| name | impl-plan |
| description | Use when creating execution plans from design documents. Provides plan structure, status tracking, dependencies, and progress logging guidelines for investigation or implementation work. |
| allowed-tools | Read, Write, Glob, Grep |
Execution Plan Skill
This skill provides guidelines for creating and managing execution plans from design documents.
When to Apply
Apply this skill when:
- Translating design documents into actionable work plans
- Planning multi-session investigation or implementation work
- Breaking down large efforts into parallelizable workstreams
- Tracking progress across sessions
Purpose
Execution plans bridge the gap between design documents and actual work. They provide:
- Clear deliverables with file paths or artifact targets
- Simple status tracking tables
- Checklist-based completion criteria
- Progress tracking across sessions
Plan Granularity
Execution plans and spec files do not need 1:1 mapping.
| Mapping | When to Use |
|---|
| 1:N | Large specs should be split into smaller, focused plans |
| N:1 | Closely related specs can be combined into one plan |
| 1:1 | Small, well-bounded work |
Recommended granularity:
- Each plan should be completable in 1-3 sessions
- Each plan should have 3-10 workstreams
- Keep parallelizable work clearly separated
File Size Limits
Large plan files can make agent execution brittle
and hard to review.
| Metric | Limit |
|---|
| Line count | MAX 1000 lines |
| Workstreams per plan | MAX 8 |
| Tasks per plan | MAX 10 |
If a plan grows beyond these limits, split it by phase or topic. Keep plans readable while allowing realistic implementation detail.
Output Location
All plans must live under impl-plans/:
impl-plans/
├── README.md
├── active/
├── completed/
└── templates/
Execution Plan Structure
Each plan must include:
- Header with status, design reference, and dates
- Design reference summary and scope boundaries
- Workstreams with deliverables, validation, and checklists
- Status table
- Dependencies
- Completion criteria
- Progress log
Workstream Format
Use a structure like:
### 1. Source Inventory
**Deliverables**:
- `design-docs/references/README.md`
- `design-docs/specs/notes.md`
**Status**: NOT_STARTED
**Validation**:
- At least one primary source linked
- Scope boundaries written down
**Checklist**:
- [ ] Collect inputs
- [ ] Produce deliverables
- [ ] Validate outputs
- [ ] Record open questions
Status Table
Use a compact overview:
| Workstream | Deliverables | Status | Validation |
|------------|--------------|--------|------------|
| Source Inventory | `design-docs/references/README.md` | NOT_STARTED | Pending |
| Evidence Review | `design-docs/specs/notes.md` | NOT_STARTED | Pending |
Completion Criteria
Use actionable checklist items such as:
- [ ] All planned workstreams completed
- [ ] Validation steps completed
- [ ] Open issues documented
- [ ] Follow-up actions captured
Writing Guidelines
- Prefer deliverables and validation over low-level detail
- Keep plans outcome-focused
- Use concrete file paths when possible
- Record blockers explicitly
- Avoid large copied source snippets unless needed for scope clarification
Progress Log
Track session-by-session work:
### Session: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM
**Tasks Completed**: Added source inventory and initial findings
**Tasks In Progress**: Evidence review and gap analysis
**Blockers**: Need clarification on source scope
**Notes**: Key decisions made this session
Quick Checklist
Before finalizing a plan, verify: