

1. references/workflow-philosophy.md
2. references/skill-graph.md
3. references/planning-execution-loop.md
4. references/vertical-slice-playbook.md
5. references/trw-adaptation-notes.md

Anti-Patterns

• Starting implementation before artifact readiness
• Creating oversized, ambiguous tasks
• Horizontal-only execution (db -> api -> ui) with late integration
• Duplicate doctrine across files instead of linking references

In This Reference

• references/workflow-philosophy.md - principles and decision heuristics
• references/skill-graph.md - routing DAG and branch rules
• references/planning-execution-loop.md - end-to-end operating loop
• references/vertical-slice-playbook.md - slice design and quality checks
• references/trw-adaptation-notes.md - how to apply this in TRW