planning

name

planning

description

Generate and optimize PRDs, Implementation Plans, and Progress Tracking documents optimized as AI artifacts for development agents. Use when creating new feature plans, breaking down long planning docs (>800 lines), or setting up progress tracking. Supports: 1) Create PRD from feature request, 2) Create Implementation Plan from PRD with phase breakdown and subagent assignments, 3) Optimize existing plans by breaking into phase-specific files, 4) Create progress tracking with task assignments. Example: "Create a PRD for user authentication feature" or "Break down the sidebar-polish implementation plan into phase files" or "Create progress tracking for data-layer-fixes PRD".

Planning Skill

About This Skill

The Planning Skill generates and optimizes Product Requirements Documents (PRDs) and Implementation Plans as AI artifacts - file-based context caches optimized for AI agent consumption rather than human reading.

Purpose

• Generate comprehensive PRDs from feature requests following MP template
• Create phased Implementation Plans with subagent task assignments
• Optimize existing planning docs by breaking into token-efficient files
• Set up progress tracking structures for multi-phase implementations

Key Benefits

• Token Efficiency: Max ~800 lines per file for optimal AI context loading
• Progressive Disclosure: Summary → Detail pattern with linked files
• Subagent Integration: Automatic task assignment to appropriate specialists
• MP Architecture Compliance: Plans follow layered architecture (routers → services → repositories → DB)
• Structured Tracking: One progress file per phase following AGENTS.md policy

Token Discipline (Mandatory for Orchestrators)

Opus must NOT read source documents that subagents will also read. Provide file paths in delegation prompts instead.

What to Delegate	Agent	Prompt Size Target
OQ assessment	haiku (general)	10-15 lines
PRD creation	prd-writer (sonnet)	30-50 lines
Implementation plan	implementation-planner (sonnet)	40-60 lines
Progress files	python-backend-engineer (sonnet)	20-30 lines

What Opus reads directly: Tracker entries (~5 lines), meta-plan rows (~5 lines), frontmatter for edits (~15 lines). Nothing else.

Anti-patterns with measured cost: See docs/project_plans/AGENTS.md for the full anti-pattern table with token costs. Key rule: reading a SPIKE as Opus to inform a prd-writer prompt costs ~7K tokens; delegating OQ assessment to haiku costs ~1.2K (6x cheaper).

Agent Consumption Rule

Agents invoked for implementation, review, or execution MUST NOT load docs/project_plans/human-briefs/ files unless the task prompt explicitly names the brief.

• The audience: [humans] frontmatter field is the machine-readable skip signal.
• Briefs contain orchestrator-level rationale (estimation narrative, wave strategy, open-question inventory). This content is irrelevant to executing subagents and burns context budget without improving output quality.
• Exception: An agent may be explicitly asked to populate an initial brief skeleton or append a note to the Running Log. In both cases, the task prompt must name the brief file explicitly.
• Spec reference: .Codex/specs/artifact-structures/human-brief-spec.md §5.

When to Use This Skill

• Creating PRDs for new features or enhancements
• Generating detailed implementation plans from PRDs
• Breaking down long planning documents (>800 lines) into manageable files
• Setting up progress tracking for multi-phase work
• Optimizing existing plans for better AI agent consumption
• Generating Planning Review Boards to visualize all planning artifacts for a feature

Quick Start

Create PRD from Feature Request

# User provides feature description
User: "Create a PRD for advanced filtering on the prompts page"

# Skill generates PRD at:
# docs/project_plans/PRDs/[category]/advanced-filtering-v1.md

Create Implementation Plan from PRD

# Provide PRD path
User: "Create implementation plan for docs/project_plans/PRDs/harden-polish/advanced-filtering-v1.md"

# Skill generates:
# - Main plan: docs/project_plans/implementation_plans/harden-polish/advanced-filtering-v1.md
# - Phase files (if needed): docs/project_plans/implementation_plans/harden-polish/advanced-filtering-v1/phase-[N]-[name].md

Generate Planning Review Board

# Auto-discover all planning docs for a feature and generate interactive HTML board
python scripts/generate-planning-board.py \
  --feature-slug enterprise-tier-comparison-scopes \
  --wireframe-dir docs/dev/designs/wireframes/enterprise-unified-sync \
  --output planning-review-board.html \
  --open

# Or from a specific implementation plan path
python scripts/generate-planning-board.py \
  --plan docs/project_plans/implementation_plans/features/some-feature-v1.md

# Preview what would be discovered without generating
python scripts/generate-planning-board.py --feature-slug xyz --dry-run

Reference: .Codex/skills/planning/references/planning-review-board.md

Optimize Existing Plan

# Provide existing plan path
User: "Optimize docs/project_plans/implementation_plans/harden-polish/sidebar-polish-v1.md"

# Skill:
# 1. Analyzes plan length (e.g., 1200 lines)
# 2. Breaks into phase-specific files (~400 lines each)
# 3. Updates parent plan with links to phase files

Create Progress Tracking

# Provide PRD or Implementation Plan
User: "Create progress tracking for data-layer-fixes PRD"

# Skill generates:
# .Codex/progress/[feature-name]/all-phases-progress.md
# With task breakdown, subagent assignments, completion tracking

Track Plan Status Lifecycle

# Mark PRD approved
python .Codex/skills/artifact-tracking/scripts/manage-plan-status.py \
  --file docs/project_plans/PRDs/features/feature-name-v1.md \
  --status approved

# Mark implementation in progress
python .Codex/skills/artifact-tracking/scripts/manage-plan-status.py \
  --file docs/project_plans/implementation_plans/features/feature-name-v1.md \
  --status in-progress

# Mark implementation completed
python .Codex/skills/artifact-tracking/scripts/manage-plan-status.py \
  --file docs/project_plans/implementation_plans/features/feature-name-v1.md \
  --status completed

Status values: draft → approved → in-progress → completed

Reference: See .Codex/skills/artifact-tracking/plan-status-management.md for full status management guide.

Tier Matrix (Routing Decision Tree)

Before authoring any planning artifact, determine the feature's tier. Tier drives artifact type, execution model, reviewer requirement, and model routing. Use the table below.

Tier	Size	Pre-commitment exploration	Planning artifact	Execution model	Reviewer	Model routing
0	1–3 pts, single file	skip	none	/dev:quick-feature	optional	sonnet executor
1	3–8 pts	optional (use when ambiguity exists, skip when outcome is clear)	Feature Contract (~200–400 lines)	one autonomous sprint per contract	mandatory task-completion-validator	sonnet executor + sonnet contract writer + Opus design block
2	8–13 pts	strongly suggested — required when no comparable past-feature anchor exists or risk_level: high	PRD + Implementation Plan	phase-by-phase orchestration	mandatory task-completion-validator per phase; karen at feature end	sonnet executor + sonnet implementation-planner + Opus decisions block
3	13+ pts	strongly suggested — required when no comparable past-feature anchor exists or risk_level: high	SPIKE + PRD + Implementation Plan	phase-by-phase orchestration	mandatory karen per phase milestone + end of feature	sonnet executor + sonnet implementation-planner + Opus decisions block

How to apply:

1. Estimate the feature in story points before creating any artifact.
2. Select the tier from the table above.
3. For Tier 2/3, check whether pre-commitment exploration is warranted (see "Workflow: Pre-Commitment Exploration" below).
4. Follow the matching workflow (Tier 0 → /dev:quick-feature; Tier 1 → "Workflow: Tier 1 Feature Contract"; Tier 2/3 → "Workflow 2: Create Implementation Plan from PRD").
5. If scope expands during planning and crosses a tier boundary upward, promote — don't stretch. See promotion rule in the Tier 1 workflow.

Source: .Codex/plans/tiered-workflow-overhaul.md §2.1

CCDash Frontmatter Requirements

Use CCDash-aligned frontmatter for all planning artifacts.

• Reference: .Codex/skills/artifact-tracking/schemas/field-reference.md
• Baseline fields for all planning docs: schema_version, doc_type, title, status, created, updated, feature_slug
• Linkage fields: prd_ref, plan_ref, related_documents
• Lifecycle fields to update after implementation: commit_refs, pr_refs, files_affected

Canonical Paths Table

All planning documents follow a canonical location pattern by doc type, enabling discovery and cross-referencing.

doc_type	Purpose	Canonical Location	Feeds / Downstream
exploration_charter	Pre-commitment exploration boundary contract; contains hypothesis, deal_killer, timebox, legs, verdict	docs/project_plans/exploration/[idea-slug]/[idea-slug]-charter.md	report (feasibility_brief), proposed ADR, prd (on go verdict)
design_spec	Pre-PRD ideation and design, varying maturity	docs/project_plans/design-specs/[name].md	prd
prd	Formal product requirements	docs/project_plans/PRDs/[category]/[name]-v1.md	implementation_plan
implementation_plan	Phased technical breakdown	docs/project_plans/implementation_plans/[category]/[name]-v1.md	phase_plan, progress
phase_plan	Single phase (if parent plan >800 lines)	docs/project_plans/implementation_plans/[category]/[name]-v1/phase-[N]-[title].md	progress
progress	Phase task tracking and orchestration	.Codex/progress/[feature-slug]/phase-[N]-progress.md	—
spike	Formal research investigation with charter	docs/project_plans/SPIKEs/[name]-charter.md or docs/project_plans/SPIKEs/[name].md	design_spec, prd, ADR
report	Investigation, audit, finding, post-mortem	docs/project_plans/reports/[category]/[name].md or .Codex/findings/[name].md	design_spec, prd
meta_plan	Workflow, process, or tooling change (not product)	.Codex/plans/[name].md	—
human_brief	Human-orchestrator lens: estimation rationale, wave strategy, OQ ledger, success behaviors	docs/project_plans/human-briefs/[feature-slug].md	— (audience: humans; agents skip)

Categories (PRD and implementation_plan subdirs): features, enhancements, refactors, harden-polish, infrastructure

Report categories (subdirs under docs/project_plans/reports/): findings, investigations, audits, post-mortems, refactor-reports

Exploration artifacts live under docs/project_plans/exploration/[idea-slug]/ — not under reports/. The feasibility_brief inside an exploration bundle uses doc_type: report with report_category: feasibility but is stored alongside its charter, not in the reports tree.

Cross-Reference Policy

Prefer envelope fields over ad-hoc fields for linking planning documents. This enables consistent discovery and prevents scattered linkage patterns.

Canonical linkage fields (prefer these):

• prd_ref: Path to the PRD this design_spec or report is linked to
• plan_ref: Path to the implementation plan this phase_plan or progress is linked to
• spike_ref: Path to the spike this design_spec or PRD references
• related_documents: Array of paths to related docs (cross-references, background, context)

Legacy fields to migrate (phase out over time):

• related_prds: OLD; use prd_ref or related_documents instead
• Scattered ad-hoc fields in existing docs that don't follow envelope schema

Migration strategy: When updating a design_spec or report with related_prds, refactor to use prd_ref (if single primary PRD) or move items into related_documents (if multiple cross-references).

Example:

# OLD (avoid):
related_prds:
  - docs/project_plans/PRDs/features/xyz-v1.md

# NEW (correct):
prd_ref: docs/project_plans/PRDs/features/xyz-v1.md

# Multiple related docs:
related_documents:
  - docs/project_plans/PRDs/features/xyz-v1.md
  - docs/dev/architecture/adr-123.md
  - .Codex/context/some-pattern.md

Field Checklist by Doc Type

• prd

  • Required now: schema_version, doc_type: prd, title, status, created
  • Populate early: feature_slug, priority, risk_level, owner, contributors
  • Keep prd_ref: null; set plan_ref after implementation plan exists
  • Optional: changelog_required: true — set when the feature introduces user-facing changes that must appear in CHANGELOG [Unreleased] before release. Omit (default: unset, treated as false) for purely internal or infrastructure-only changes. When set, Phase 7 Documentation Finalization must include a CHANGELOG entry. See .Codex/specs/changelog-spec.md for categorization rules.

• implementation_plan

  • Required now: schema_version, doc_type: implementation_plan, title, status, created, prd_ref
  • Populate early: scope, effort_estimate, feature_slug, priority, risk_level
  • Set plan_ref: null for root implementation plan
  • If plan includes deferred items or research-needed items: populate deferred_items_spec_refs as design specs are authored in the final phase; populate findings_doc_ref if a findings doc is created lazily during execution
  • Optional: changelog_required: true — inherit from the parent PRD or set independently when the implementation scope confirms user-facing changes. When set, Phase 7 Documentation Finalization must include a CHANGELOG [Unreleased] entry. Default: unset (false). See .Codex/specs/changelog-spec.md.

• phase_plan

  • Required now: schema_version, doc_type: phase_plan, title, status, created, phase, phase_title
  • Populate early: prd_ref, plan_ref, entry_criteria, exit_criteria
  • Keep feature_slug aligned with parent PRD/plan

• spike

  • Required now: schema_version, doc_type: spike, title, status, created
  • Populate early: feature_slug, research_questions, complexity, estimated_research_time
  • Set prd_ref/plan_ref when spike is linked to planned work

• human_brief

  • Required always: schema_name: ccdash_document, schema_version: 2, doc_type: human_brief, title, status, created, audience: [humans], feature_slug, category: human-briefs
  • Required when linked docs exist: prd_ref, plan_ref
  • Populate early: owner, priority, confidence, feature_family, feature_version
  • Reserve but leave null: intent_ref, epic_ref (forward-compat for INTENT.md system)
  • Do NOT set blocked or superseded status — use only draft, in-progress, completed
  • Full schema: .Codex/specs/artifact-structures/human-brief-spec.md §2

Frontmatter Lifecycle

Planning artifacts follow a structured lifecycle as they move through the SDLC. Frontmatter fields populate progressively at each phase.

Field Population Timeline

Field	Draft	Approved	In-Progress	Completed
title	✓	✓	✓	✓
description	✓	✓	✓	✓
status	draft	approved	in-progress	completed
created	✓	✓	✓	✓
updated	✓	✓	✓	✓
prd_ref	null	✓	✓	✓
plan_ref	null	✓	✓	✓
contributors	[author]	[author]	[author + team]	[author + team]
milestone	null	✓	✓	✓
commit_refs	[]	[]	[refs...]	[refs...]
pr_refs	[]	[]	[refs...]	[refs...]
files_affected	[]	[]	[files...]	[files...]

Lifecycle Phases:

• Draft: Initial creation with title, description, author. Status defaults to draft.
• Approved: PRD/plan review complete. Set status to approved and populate cross-references (prd_ref / plan_ref).
• In-Progress: Execution begins. Add implementation team to contributors, set milestone target, track commit_refs as work commits.
• Completed: All tasks done. Finalize commit_refs, pr_refs, and files_affected list for audit trail.

Status Management:

Use manage-plan-status.py to advance status lifecycle:

python .Codex/skills/artifact-tracking/scripts/manage-plan-status.py \
  --file docs/project_plans/PRDs/features/feature-name-v1.md \
  --status approved

Use update-field.py to append to list fields (contributors, commit_refs, pr_refs, files_affected):

python .Codex/skills/artifact-tracking/scripts/update-field.py \
  --file docs/project_plans/implementation_plans/features/feature-name-v1.md \
  --field pr_refs \
  --append "https://github.com/owner/repo/pull/123"

Full field lifecycle details: .Codex/skills/artifact-tracking/schemas/field-reference.md

Lifecycle Guidance

Planning artifacts follow a natural progression from ideation through implementation. Use this guide to determine when to create each document type.

Human Briefs are opt-in living documents that accompany PRDs and plans for qualifying features (≥8 pts, ≥2 phases, or notable orchestration complexity — see Workflow 5 heuristic). They live at docs/project_plans/human-briefs/[feature-slug].md alongside their linked PRD and plan, evolve throughout the feature lifecycle, and are archived in place when the feature ships. Unlike plans, briefs are not versioned — no -v1 suffix. See .Codex/specs/artifact-structures/human-brief-spec.md §4 for the full heuristic.

Pre-Commitment Exploration → exploration_charter + feasibility_brief

When: You have a speculative idea or loosely-scoped initiative — before committing to a tier or authoring any planning artifact — and one or more of the following is true:

• No comparable past feature exists as an estimation anchor (H5 is unknown)
• The idea has risk_level: high or involves a capability area the project has never built
• The "should we even do this?" question has not been answered citably
• The requester is unsure whether to proceed or shelve

Where it sits in the lifecycle: Pre-Commitment Exploration is the upstream-most phase — before design_spec, before tier classification, before any PRD or Feature Contract. Its sole purpose is to produce a machine-readable verdict (go | no-go | conditional) that feeds directly into tier classification or archives the idea with rationale.

How the verdict feeds downstream:

• go → proceed to tier classification; the feasibility_brief is referenced in the resulting PRD's related_documents
• no-go → archive the exploration_charter at docs/project_plans/exploration/[idea-slug]/; idea is closed with documented rationale
• conditional → recommended_next_action field in the feasibility brief names the concrete precondition and next command (/plan:explore again, /plan:spike, or defer-until condition)

Command: /plan:explore (see Workflow: Pre-Commitment Exploration below)

Artifacts produced:

• exploration_charter at docs/project_plans/exploration/[idea-slug]/[idea-slug]-charter.md
• feasibility_brief (doc_type report, report_category: feasibility) at docs/project_plans/exploration/[idea-slug]/[idea-slug]-feasibility-brief.md
• Proposed ADR (optional, only if synthesis surfaces a decision that exists regardless of verdict direction)

Skip when: The idea is Tier 0 or 1 with a clear outcome, a directly comparable past feature exists, and risk_level is low or medium.

---

Rough Idea → design_spec

When: You have a raw idea, loose thoughts, or unstructured exploration on a potential feature or change.

What to do:

1. Create a new file in docs/project_plans/design-specs/[name].md
2. Set maturity: idea in frontmatter
3. Add sections: problem statement (optional), open questions, explored alternatives
4. This is your working document for shaping the idea

Example:

---
schema_version: 2
doc_type: design_spec
maturity: idea
title: "Real-time Sync Architecture"
status: draft
created: 2026-04-08
feature_slug: realtime-sync
---

Gaining Shape → maturity: shaping → maturity: ready

When: The design_spec has structure, you've explored trade-offs, and it's crystallizing into a concrete proposal.

What to do:

1. Update the design_spec file
2. Change maturity: shaping (has structure, exploring)
3. Populate sections: problem_statement, open_questions, explored_alternatives
4. Continue iterating until all open questions are resolved
5. When ready to formalize, bump to maturity: ready

Example:

maturity: shaping         # Has structure, exploring trade-offs
# ... after resolving questions and alternatives:
maturity: ready           # Ready to promote to PRD

Promote → Create prd

When: The design_spec is at maturity: ready and you're ready to formalize as a product requirement.

What to do:

1. Create a new PRD at docs/project_plans/PRDs/[category]/[name]-v1.md
2. Update the design_spec:
   • Set maturity: promoted
   • Add prd_ref: docs/project_plans/PRDs/[category]/[name]-v1.md
3. Reference the design_spec in the PRD as context/background
4. Move forward with PRD lifecycle and implementation planning

Example:

# In design_spec:
maturity: promoted
prd_ref: docs/project_plans/PRDs/features/realtime-sync-v1.md

Workflow/Process/Tooling Change → meta_plan

When: You need to document a change to how the team works (process), tools used (tooling), or infrastructure changes (NOT a product feature).

What to do:

1. Create a new file in .Codex/plans/[name].md
2. Set doc_type: meta_plan and scope: [process|tooling|workflow|infrastructure|documentation|other]
3. Document: what's changing, why, affects_skills, affects_commands, expected outcome
4. This is distinct from product PRDs and tracks workflow improvements

Example:

---
schema_version: 2
doc_type: meta_plan
title: "Planning Document Cleanup"
scope: process
status: in-progress
affects_skills: [planning, artifact-tracking, plan-status]
---

Investigation/Audit/Finding → report

When: You discover something worth documenting (bug investigation, performance audit, learning, post-mortem) that informs product or process decisions.

What to do:

1. For raw findings during execution, create in .Codex/findings/[name].md with minimal frontmatter (status: draft, source: agent)
2. When finding proves load-bearing, promote to docs/project_plans/reports/[category]/[slug].md with full frontmatter
3. Link the report to the PRD or design_spec it informs via prd_ref or related_documents
4. Report categories: findings, investigations, audits, post-mortems, refactor-reports

Example (raw finding):

---
schema_version: 2
doc_type: report
report_category: finding
title: "SQLAlchemy Comparator Cache Poisoning"
status: draft
source: agent
created: 2026-04-08
feature_slug: enterprise-db-layer
---

Example (promoted finding):

---
schema_version: 2
doc_type: report
report_category: finding
title: "SQLAlchemy Comparator Cache Poisoning"
status: accepted
source: agent
created: 2026-04-08
prd_ref: docs/project_plans/PRDs/features/enterprise-database-v1.md
promoted_to: [docs/project_plans/implementation_plans/features/enterprise-database-v1.md]
outcome: "Implemented manual cache refresh in enterprise repository tests"
---

design_spec Maturity States

Use the maturity field to track ideation progress:

State	Definition	Next Step
idea	Raw ideation, loose thoughts	Explore and structure
shaping	Has structure, actively exploring	Resolve open questions
ready	Resolved questions, ready to promote	Create PRD
promoted	Has prd_ref, formalized to PRD	Use PRD for implementation
shelved	Not pursuing this idea	Archive if needed

Core Workflows

Workflow: Pre-Commitment Exploration (/plan:explore)

Applies to: Speculative ideas and loosely-scoped initiatives where the "should we build this?" question has not been answered before any planning artifact is authored.

When to invoke:

• No comparable past feature exists as an estimation anchor (H5 unknown)
• Feature idea has risk_level: high or introduces a capability area new to the project
• The scope is ambiguous enough that tier classification itself is uncertain
• The requester is unsure whether to proceed, shelve, or defer

When to skip:

• Tier 0 or clear Tier 1 with obvious outcome and low risk
• A directly comparable past feature provides sufficient confidence
• The feature is an enhancement to existing, well-understood functionality

Command hint: /plan:explore [idea-description-or-file] [--timebox=N] [--legs=technical,value,risk,priorart] [--charter=path]

Output bundle (all artifacts land under docs/project_plans/exploration/[idea-slug]/):

docs/project_plans/exploration/[idea-slug]/
├── [idea-slug]-charter.md             # exploration_charter (doc_type)
├── spikes/                             # SPIKE outputs from /plan:spike legs
├── [idea-slug]-feasibility-brief.md    # report (report_category: feasibility)
└── [idea-slug]-proposed-adr.md         # ADR status: proposed (only when synthesis forces a decision)

Phase Flow

Phase 0: Triage              (Opus, ~3K tokens)
  — Does this idea warrant exploration or is a direct tier classification obvious?
  — If obvious, skip to tier classification. If speculative, proceed.
  ↓
Phase 1: Charter             (delegated to spike-writer / charter-writer in scoping mode)
  — Produce exploration_charter with: hypothesis, deal_killer, timebox_days, investigation_legs
  — Template: .Codex/skills/planning/templates/exploration-charter-template.md
  ↓
Phase 2: Parallel legs       (delegated; 1–4 SPIKEs in parallel via /plan:spike --leg-of=<charter>)
  ├── technical   → spike-writer / research-technical-spike
  ├── value       → ux-researcher / search-specialist
  ├── risk        → backend-architect / data-layer-expert
  └── prior-art   → search-specialist / docs-seeker
  — Leg catalog and agent routing: .Codex/skills/planning/references/exploration-legs-catalog.md
  ↓
Phase 3: Synthesis           (delegated to documentation-writer or spike-writer)
  — Produce feasibility_brief (report, report_category: feasibility)
  — Produce proposed ADR if synthesis surfaces an architectural decision
  — Template: .Codex/skills/planning/templates/feasibility-brief-template.md
  ↓
Phase 4: Verdict             (Opus reasoning + mandatory user sign-off for go / no-go)
  — go | no-go | conditional
  — Handoff: go → /plan:plan-feature (feasibility brief in related_documents)
            no-go → archive charter with rationale
            conditional → recommended_next_action names the precondition

Token budget target: ~30–60K tokens end-to-end. Each parallel leg ~10K; synthesis ~5K; verdict ~3K.

Output Artifact Contracts

exploration_charter (frontmatter excerpt):

doc_type: exploration_charter
timebox_days: 3              # mandatory; hard max 7
hypothesis: "We believe X is worth building because Y."
deal_killer: "If Z is true, abandon."   # mandatory
investigation_legs:
  - id: tech
    question: "Is X feasible in the existing architecture?"
    assigned_to: spike-writer
verdict: null                # populated at conclusion
verdict_rationale: null

feasibility_brief (reuses report doc_type, no new doc_type introduced):

doc_type: report
report_category: feasibility
verdict: go | no-go | conditional          # mandatory structured field
verdict_confidence: 0.0–1.0
exploration_charter_ref: path
proposed_adr_ref: path | null
recommended_next_action: "/plan:plan-feature --tier=2" | "archive" | "defer-until: [condition]"

Required body sections: Synopsis, Investigation summary table (leg × confidence × conclusion), Cost estimate (H5 anchor), Value statement, Risks & blast radius, Architectural implications, Verdict, Citations.

Verdict Handoff Rules

Verdict	Next action
go	Run /plan:plan-feature; add feasibility_brief path to PRD related_documents
no-go	Archive charter bundle at docs/project_plans/exploration/[idea-slug]/; no further action
conditional	recommended_next_action field names the exact next command and precondition; re-enter exploration loop when precondition resolves

Human sign-off is required for go and no-go verdicts. Opus recommendation alone does not close the verdict.

Anti-Pattern Guards

Anti-pattern	Guard
Endless investigation	timebox_days in charter is mandatory (default 3, hard max 7); Phase 2 must produce findings at cutoff — silence is not acceptable, partial findings + pivot is
Premature PRD	/plan:plan-feature Phase 0 should surface missing charter for speculative ideas and suggest /plan:explore first
Exploration without verdict	verdict frontmatter field is mandatory in the feasibility brief; status: concluded cannot be set without it
Siloed investigation	Phase 2 legs are spawned in parallel by default; sequential is opt-in via --sequential flag
ADR after commitment	ADRs drafted during exploration carry status: proposed; acceptance happens at the verdict phase, not at implementation
Missing deal-killer	deal_killer field in charter is mandatory; validator refuses to scaffold a charter without one
Verdict-as-prose	verdict and verdict_confidence are structured frontmatter fields, not body sections; tooling must be able to read them

References:

• Leg catalog and agent assignments: ./references/exploration-legs-catalog.md
• Charter template: ./templates/exploration-charter-template.md
• Feasibility brief template: ./templates/feasibility-brief-template.md
• Meta plan (full design): .Codex/plans/plan-explore-pre-commitment-exploration-v1.md

---

Workflow: Tier 1 Feature Contract

Applies to: Features estimated at 3–8 story points with a clear, bounded scope and enumerable acceptance criteria. Single-feature scope; does not require multi-phase orchestration.

Artifact: docs/project_plans/feature_contracts/[category]/[feature-slug].md

Template: .Codex/skills/planning/templates/feature-contract-template.md

Why not a PRD + Plan?: A 5-pt feature costs ~150–200K tokens with the heavyweight flow. The Feature Contract delivers the same outcome at ~60–80K tokens through a single autonomous sprint rather than N batch-orchestration rounds.

Steps:

1. Opus drafts the contract design block (~15K tokens):

   • Fill in Goal, User/Actor, Job To Be Done, Scope, Acceptance Criteria, Risk Areas, and Architecture Constraints using the template.
   • Set tier: 1 and estimated_points: N in frontmatter.
   • Keep the design block to ~50–80 lines — Opus provides the judgment scaffold; sonnet expands the rest.

2. Delegate contract expansion to sonnet contract writer (prd-writer or feature-planner agent):

   • Provide the Opus design block (file path) and the feature-contract-template.md (file path).
   • The agent fills in UX/Behavior Requirements, Data Requirements, API/Integration Requirements, and Implementation Notes.
   • Target: complete contract of 200–400 lines.

3. Opus sanity review (~3K tokens):

   • Verify acceptance criteria are testable and unambiguous.
   • Verify scope boundary is clear enough for an autonomous sprint.
   • Verify risk areas are identified.
   • Approve or send back for revision.

4. Hand off to autonomous sprint:

   • Delegate the full contract to feature-sprint-executor (sonnet, acceptEdits) using Mode C: Autonomous Feature Sprint.
   • Provide contract file path; the executor reads it directly.
   • The executor implements the full feature: explores, codes, adds tests, validates, and produces a Completion Report.

5. Mandatory reviewer pass:

   • task-completion-validator reviews: contract acceptance criteria, validation results, and Completion Report.
   • Reviewer must pass before Opus commits.
   • Reviewer output format: see .Codex/skills/dev-execution/validation/completion-criteria.md.

6. Opus commits if review passes.

Promotion rule (scope growth): If during contract drafting (steps 1–2) the estimated points cross 8, stop and promote to Tier 2. Author a PRD that references the draft contract via related_documents and create an Implementation Plan using Workflow 2. Do not retrofit a Tier 1 contract for genuinely complex work. Set prd_ref in the contract frontmatter pointing to the new PRD.

Total cost target: ~60–80K tokens, 3–4 prompt round-trips (contract draft → expansion → sprint → review).

Source: .Codex/plans/tiered-workflow-overhaul.md §4.3–§4.4

---

Workflow 1: Create PRD from Feature Request

Input: Feature description or request from user

Process:

1. Analyze Request

   • Extract feature name, scope, goals
   • Identify related systems and components
   • Determine priority and complexity

2. Structure PRD

   • Use template: ./templates/prd-template.md
   • Follow MP architecture patterns (see ./references/mp-architecture.md)
   • Include frontmatter with proper metadata
   • Organize into standard PRD sections

3. Add Implementation Context

   • Break into phased approach
   • Identify architectural layers involved
   • Note dependencies and risks
   • Define success criteria and acceptance tests

4. Determine Location

   • Category: docs/project_plans/PRDs/[category]/
   • Categories: harden-polish, features, enhancements, refactors
   • Naming: [feature-name]-v1.md (kebab-case)

5. Generate File

   • Write PRD to determined location
   • Include YAML frontmatter with metadata
   • Link to related docs (ADRs, guides, etc.)
   • Add to project tracking if needed

Output:

• PRD file at: docs/project_plans/PRDs/[category]/[feature-name]-v1.md
• Follows template structure
• Ready for implementation planning

Example:

Input: "Add real-time collaboration features to prompt editing"

Output Location: docs/project_plans/PRDs/features/realtime-collaboration-v1.md

Sections:
1. Executive Summary - Real-time collaborative editing
2. Context & Background - Current single-user editing limitations
3. Problem Statement - Users can't collaborate on prompts
4. Goals & Success Metrics - Multiple concurrent editors, conflict resolution
5. Requirements - WebSocket connections, operational transforms, presence indicators
6. Implementation Phases - Phase 1: Backend infrastructure, Phase 2: Frontend integration
... (full PRD structure)

Workflow 2: Create Implementation Plan from PRD

Input: Path to existing PRD or newly created PRD

Process:

1. Analyze PRD

   • Read full PRD content
   • Extract key requirements
   • Identify architectural layers needed
   • Determine phase breakdown strategy

2. Plan Phase Structure

   • Follow MP layered architecture: routers → services → repositories → DB
   • Group related tasks into phases
   • Common phases: Database → Repository → Service → API → UI → Testing → Docs → Deployment
   • Consider parallel work opportunities
   • Identify critical path
   • Populate the Phase Summary table in Implementation Strategy (after Critical Path) with every phase, point estimate, target subagents, and model designation. This table is mandatory — it is the canonical orchestration index executors use to plan delegation. Keep it synced with detailed phase breakdowns. Use Codex models by default (sonnet / haiku); note external models (e.g., gemini-3.1-pro-preview, nano-banana-pro, gpt-5.6-terra) per references/multi-model-guidance.md.

2.5 Opus Decisions Block (Tier 2/3 mandatory) — author before delegating to implementation-planner:

• Opus authors a ~200-line decisions block using ./templates/decisions-block-template.md.
• Decisions block covers: phase boundaries, agent routing per phase, risk hotspots (severity + mitigation), estimation anchors with comparable past features, dependency map (critical path + parallelizable slices), and model routing per phase per agent.
• This is Opus-direct (not delegated) — it is the architectural judgment scaffold that earns Opus its premium on Tier 2/3 features.
• Target ~200 lines; do not expand into full template prose — that is implementation-planner's job.
• Write the decisions block to .Codex/worknotes/[feature-slug]/decisions-block.md (temporary working file).

Then delegate expansion to implementation-planner (sonnet):

• Provide: decisions block path + PRD path + implementation-plan-template.md path.
• The agent expands the decisions block into the full plan template: detailed phase descriptions, task breakdowns, batch definitions, task tables, success criteria, and model/effort columns.
• implementation-planner runs on sonnet (not haiku) — plans drive 200K+ tokens of downstream execution; this is the highest-leverage model routing call in the planning workflow.

Opus sanity review post-expansion (~3K tokens):

• Verify phase boundaries match decisions block.
• Verify agent routing is correctly propagated to task table.
• Verify no critical risks were dropped.
• Approve or send back for targeted revision.

Source: .Codex/plans/tiered-workflow-overhaul.md §4.2

3. Generate Task Breakdown
   • Use template: ./templates/implementation-plan-template.md
   • Create tasks for each phase
   • Format: Task tables with ID, Name, Description, Acceptance Criteria, Estimate
   • Include quality gates for each phase

3.5 Run Estimation Sanity Check (mandatory) — write output to Human Brief, not the plan

• Use reference: ./references/estimation-heuristics.md
• Determine if a Human Brief applies (see §4 creation heuristic in .Codex/specs/artifact-structures/human-brief-spec.md).
• If brief applies: scaffold docs/project_plans/human-briefs/[feature-slug].md using ./templates/human-brief-template.md, then populate §2 Estimation Sanity Check in the brief with the H1–H6 output.
• If brief does not apply (feature too small): populate the H1–H6 check in a comment or scratchpad for your own reference; do not add the full block to the plan.
• Apply heuristics H1–H6 bottom-up:
  • H1: noun-counting (≥2 pts per new CRUD-with-RBAC table)
  • H2: dual-implementation multiplier (~1.8× repo subtotal when local+enterprise)
  • H3: algorithmic service flag (≥3 pts for any service whose description includes dependency / resolution / graph / conflict / cycle / solver / inference / ranking / scheduling / merge / diff / transform; SPIKE first if test scenarios cannot be enumerated)
  • H4: bundle-vs-sum (per-area estimates summed = floor for plan total when ≥3 capability areas)
  • H5: anchor reference (cite a comparable completed feature, justify any delta >30%)
  • H6: hidden plumbing budget (~15–20% line item for DTOs / DI / OpenAPI / RLS / inventory updates / CHANGELOG)
• If bottom-up total disagrees with top-down intuition, trust bottom-up or write justification.
• Set **Human Brief** pointer line near the top of the plan (the template provides the field).

4. Assign Subagents

   • Use reference: ./references/subagent-assignments.md
   • Assign based on task type:
     • Database: data-layer-expert
     • Backend API: python-backend-engineer, backend-architect
     • Frontend: ui-engineer-enhanced, frontend-developer
     • UI Components: ui-designer, ui-engineer
     • Testing: appropriate testing agents
     • Docs: documentation-writer, documentation-complex
   • Add to each task: "Assigned Subagent(s): agent-1, agent-2"

5. Model Assignment

   • Evaluate each task for the appropriate model:
     • Default: sonnet for implementation, haiku for docs/exploration
     • Route image generation → nano-banana-pro
     • Route UI wireframing/design → gemini-3.1-pro-preview
     • Route web research → gemini-3.1-pro-preview
     • Route debug escalation → gpt-5.6-terra
   • Assign effort levels per model using the Canonical Effort Vocabulary in ./references/multi-model-guidance.md. Effort is a model-keyed reasoning budget, not a size estimate — use the Estimate column for story points or hours.
     • Codex (opus/sonnet/haiku): adaptive (default) or extended only
     • codex (gpt-5.6-terra): none | low | medium | high | xhigh
     • gemini (3.1-pro/3.1-flash): none | low | medium | high
     • nano_banana (nano-banana-pro): standard | quality
   • Forbidden: putting story points (e.g., "3pts") or hours in the Effort column. Those belong in Estimate.
   • Phase-level defaults: Set wave_plan.phases[].model and wave_plan.phases[].effort as phase-wide defaults. Per-task Model/Effort cells override these defaults. Both are optional; absence means "use the model's own default."
   • Group external model tasks as pre-work (batch_0) when possible
   • Add to each task: "Model: [model]; Effort: [level]"
   • Reference: See ./references/multi-model-guidance.md → Canonical Effort Vocabulary for authoritative values

6. UI Extraction Evaluation (UI-Heavy Phases Only)

   • For phases with React/UI component work, evaluate against extraction criteria
   • Flag reusable components with [pkg] marker in task descriptions
   • Evaluate: multiple projects reuse (2+), generic API design, stability window (2+ weeks), no app-specific dependencies
   • Document extraction candidates for potential @meaty/ui packaging
   • Reference: ./references/ui-extraction-guidance.md for criteria details
   • Full spec: .Codex/specs/ui-package-extraction-spec.md

7.5 Deferred Items & Findings Planning

• Scan the PRD for deferred/backlog/research-needed items, open questions with OQ-* markers, or spike-needed investigations
• List them in a "Deferred Items" triage table in the plan's ## Deferred Items & In-Flight Findings Policy section
• Add a corresponding design-spec authoring task row (DOC-006) for each item — or document "N/A — no deferred items" if none exist
• Initialize deferred_items_spec_refs: [] and findings_doc_ref: null in plan frontmatter
• Reference: ./references/deferred-items-and-findings.md

7. Documentation Evaluation

   • Assess which docs require updates based on feature scope:
     • CHANGELOG: Include if user-facing changes (new features, breaking changes, deprecations). When changelog_required: true is set in frontmatter, a CHANGELOG [Unreleased] entry is mandatory in the Documentation Finalization phase before release. Categorization rules: .Codex/specs/changelog-spec.md.
     • README: Include if features, CLI commands, screenshots, or version change
     • User/dev docs: Include if behavior changes requiring user/developer knowledge
     • Context files: Include if changes affect agent behavior or architectural patterns
     • Project-level custom skills: Include if changes affect domain of a custom skill (new CLI commands, capability changes, workflow shifts); check .Codex/specs/skills-index.md for domain ownership
   • Create doc tasks for the Documentation Finalization phase:
     • CHANGELOG → changelog-generator agent with changelog-generator skill
     • README/docs → documentation-writer agent with managing-readmes skill
     • Context files → documentation-writer agent (progressive disclosure: AGENTS.md pointers only, detail in key-context)
     • Project-level skills → ai-artifacts-engineer (SPEC.md + SKILL.md) and documentation-writer (workflows)
   • Keep docs minimal/usage-focused, not verbose
   • Reference: ./references/doc-finalization-guidance.md for detailed heuristics
   • Add "Model: haiku; Effort: adaptive" to doc tasks (or "Model: sonnet; Effort: adaptive" for skill SPEC updates — use extended only if the SPEC authoring is unusually complex)

8. Optimize for Token Efficiency

   • If total plan >800 lines: break into phase-specific files
   • Pattern: [feature-name]-v1/phase-[N]-[name].md
   • Parent plan links to phase files
   • Each phase file <800 lines
   • See ./references/optimization-patterns.md

9. Generate Files

   • Main plan: docs/project_plans/implementation_plans/[category]/[feature-name]-v1.md
   • Phase files (if needed): docs/project_plans/implementation_plans/[category]/[feature-name]-v1/phase-[N]-[name].md
   • Link phase files from parent plan

Output:

• Implementation Plan at determined location
• Phase breakdown with subagent assignments
• Linked phase files if plan >800 lines
• Quality gates and success criteria per phase

Example:

Input PRD: docs/project_plans/PRDs/features/realtime-collaboration-v1.md

Output:
Main Plan: docs/project_plans/implementation_plans/features/realtime-collaboration-v1.md

Phase Breakdown:
- Phase 1: Database Layer (websocket_sessions, edit_locks tables) - data-layer-expert
- Phase 2: Repository Layer (session management, lock management) - python-backend-engineer
- Phase 3: Service Layer (operational transforms, conflict resolution) - backend-architect
- Phase 4: API Layer (WebSocket endpoints, presence API) - python-backend-engineer
- Phase 5: UI Layer (collaborative editor, presence indicators) - ui-engineer-enhanced, frontend-developer
- Phase 6: Testing (unit, integration, E2E conflict scenarios) - testing agents
- Phase 7: Documentation (API docs, user guides) - documentation-writer
- Phase 8: Deployment (feature flags, monitoring) - DevOps

Phase Files (if plan >800 lines):
- realtime-collaboration-v1/phase-1-database.md
- realtime-collaboration-v1/phase-2-repository.md
- realtime-collaboration-v1/phase-3-5-backend.md (grouped related phases)
- realtime-collaboration-v1/phase-6-8-validation.md (grouped related phases)

Workflow 3: Optimize Existing Plans

Input: Path to existing PRD or Implementation Plan that's >800 lines

Process:

1. Analyze Plan

   • Read full plan
   • Count total lines
   • Identify natural break points (phases, sections)
   • Determine optimal split strategy

2. Determine Breakout Strategy

   • Primary: Break by phase (most common)
   • Secondary: Break by domain (backend vs frontend)
   • Tertiary: Break by task type (implementation vs testing)
   • Goal: Each file <800 lines, logically cohesive

3. Create Breakout Files

   • Pattern: [plan-name]/phase-[N]-[name].md
   • Alternative: [plan-name]/[domain]-tasks.md
   • Each file includes:
     • Phase/section overview
     • Relevant tasks with subagent assignments
     • Quality gates for that section
     • Links back to parent plan

4. Update Parent Plan

   • Add table of contents linking to breakout files
   • Keep executive summary and overview in parent
   • Replace detailed sections with links:

     ## Phase 2: Repository Layer
     See [Phase 2 Implementation Details](./[plan-name]/phase-2-repository.md)
     

   • Maintain quality gates summary in parent

5. Validate Optimization

   • Each file <800 lines ✓
   • All content preserved ✓
   • Links work correctly ✓
   • Logical grouping maintained ✓
   • Progressive disclosure achieved ✓

Output:

• Optimized parent plan (summary + links)
• Breakout files for detailed content
• Improved token efficiency (95%+ reduction in single-load context)

Example:

Input: docs/project_plans/implementation_plans/harden-polish/sidebar-polish-v1.md (1200 lines)

Analysis:
- 8 phases, ~150 lines each
- Can group related phases: 1-3 (backend), 4-5 (frontend), 6-8 (validation)

Output:
Parent: sidebar-polish-v1.md (200 lines - summary + links)
Phase Files:
- sidebar-polish-v1/phase-1-3-backend.md (450 lines)
- sidebar-polish-v1/phase-4-5-frontend.md (400 lines)
- sidebar-polish-v1/phase-6-8-validation.md (350 lines)

Token Efficiency:
- Before: Load 1200 lines for any query
- After: Load 200-line summary, then specific phase (450 max) = 67% reduction

Workflow 4: Create Progress Tracking

Input: PRD or Implementation Plan

Process:

Utilize artifact-tracking skill to create progress tracking and context artifacts per the skill instructions.

You should NOT create these files from this skill, as there are specific optimizations and structures required by the artifact-tracking skill.

Workflow 5: Create Human Brief for Feature

Input: PRD path + Implementation Plan path (both required when they exist)

Spec reference: .Codex/specs/artifact-structures/human-brief-spec.md

Process:

1. Check creation heuristic (§4 of spec) — create a brief when any of these are true:

   • Feature is ≥8 story points estimated
   • Implementation plan has ≥2 phases
   • Estimation Sanity Check has non-trivial anchor comparison
   • ≥2 deferred items with non-trivial rationale
   • Feature spans ≥2 capability areas
   • Notable orchestration complexity (wave coordination, cross-team dependencies) Skip when: quick feature (<5 pts, single phase), trivial refactor, single-file fix.

2. Scaffold the brief at docs/project_plans/human-briefs/[feature-slug].md

   • Use template: ./templates/human-brief-template.md
   • No -v1 suffix — briefs are living documents, not versioned deliverables
   • Set prd_ref, plan_ref, feature_slug, owner, status: draft

3. Populate on creation:

   • §1 Context Pointers: one-line links to PRD, plan, design specs, SPIKEs
   • §2 Estimation Sanity Check: migrate H1–H6 output from planning step 3.5
   • §4 Open Questions Ledger: harvest OQ-* markers from PRD and plan
   • §8 Expected Success Behaviors: extract human-verifiable outcomes from PRD acceptance criteria

4. Populate as information becomes available:

   • §3 Wave & Orchestration Notes — after phase structure is finalized
   • §5 Deferred Items Rationale — after triage table in plan is populated
   • §6 Risk Narrative — after risk section in plan is written
   • §7 What to Watch For — before or during execution
   • §9 Running Log — append-only during execution

5. Set brief as in-progress when execution begins; completed when feature ships.

Output: docs/project_plans/human-briefs/[feature-slug].md

Agents must not load this file during execution (see Agent Consumption Rule below and spec §5).

Token Discipline (Planning Workflows)

These rules apply to all planning workflows in this skill. They codify the existing project-wide budget discipline for the planning context specifically.

Reference: .Codex/rules/context-budget.md (global rules); .Codex/plans/tiered-workflow-overhaul.md §4.9

The Feature Contract (or Decisions Block) Is the Delta

The Feature Contract (Tier 1) and the Opus Decisions Block (Tier 2/3) carry only the new decisions for this feature. All stable architectural context lives in durable docs and must not be restated in contracts or plans:

• Product intent: intents/intent.md (when available)
• Current system state: docs/current-state.md (when available)
• Architecture patterns: docs/dev/architecture/* — link to these, do not copy from them
• Agent operating rules: AGENTS.md

Do not restate what is already in durable docs. Provide a path reference instead.

Prompt and Artifact Sizing

What	Target
Task prompts to subagents	< 500 words
Opus decisions block	~200 lines
Tier 1 Feature Contract	200–400 lines
PRD (per doc)	≤ 800 lines; split into phase files if exceeded
Context passed to subagents	File paths, not file contents

Progressive Disclosure for Planners

When authoring contracts or decisions blocks, load context in this order — stop when you have enough:

1. Contract or Decisions Block itself — the immediate planning surface.
2. Relevant files — only files directly touched by this feature.
3. Deep context docs (key-context/, architecture docs) — only when blocked by an unresolved design question.
4. Historical plans — only to confirm comparable estimates; verify behavior from runtime truth (openapi.json, symbols-*.json), not from old plans.

Anti-Patterns (with token cost)

Anti-pattern	Cost	Correct approach
Opus reads a full PRD before delegating to prd-writer	~7K tokens	Delegate comprehension; provide file paths only
Restating AGENTS.md patterns in the delegation prompt	~5K tokens	Reference AGENTS.md by path
Calling TaskOutput() for plan-writing agents	~7.5K tokens	Check file on disk with Glob + Read
Exploring files Opus will hand to a subagent	~3–10K tokens	Let the subagent explore its own context

Reviewer Gates (Summary Pointer)

Reviewer-agent passes are mandatory at tier-appropriate checkpoints. Planning artifacts are not complete until the matching reviewer has signed off.

Tier	Gate	Reviewer
1	End of autonomous sprint	task-completion-validator
2	End of each phase	task-completion-validator
2	End of feature	karen
3	End of each phase	task-completion-validator
3	Mid-feature milestones + end of feature	karen

A phase or sprint is not "complete" until the reviewer passes it. Do not commit before the gate clears.

Full gate definitions and reviewer output format: .Codex/skills/dev-execution/validation/completion-criteria.md

Source: .Codex/plans/tiered-workflow-overhaul.md §4.5

Templates Reference

prd-template.md

Location: ./templates/prd-template.md

Based On: /docs/docs-v2/templates/PRD-TEMPLATE.md

Purpose: Standard PRD structure for MeatyPrompts features

Key Sections:

• Feature Brief & Metadata (name, date, author, related docs)
• Executive Summary (1-2 paragraphs)
• Context & Background (problem space, current state)
• Problem Statement (clear gap or pain point)
• Goals & Success Metrics (measurable outcomes)
• Requirements (functional and non-functional)
• Scope (in-scope vs out-of-scope)
• Dependencies & Assumptions
• Risks & Mitigations
• Target State (post-implementation)
• Acceptance Criteria (definition of done)
• Implementation (phased breakdown with tasks)

When to Use: Creating any new PRD

implementation-plan-template.md

Location: ./templates/implementation-plan-template.md

Based On: /Codex-export/templates/pm/implementation-plan-template.md

Purpose: Detailed phased implementation with task breakdown

Key Sections:

• Executive Summary (approach, milestones, success criteria)
• Implementation Strategy (architecture sequence, parallel work, critical path)
• Phase Breakdown (8 standard phases with task tables)
• Risk Mitigation (technical and schedule risks)
• Resource Requirements (team composition, skills, infrastructure)
• Success Metrics (delivery, business, technical)
• Communication Plan (status reporting, escalation)
• Post-Implementation Plan (monitoring, maintenance)

When to Use: Creating implementation plan from PRD

phase-breakdown-template.md

Location: ./templates/phase-breakdown-template.md

Purpose: Template for individual phase files when breaking up long plans

Key Sections:

• Phase overview (duration, dependencies, team)
• Task breakdown table (ID, name, description, acceptance criteria, estimate, assignee)
• Subagent assignments
• Quality gates
• Key files and integration points
• Link back to parent plan

When to Use: Breaking long implementation plans into phase-specific files

feature-contract-template.md

Location: ./templates/feature-contract-template.md

Purpose: Single-file artifact for Tier 1 features (3–8 pts) replacing the PRD + Implementation Plan pair

Key Sections:

• Goal, User/Actor, Job To Be Done, Scope (in/out)
• UX/Behavior Requirements, Data Requirements, API/Integration Requirements
• Architecture Constraints, Acceptance Criteria, Validation Requirements
• Risk Areas, Implementation Notes, Completion Report Required

Frontmatter includes: doc_type: feature_contract, tier: 1, estimated_points, changelog_required

When to Use: Tier 1 features; see "Workflow: Tier 1 Feature Contract" above

decisions-block-template.md

Location: ./templates/decisions-block-template.md

Purpose: Opus-authored scaffold (~200 lines) for Tier 2/3 features; defines phase boundaries, agent routing, risk hotspots, estimation anchors, dependency map, and model routing. Expanded by implementation-planner (sonnet) into the full plan.

Key Sections:

• Phase Boundaries (table: phase, name, scope, success criteria, exit gate)
• Agent Routing (primary + secondary per phase; parallel opportunities)
• Risk Hotspots (severity, rationale, mitigation per risk)
• Estimation Anchors (points per phase + comparable past feature)
• Dependency Map (critical path + mermaid graph)
• Model Routing (model + effort per phase per agent)
• Open Questions for Expansion (OQ-* markers for implementation-planner)
• Plan Skeleton Pointer (template path and output path)

When to Use: Any feature ≥ 8 pts (Tier 2 or 3); Opus authors directly before delegating to implementation-planner

Scripts Reference

All scripts are in ./scripts/ directory and use Node.js (NOT Python).

generate-prd.sh

Purpose: Generate PRD from feature request

Usage:

./scripts/generate-prd.sh "Feature description" "category"

Process:

1. Parse feature description
2. Determine category and filename
3. Load PRD template
4. Generate PRD content
5. Write to docs/project_plans/PRDs/[category]/[feature-name]-v1.md

Output: PRD file path

generate-impl-plan.sh

Purpose: Generate implementation plan from PRD

Usage:

./scripts/generate-impl-plan.sh "path/to/prd.md"

Process:

1. Read PRD content
2. Extract requirements and phases
3. Generate task breakdown
4. Add subagent assignments
5. Determine if plan needs breakout (>800 lines)
6. Write main plan and phase files

Output: Implementation plan file path(s)

optimize-plan.sh

Purpose: Break long plan into phase-specific files

Usage:

./scripts/optimize-plan.sh "path/to/plan.md"

Process:

1. Read plan and count lines
2. Determine optimal breakout strategy
3. Create phase-specific files
4. Update parent plan with links
5. Validate all content preserved

Output: List of created phase files

References

estimation-heuristics.md

Location: ./references/estimation-heuristics.md Purpose: Bottom-up sizing rules to prevent under-estimation. Codifies six heuristics — noun-counting (H1), dual-implementation multiplier (H2), algorithmic service flag (H3), bundle-vs-sum check (H4), anchor reference comparison (H5), hidden plumbing budget (H6) — and the mandatory "Estimation Sanity Check" template every implementation plan must populate. Used By: Implementation plan authoring (mandatory sanity check), plan-review skill (post-mortem heuristic tuning). When to load: Always, when creating or reviewing an implementation plan estimate.

subagent-assignments.md

Location: ./references/subagent-assignments.md Purpose: Mapping of task types to appropriate subagents Used By: Implementation planning, progress tracking creation

file-structure.md

Location: ./references/file-structure.md Purpose: Directory structure conventions for plans and progress Naming Conventions:

• PRDs: [feature-name]-v1.md (kebab-case)
• Implementation Plans: [feature-name]-v1.md
• Phase Files: phase-[N]-[name].md or phase-[N]-[M]-[name].md (grouped) Used By: File creation, optimization

optimization-patterns.md

Location: ./references/optimization-patterns.md

Purpose: Patterns for breaking up long files into token-efficient chunks

Content:

Pattern 1: Break by Phase (Most Common)

• Split implementation plan by phase (1-3, 4-5, 6-8)
• Each phase file <800 lines
• Parent links to phase files
• Progressive disclosure: Load summary, then specific phase

Pattern 2: Break by Domain

• Backend phases (Database, Repository, Service, API)
• Frontend phases (UI, Components, State)
• Validation phases (Testing, Docs, Deployment)

Pattern 3: Break by Task Type

• Implementation tasks
• Testing tasks
• Documentation tasks
• Deployment tasks

Pattern 4: Keep Together

• Always keep in parent plan:
  • Executive summary
  • Phase overview table
  • Risk mitigation summary
  • Success metrics overview
• Move to phase files:
  • Detailed task breakdowns
  • Specific acceptance criteria
  • Technical implementation notes

Token Efficiency Gains:

• Before: Load entire 1200-line plan
• After: Load 200-line summary + 400-line phase = 50% reduction
• For targeted queries: Load only relevant phase = 67%+ reduction

Used By: Plan optimization workflow

Plan Generator Rules (Mandatory)

Apply these rules whenever generating or reviewing an implementation plan or any phase that contains ACs. These rules are non-negotiable; they catch the class of integration/verification gaps documented in the motivating incident (ccdash-planning-reskin-v2-interaction-performance-addendum).

• R-P1 — No AC may contain the words "across", "everywhere", "throughout", "all X", or "visible" without an explicit target_surfaces: list. If the AC uses any of these terms without enumerating concrete component paths, the plan generator must expand the AC inline.
• R-P2 — Every new backend field X introduced in a phase introduces an implicit AC "FE handles missing X". If this AC is not already present, the generator writes it automatically. Resilience is a contract state, not a reviewer's courtesy.
• R-P3 — Every phase with ≥2 owner specialties (e.g., FE + BE) and overlapping files_affected (intersection ≥1 file) must declare an integration_owner field and at least one seam task. A seam task is a task whose sole purpose is to verify the cross-owner propagation contract.
• R-P4 — UI-touching phases (any *.tsx file in files_affected) must include a "runtime smoke" task in the verification phase. The smoke task must reference every target_surfaces entry from that phase.

AC schema for structured ACs (use this format whenever an AC covers multi-surface propagation or has resilience requirements):

#### AC [ID]: [Short description]
- target_surfaces:
    # Use path strings (see §8 Q1 note in references/ac-schema.md).
    - components/Planning/PlanningSummaryPanel.tsx
    - components/Planning/PlanningGraphPanel.tsx
- propagation_contract: [how the value flows from producer to each surface]
- resilience: [how each surface behaves when the field is absent/null]
- visual_evidence_required: [screenshot spec, e.g. "desktop ≥1440px before/after" or false]
- verified_by: [list of task IDs in the verification phase that sign off this AC]

For the full AC schema reference and examples, see ./references/ac-schema.md.

Best Practices

File Size Management

Guideline: No file should exceed ~800 lines

Rationale:

• Optimal token efficiency for AI context loading
• Enables progressive disclosure pattern
• Reduces cognitive load for agents
• Faster file parsing and analysis

Strategies:

1. Break plans by phase when >800 lines
2. Group short related phases (1-3, 4-5)
3. Keep summaries in parent, details in phase files
4. Use links for cross-references

Naming Conventions

PRDs: [feature-name]-v1.md

• Use kebab-case (lowercase with hyphens)
• Include version number (-v1, -v2)
• Descriptive name (e.g., advanced-filtering-v1.md)

Implementation Plans: [feature-name]-v1.md

• Match PRD naming
• Same category as PRD
• Version synchronized with PRD

Phase Files: phase-[N]-[name].md

• Sequential numbering (phase-1, phase-2)
• Can group: phase-1-3-backend.md
• Descriptive name (database, repository, frontend)

Directory Organization

PRDs:

• docs/project_plans/PRDs/[category]/
• Categories: harden-polish, features, enhancements, refactors

Implementation Plans:

• docs/project_plans/implementation_plans/[category]/
• Match PRD category
• Phase breakouts in subdirectory: [plan-name]/

Token Efficiency Tips

Progressive Disclosure:

1. Summary in parent plan (200 lines)
2. Link to detailed phase files (400 lines each)
3. Agent loads summary first, then specific phase as needed
4. 50-67% token reduction

Structured References:

• Link to ADRs instead of duplicating architecture info
• Reference existing docs rather than repeating
• Use relative paths for phase file links

Chunk by Logical Units:

• Keep related tasks together
• Don't split mid-phase
• Group short phases if logical
• Maintain quality gates with phases

YAML Frontmatter

PRDs:

---
title: "Feature Name - PRD"
description: "Brief summary (1-2 sentences)"
audience: [ai-agents, developers]
tags: [relevant, tags, for, search]
created: 2025-11-11
updated: 2025-11-11
category: "product-planning"
status: draft|published
related:
  - /docs/architecture/ADRs/relevant-adr.md
  - /docs/guides/relevant-guide.md
# changelog_required: true   # Optional — uncomment for user-facing features requiring a CHANGELOG [Unreleased] entry
---

Implementation Plans:

---
title: "Feature Name - Implementation Plan"
description: "Brief summary of implementation approach"
audience: [ai-agents, developers]
tags: [implementation, planning, phases]
created: 2025-11-11
updated: 2025-11-11
category: "product-planning"
status: draft|in-progress|published
related:
  - /docs/project_plans/PRDs/category/feature-name-v1.md
# changelog_required: true   # Optional — inherit from PRD or set here; enforces CHANGELOG entry in Phase 7
---

Design Specifications (schema v2, pre-PRD ideation):

---
schema_version: 2
doc_type: design_spec
title: "Feature Idea Name"
description: "Brief description of what's being designed"
status: draft
maturity: idea
created: 2026-04-08
updated: 2026-04-08
feature_slug: kebab-case-slug
problem_statement: "Clearly articulate the problem being solved (optional for early ideation)"
open_questions:
  - "Question 1 blocking clarity?"
  - "Question 2 to explore?"
explored_alternatives:
  - "Option A considered: pros/cons"
  - "Option B considered: pros/cons"
related_documents: []
prd_ref: null
---

Maturity progression: Update maturity field as design_spec evolves: idea → shaping → ready. When promoting to PRD, set maturity: promoted and add prd_ref: docs/project_plans/PRDs/[category]/[name]-v1.md.

Meta Plans (schema v2, process/tooling/workflow changes):

---
schema_version: 2
doc_type: meta_plan
title: "Meta Plan Title (e.g., 'Planning Document Cleanup')"
description: "What process/workflow/tooling is changing and why"
status: draft
scope: process|tooling|workflow|infrastructure|documentation|other
created: 2026-04-08
updated: 2026-04-08
owner: nick
affects_skills: [skill-name-1, skill-name-2]
affects_commands: [/command:name-1, /command:name-2]
outcome: "Expected result or success criteria (optional)"
related_documents: []
plan_ref: null
---

Scope values: Use process for team procedures, tooling for tool changes, workflow for execution patterns, infrastructure for system/deployment changes, documentation for doc updates, other for miscellaneous meta-work.

Examples

Example 1: Create PRD for Advanced Filtering

Input:

User: "Create a PRD for adding advanced filtering to the prompts page. Users need to filter by multiple criteria: model, provider, date range, tags, and favorites."

Process:

1. Extract feature name: "Advanced Filtering"
2. Determine category: "features"
3. Generate PRD using template
4. Structure sections:
   • Problem: Users can only filter by single criteria
   • Goals: Multi-criteria filtering, saved filter sets
   • Requirements: UI for filter builder, backend filter query support
   • Phases: Phase 1 (Backend), Phase 2 (Frontend), Phase 3 (Saved Filters)

Output:

File: docs/project_plans/PRDs/features/advanced-filtering-v1.md

# Advanced Filtering - PRD

**Feature Name**: Advanced Filtering
**Date**: 2025-11-11
**Author**: Codex (Sonnet 4.5)
**Related**: Filtering guides, search ADRs

## 1. Executive Summary
Enable users to filter prompts by multiple criteria simultaneously (model, provider, date range, tags, favorites) with the ability to save and reuse filter sets.

## 2. Context & Background
Current filtering supports single criteria only. Users frequently need to filter by combinations (e.g., "OpenAI models from last week tagged 'production'").

... (full PRD structure)

Example 2: Create Implementation Plan with Phase Breakout

Input:

User: "Create implementation plan for docs/project_plans/PRDs/features/advanced-filtering-v1.md"

Process:

1. Read PRD, extract requirements
2. Plan 7 phases following MP architecture
3. Generate task breakdown with estimates
4. Assign subagents to each task
5. Calculate total: 1100 lines → needs breakout
6. Create phase files:
   • phase-1-3-backend.md (500 lines)
   • phase-4-5-frontend.md (400 lines)
   • phase-6-7-validation.md (300 lines)
7. Update parent plan with links (200 lines)

Output:

Main Plan: docs/project_plans/implementation_plans/features/advanced-filtering-v1.md (200 lines)

# Implementation Plan: Advanced Filtering

## Phase Overview
| Phase | Title | Effort | Files |
|-------|-------|--------|-------|
| 1-3 | Backend Implementation | 18 pts | [Details](./advanced-filtering-v1/phase-1-3-backend.md) |
| 4-5 | Frontend Implementation | 12 pts | [Details](./advanced-filtering-v1/phase-4-5-frontend.md) |
| 6-7 | Validation & Deployment | 8 pts | [Details](./advanced-filtering-v1/phase-6-7-validation.md) |

... (executive summary, strategy)

---

Phase Files Created:
- advanced-filtering-v1/phase-1-3-backend.md (500 lines)
  - Phase 1: Database (filter_sets table, indexes)
  - Phase 2: Repository (query builder, filter sets repo)
  - Phase 3: Service (filter validation, DTO mapping)

- advanced-filtering-v1/phase-4-5-frontend.md (400 lines)
  - Phase 4: API (filter endpoints, saved sets API)
  - Phase 5: UI (filter builder component, saved sets UI)

- advanced-filtering-v1/phase-6-7-validation.md (300 lines)
  - Phase 6: Testing (unit, integration, E2E)
  - Phase 7: Deployment (feature flags, monitoring)

Example 3: Optimize Existing Long Plan

Input:

User: "Optimize docs/project_plans/implementation_plans/harden-polish/sidebar-polish-v1.md - it's 1200 lines"

Process:

1. Read plan: 8 phases, ~150 lines each
2. Determine breakout: Group 1-3 (backend), 4-5 (frontend), 6-8 (validation)
3. Create phase files:
   • phase-1-3-backend.md (450 lines)
   • phase-4-5-frontend.md (400 lines)
   • phase-6-8-validation.md (350 lines)
4. Update parent plan: Keep summary, add links to phase files (200 lines)

Output:

Updated: docs/project_plans/implementation_plans/harden-polish/sidebar-polish-v1.md (200 lines)

Created Phase Files:
- sidebar-polish-v1/phase-1-3-backend.md (450 lines)
  Phase 1: Database - Sidebar state, user preferences
  Phase 2: Repository - State management, RLS
  Phase 3: Service - Preference sync, DTOs

- sidebar-polish-v1/phase-4-5-frontend.md (400 lines)
  Phase 4: API - Endpoints for sidebar state
  Phase 5: UI - Sidebar component, animations

- sidebar-polish-v1/phase-6-8-validation.md (350 lines)
  Phase 6: Testing - Unit, integration, visual
  Phase 7: Documentation - Component docs, API docs
  Phase 8: Deployment - Feature flags, rollout

Token Efficiency: 67% reduction for targeted queries

Integration with Project Standards

Architecture Compliance

All plans follow project layered architecture.

Subagent Ecosystem

Plans integrate with 50+ project subagents:

Architecture: lead-architect, backend-architect, data-layer-expert Development: python-backend-engineer, frontend-developer, ui-engineer-enhanced UI/UX: ui-designer, ux-researcher Review: code-reviewer, task-completion-validator Documentation: documentation-writer, documentation-complex Testing: testing specialists Performance: react-performance-optimizer, web-accessibility-checker

Documentation Policy

Follows AGENTS.md documentation policy:

• PRDs are product-planning docs (allowed)
• Implementation Plans are product-planning docs (allowed)
• NO reports, summaries, etc unless explicitly requested

File Organization

PRDs: /docs/project_plans/PRDs/[category]/[feature-name]-v1.md Plans: /docs/project_plans/implementation_plans/[category]/[feature-name]-v1.md Phase Files: [plan-name]/phase-[N]-[name].md

Advanced Usage

Customizing Templates

Edit templates in ./templates/ to match project needs:

1. PRD Template Customization:

   • Add project-specific sections
   • Adjust success metrics format
   • Include standard acceptance criteria

2. Implementation Plan Template Customization:

   • Add/remove phases
   • Adjust quality gates
   • Customize risk categories

3. Progress Tracking Template Customization:

   • Add project-specific status values
   • Adjust completion tracking format
   • Include team-specific metadata

Multi-PRD Planning

For complex initiatives spanning multiple PRDs:

1. Create parent epic document
2. Generate individual PRDs for each component
3. Link PRDs to parent epic
4. Create unified progress tracking across PRDs

Spike Integration

For research-heavy features:

1. Create SPIKE document first (using spike-writer agent)
2. Use SPIKE to inform PRD generation
3. Reference SPIKE in PRD "Context & Background"
4. Link SPIKE from Implementation Plan

Continuous Optimization

Regularly optimize plans as work progresses:

1. Update progress tracking with actual completion
2. Adjust estimates based on learnings
3. Break out new sections if plan grows >800 lines
4. Archive completed phases

Related Skills

• artifact-tracking: Create progress tracking and context artifacts
• skill-builder: Create new custom skills
• symbols: Token-efficient codebase indexing
• codebase-explorer: Fast pattern discovery
• explore: Deep codebase analysis

Related Agents

• lead-pm: SDLC orchestration
• prd-writer: PRD creation
• implementation-planner: Detailed implementation planning
• task-decomposition-expert: Task breakdown
• lead-architect: Architecture planning assistance, task delegation
• documentation-writer: Documentation for plans

Version History

• 2025-11-11: Initial skill creation
  • 4 core workflows (PRD, Plan, Optimize, Progress)
  • 4 templates (PRD, Plan, Progress, Phase)
  • 5 scripts (generate-prd, generate-impl-plan, optimize-plan, assign-subagents, create-progress-tracking)
  • 4 references (architecture, subagents, file-structure, optimization-patterns)
• 2025-12-01: Remove Tracking Creation from this skill; delegate to artifact-tracking skill