/sow - SOW Generator

Purpose

Generate sow.md only (single artifact) for planning and analysis.

Input Resolution

/sow execution
    │
    ├─ Argument provided? ─YES──→ Use argument as task description
    │
    └─ No argument
           │
           ├─ Research context exists? ─YES──→ Extract topic from context, incorporate findings
           │
           └─ None ──→ Ask user:
                       "What would you like to plan? Please provide a task description."

Research Context Detection

!`ls -t .claude/workspace/research/*-context.md 2>/dev/null | head -1 || ls -t ~/.claude/workspace/research/*-context.md 2>/dev/null | head -1 || echo "(no research context)"`

If found:

• Extract topic from context file
• Incorporate research findings into SOW
• Display: 📄 Using research context: [filename]

Template Reference

Use for structure and section order ONLY: [@../templates/sow/workflow-improvement.md]

IMPORTANT:

• ✅ Copy: Section structure, table formats, ID naming (I-001, AC-001, R-001)
• ❌ Do NOT copy: Actual content, specific values
• Generate fresh content based on user's feature description

Confidence Markers

Use numeric format [C: X.X] throughout:

Range	Meaning	Evidence Required
[C: 0.9+]	Verified	file:line, command output, logs
[C: 0.7-0.9]	Inferred	Reasoning basis stated
[C: <0.7]	Uncertain	Needs investigation

YAML frontmatter: Include confidence.overall for document-level score.

Codebase Analysis (Optional)

For non-greenfield projects, invoke Plan agent:

Task({
  subagent_type: "Plan",
  model: "haiku",
  description: "Analyze codebase for feature context",
  prompt: `Feature: "${featureDescription}"
Investigate: existing patterns, affected modules, tech stack.
Return with markers: [C: 0.9+] verified, [C: 0.7-0.9] inferred, [C: <0.7] uncertain.`
})

Required Sections

Follow template structure:

1. Executive Summary - High-level overview [C: 0.7]
2. Problem Analysis - Current State [C: 0.9+], Issues by confidence
3. Assumptions & Prerequisites - Facts [C: 0.9+], Assumptions [C: 0.7], Unknowns [C: <0.5]
4. Solution Design - Approach, alternatives, recommendation
5. Test Plan - Unit/Integration/E2E with priority
6. Acceptance Criteria - By phase, with confidence markers
7. Implementation Plan - Phases with steps, including Progress Matrix
8. Success Metrics - Measurable outcomes
9. Risks & Mitigations - By confidence level
10. Verification Checklist - Pre-implementation checks
11. References - Related documents

Progress Matrix (PDD Integration) - Optional

Include in Implementation Plan section. Enables Progress-Driven Development tracking.

Format

### Progress Matrix

| Feature | spec | design | impl | test | review | Progress |
| --- |:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
| Feature A | ⬜ | ⬜ | ⬜ | ⬜ | ⬜ | 0% |
| Feature B | ⬜ | ⬜ | ⬜ | ⬜ | ⬜ | 0% |

**Legend**: ⬜ none | 🔄 started | 📝 draft | 👀 reviewed | ✅ done

Steps (5 columns)

Step	Description	Completion Criteria
spec	Requirements defined	SOW/Spec sections complete
design	Architecture decided	Solution Design approved
impl	Code implemented	Core functionality working
test	Tests passing	Unit/Integration tests green
review	Quality verified	/audit + /validate passed

Progress Calculation

• Each step = 20% (5 steps total)
• Status weights: ⬜=0%, 🔄=25%, 📝=50%, 👀=75%, ✅=100%
• Feature progress = (Σ step weights) / 5

Usage

1. Initial: All features start with ⬜ in all columns
2. During /code: Update status as work progresses
3. Review with /validate: Verify matrix reflects actual state

Output

Save to: .claude/workspace/planning/[timestamp]-[feature]/sow.md

# Detect output location
!`ls -d .claude/ 2>/dev/null && echo "Project-local" || echo "Global: ~/.claude/"`

Display after save:

✅ SOW saved to: .claude/workspace/planning/[path]/sow.md

Example

# With explicit argument
/sow "Add user authentication with OAuth"

# After /research (auto-detects context)
/research "user authentication options"
/sow  # Uses research context automatically

# No context, no argument → asks for input
/sow
# → "What would you like to plan? Please provide a task description."

Next Steps

After SOW is created:

• /spec - Generate implementation specification
• /plans - View created documents