writing-plans

Writing Plans - Implementation Planning Guide

Skills Overview

Writing Plans is a skill for creating comprehensive technical implementation plans. It helps developers create detailed, actionable step-by-step guides before they begin touching the code.

When to Use

Developing Multi-Step Features

Use it when you have clear functional specifications or a requirements document and need to break a complex feature into executable coding tasks. It is suitable for scenarios where engineers have little or no background in the codebase and require detailed guidance.

Sharing Knowledge Within a Team

Use it to provide complete implementation roadmaps to team members (especially new joiners) or AI assistants. The skill ensures that each step includes clear file paths, code examples, and verification commands.

Test-Driven Development (TDD)

Follow TDD principles by using this skill to create plans that include a complete test-implementation loop, ensuring that each task has clear verification steps.

Core Capabilities

Fine-Grained Task Decomposition

Break down complex development tasks into individual steps that can be completed in 2–5 minutes. Each step includes specific code, commands, and expected results, so developers can make progress incrementally and commit frequently.

Zero-Context Implementation Guide

Assume the developer is familiar with programming but knows little about the current toolset and the problem domain. The plan includes exact file paths, complete code snippets, test commands, and relevant documentation references.

Structured Plan Documents

Generate plans in a standard format that includes an overview of goals, architecture details, tech stack, and step-by-step tasks. Save them to docs/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-<feature-name>.md to support version control and team collaboration.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should an implementation plan be written?

Write the implementation plan before you begin writing any code, as soon as you have clear functional specifications or a requirements document. This skill recommends planning in an isolated worktree to avoid impacting your current workspace.

What should each plan step include?

Each step should be a single, unambiguous action (completed in ~2–5 minutes), including: the exact file path, full code (not just a description like “add validation”), the precise commands to run, and their expected output. Typical TDD steps include: writing a failing test, running tests to confirm the failure, writing the minimal implementation, running tests to confirm they pass, and committing the code.

How do I execute the plan after writing it?

After saving the plan, there are two execution modes: Subagent-Driven (dispatch sub-agents to execute tasks and review within the current session) or Parallel Session (execute plans in bulk in independent sessions using executing-plans). The first mode is best for quick iteration and review, while the second mode is best for bulk execution of plans with checkpoints.