| name | change-request |
| model | sonnet |
| description | Add a new requirement or reorder epics by WSJF against specs/release-plan.yaml and epic capsule directories. Modes Add and Reorder. Use when a new requirement arrives mid-release or the plan needs prioritization. |
story: e45s29
story: e20s01
Change Request
HARD GATE — specs/release-plan.yaml must exist before running either mode. If it doesn't, run plan-release first.
→ verify: [ -f specs/release-plan.yaml ] && echo "ready" || echo "BLOCKED: run plan-release first"
Two modes. State which one you want or the skill will ask.
Mode A — Add
Intake a new requirement mid-flight without disrupting work in progress.
- Capture: What is the change? What problem does it solve?
- Locate: Which existing stories in
specs/epics/ does it affect or replace?
- Draft: Add story +
tasks[] with Gherkin-style AC in epic YAML (each task has verify). Tag requirement deltas: ADDED / MODIFIED / REMOVED / RENAMED with before/after for non-ADDED changes (e45s29).
- Place: Append story under existing epic capsule, or create
specs/epics/eNN-slug.yaml and register in release-plan.yaml epics[].
- Score: Compute WSJF; note if it outranks in-progress work.
→ verify: grep -c 'stories:' specs/epics/*/epic.yaml
Mode B — Reorder
Value-engineering pass over the full release using WSJF.
See REFERENCE.md for the full WSJF scoring rubric.
- Score each epic/story: BV + TC + RR / Job Size.
- Re-sort
release-plan.yaml epics[] and per-epic wsjf fields.
- Flag cut candidates: WSJF < 1.5.
- Update
specs/release-plan.yaml and epic wsjf keys with rationale.
- Report the delta.
→ verify: grep -c 'wsjf' specs/release-plan.yaml specs/epics/*/epic.yaml
Conversational Mode
If the user's request is in natural language and does not match the structured format of Mode A or Mode B, enter Conversational Mode to extract the change parameters through interactive dialogue.
5-Step Flow
- Capture: Parse the natural-language request for what, why, and where. Ask at most 3 clarifying questions before drafting.
- Locate: Identify which epic or capability in
specs/epics/ the request affects or replaces.
- Draft: Present a structured draft of the proposed story and tasks for user confirmation.
- Score: Estimate the WSJF score and explain the calculation so the user understands the priority.
- Place: Confirm the final epic placement with the user before writing files.
After either mode
Run bash scripts/sync-status-from-epics.sh. Suggest plan-work or build-epic for the top-ranked unstarted story.
WSJF Scoring Reference
Weighted Shortest Job First: WSJF = (Business Value + Time Criticality + Risk Reduction) / Job Size
All dimensions scored 1–10 using a Fibonacci-like scale: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 10.
Business Value
| Score | Meaning |
|---|
| 10 | Core revenue path, legal requirement, blocking launch |
| 8 | Significant user value, major pain point removed |
| 5 | Notable improvement, medium user segment affected |
| 3 | Nice-to-have, minor convenience |
| 1 | Cosmetic or speculative |
Time Criticality
| Score | Meaning |
|---|
| 10 | Hard deadline (regulatory, contract, launch date) |
| 8 | Competitive window closing, partner dependency |
| 5 | Would delay next milestone if deferred |
| 3 | Flexible, can slip one sprint |
| 1 | No urgency |
Risk Reduction (or Opportunity Enablement)
| Score | Meaning |
|---|
| 10 | Eliminates critical architectural risk or enables a new capability |
| 8 | Reduces a known failure mode or unblocks high-value work |
| 5 | Moderate risk mitigation or enablement |
| 3 | Low risk reduction |
| 1 | No risk relevance |
Job Size (effort denominator — larger = lower WSJF)
| Score | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Hours |
| 2 | 1 day |
| 3 | 2–3 days |
| 5 | 1 week |
| 8 | 2 weeks |
| 10 | 1 month+ |
Cut threshold
Stories with WSJF < 1.5 are cut candidates: high effort, low combined value.
Example
Story: "Add OAuth login"
- Business Value: 8 (removes major sign-up friction)
- Time Criticality: 5 (Q3 launch nice, not hard)
- Risk Reduction: 3 (minor security improvement)
- Job Size: 5 (one week)
WSJF = (8 + 5 + 3) / 5 = 3.2 — healthy, implement early.