plan-tasks

name	plan-tasks
description	Create an implementation task plan with status tracking and dependency graph from a design document.
metadata	{"author":"cascadian-gamers","version":"1.0"}

Plan Tasks

Create an implementation task plan with status tracking and dependency graph from a design document.

Mode

• interactive (default): Full standalone workflow. Reads from Docs/designs/, saves to Docs/In-Progress/{feature-name}-tasks.md.
• spec: Called by create-spec. Reads the full unified spec, produces the ## 4. Task Plan section in the same file.

Input

Interactive mode: Optional path to design document. Defaults to most recent file in Docs/designs/ ending in -lld.md, falling back to -hld.md. Spec mode: The unified spec passed by the orchestrator (reads sections 1-3 for context).

Process

Phase 1: Read the Design

1. Read the design document.
2. Identify classes/modules to implement, dependencies between them, external dependencies, and file structure.

Phase 2: Define Tasks

Break implementation into tasks following these principles:

• One to two files per task — keeps reviews manageable
• Bootstrap first — project setup before code
• Bottom-up order — implement dependencies before dependents
• Tests with implementation — each task includes tests when applicable

For each task, define:

• Task number — hierarchical (1.1, 1.2, 2.1) grouped by layer/phase
• Description — brief summary
• Objective — what this task accomplishes
• Files — the files to create/modify (1-2 max)
• Instructions — specific implementation details
• Definition of Done — how to verify (build passes, test passes, endpoint responds)
• Estimated effort — Small / Medium / Large

Phase 3: Build Dependency Graph

• Determine prerequisites for each task
• Identify parallel tracks (tasks with no dependencies between them)
• Group into execution waves

Phase 4: Write Plan Files

Create Docs/In-Progress/{feature-name}-tasks.md (interactive mode) or append the ## 4. Task Plan section to the unified spec (spec mode):

# Task Plan: {Feature Name}

## Progress Summary
- Total Tasks: X
- Completed: 0
- In Progress: 0
- Not Started: X

## Task Status

| Task | Description | Prerequisites | Status |
|------|-------------|---------------|--------|
| 1.1  | Description | None          | [ ]    |
| 1.2  | Description | 1.1           | [ ]    |

## Eligible Tasks
Tasks ready to start (prerequisites complete):
- **1.1** — Description

## Dependency Graph

```mermaid
graph TD
    T1[Task 1.1] --> T3[Task 2.1]
    T2[Task 1.2] --> T3

Detailed Task Definitions

Task 1.1: {Title}

Objective: What this accomplishes. Files: path/to/file.cs Prerequisites: None Instructions:

• Step by step implementation details Definition of Done:
• Build passes
• Specific verification criteria Effort: Small

5. Present the plan to the user for review before saving.

## Rules

- Tasks must be completable in a single context window — if in doubt, split.
- Every task must have a verifiable Definition of Done.
- Match the format used in existing Phase specs in `Docs/In-Progress/`.
- Refer to the user as "The Brougham 22".