| name | plan-lifecycle |
| description | Planning document lifecycle management. Use when implementing features from plans, updating planning document status, moving completed plans, or managing cross-references between plans. |
Plan Lifecycle Management
Standards for managing planning documents through their lifecycle.
Document Lifecycle
Upcoming → Current → Completed
Status Transitions
- Upcoming → Current: When implementation begins
- Current → Completed: When ALL phases and acceptance criteria are met
File Locations
| Status | Location |
|---|
| Upcoming | documentation/planning/upcoming/ |
| Current | documentation/planning/current/ |
| Completed | documentation/planning/completed/ |
During Implementation
Update planning documents continuously:
Mark Completed Actions
- [x] ✅ Create user model - Commit: abc123f
- [x] ✅ Add API endpoints - Commit: def456a
- [ ] Implement frontend form
Record Discoveries
- Dependencies discovered during implementation
- Architectural decisions made
- Scope adjustments with rationale
- Timeline changes
Add Implementation Notes
**Implementation Notes**:
- Chose Passport.js for OAuth due to security maintenance
- Added Redis caching for session performance
- See `documentation/technical/auth/` for patterns
Completion Workflow
When all phases complete:
1. Verify Completion
2. Add Completion Summary
## Completion Summary
**Completed**: [Date]
**Final Commit**: [hash]
### Results
- [Key outcomes and deliverables]
### Lessons Learned
- [Insights for future work]
### Follow-up Tasks
- [Any identified follow-up work]
3. Update Status
Change the Status field:
**Status**: Completed <!-- was: Current -->
4. Move File
mv documentation/planning/current/[plan].md \
documentation/planning/completed/[plan].md
5. Update Cross-References
Check other planning documents that reference this plan:
- Update links to new location
- Update status references
6. Final Commit
Commit must include:
- Planning document with completion summary
- File move to completed folder
- Any cross-reference updates
git add documentation/planning/
git commit -m "docs: complete [feature] implementation - move plan to completed"
Progress Tracking Template
## Implementation Progress
### Phase 1: [Name]
**Status**: ✅ Complete | 🔄 In Progress | ⏳ Pending
**Started**: [Date]
**Completed**: [Date]
**Actions**:
- [x] ✅ Action 1 - [Notes]
- [x] ✅ Action 2 - [Notes]
- [ ] Action 3
### Phase 2: [Name]
**Status**: ⏳ Pending
...
Quality Gates Before Completion
Before marking any phase complete:
Before marking plan complete:
Anti-Patterns
- Forgetting to update status: Always update Status field
- Leaving stale cross-references: Check other plans for references
- Missing completion summary: Required for knowledge capture
- Incomplete moves: File must actually move to completed/
- Skipping final commit: Changes must be committed
Files Reference
documentation/planning/current/ - Active plansdocumentation/planning/completed/ - Finished plansdocumentation/planning/upcoming/ - Future plansdocumentation/workflow/planning-template.md - Plan template
