Project Lifecycle Standards

Skill Contents

Templates and Resources:

• Document templates in assets/templates/
• Format standards in references/
• Protocol guidelines for planning and execution

Reference Resources:

• assets/templates/ - Document templates for all project lifecycle phases
• references/plan-format.md - PLAN.md structure guidelines
• references/phase-patterns.md - Phase breakdown patterns
• references/scope-estimation.md - Task complexity estimation
• references/context-management.md - Context management practices
• references/execution-observation-points.md - Verification point standards
• references/authentication-gates.md - Authentication error handling
• references/git-integration.md - Git integration standards
• references/ - All planning and execution protocol standards

Document Templates

Quick Reference

Document Type	Template Location	Use Case
Project Brief	assets/templates/brief.md	Project starts
Roadmap	assets/templates/roadmap.md	Multi-phase projects
Phase Plan	assets/templates/phase-plan.md	Executable phases
Issue Entry	assets/templates/issue-entry.md	Deferred enhancements
Issues File	assets/templates/issues.md	ISSUES.md creation
Phase Summary	assets/templates/summary.md	Phase completions
Session Handoff	assets/templates/handoff.md	Session pauses mid-phase

Location Standards

Project Documents: .cattoolkit/planning/{project-slug}/

• BRIEF.md - Template: assets/templates/brief.md
• ROADMAP.md - Template: assets/templates/roadmap.md
• ISSUES.md - Template: assets/templates/issues.md

Phase Documents: .cattoolkit/planning/{project-slug}/phases/XX-name/

• PLAN.md - Template: assets/templates/phase-plan.md
• SUMMARY.md - Template: assets/templates/summary.md
• HANDOFF.md - Template: assets/templates/handoff.md

YAML Frontmatter Standards

Standard Format for Documents:

BRIEF.md:

---
project: [Project Name]
version: 1.0
status: in_progress
---

ROADMAP.md:

---
project: [Project Name]
version: 1.0
status: in_progress
---

PLAN.md:

---
phase: XX-name
type: execute
domain: [optional]
status: in_progress
---

Valid Status Values: in_progress, completed

PLAN.md Structure Standards

Structure Reference: See references/plan-format.md for detailed PLAN.md structure guidelines.

Standard Sections:

• Objective (purpose, output)
• Context (@references to required files)
• Tasks (specific, verifiable, with Done criteria)
• Checkpoints (human verification, decisions, actions)
• Success Criteria (measurable outcomes)

Protocol Standards

Planning Standards

Git Integration Standards

Reference: See references/git-integration.md for git integration guidelines.

Standard Commit Points:

• Project initialization (BRIEF + ROADMAP together)
• Phase completion (code shipped)
• Handoff (WIP state)

Standard Commit Format:

feat(domain): [one-liner from SUMMARY.md]

- [Key accomplishment 1]
- [Key accomplishment 2]
- [Key accomplishment 3]

Commit Pattern: Separate commits for PLAN.md creation, RESEARCH.md, FINDINGS.md, or minor planning tweaks are not part of the standard workflow.

Self-Verification Standards

Reference: See references/execution-observation-points.md for verification point guidelines.

Self-Verification Points replace Blocking Checkpoints:

• Agents verify their own work via CLI/automated checks
• Evidence logged in SUMMARY.md
• Human review at phase boundaries only
• HANDOFF.md for unrecoverable blockers

Standard Practice: Automated verification is preferred over manual intervention when possible.

Authentication Gate Protocol

Reference: See references/authentication-gates.md for authentication error handling.

Standard Response to Auth Errors:

1. RECOGNIZE: CLI/API returns "Not authenticated", "401", "403"
2. CREATE: HANDOFF.md with auth requirements
3. PROVIDE: Exact authentication steps needed
4. EXIT: Terminate execution (do not wait)
5. RESUME: Continue from handoff after human provides credentials

Validation Standards

Planning Document Compliance:

BRIEF.md Compliance:

• Contains project one-liner
• Success criteria are measurable
• Out of scope prevents creep
• Under 50 lines (v1.0) or includes current state (v1.1+)

ROADMAP.md Compliance:

• 3-6 phases total
• Each phase has goal and dependencies
• Progress table tracks completion
• Plan counts realistic

PLAN.md Compliance:

• YAML frontmatter complete
• Context lists @references
• Tasks have Files, Action, Verify, Done
• 2-3 tasks per plan

Execution Document Compliance:

SUMMARY.md Compliance:

• Substantive one-liner (not "phase complete")
• Files created/modified listed
• Verification evidence included
• Deviations documented
• Next steps clear

HANDOFF.md Compliance:

• Clear reason category
• What happened description
• Specific next actions
• Verification method
• Resume instructions

Handoff Classification Examples

These examples demonstrate the correct Handoff Reason for various scenarios.

<input> CLI returns "Error: Login required to deploy" </input> <reason>AUTH_GATE</reason> <action>Create HANDOFF.md requesting credentials.</action> <input> Task requires "Create User Model" but no database technology is selected in BRIEF.md </input> <reason>AMBIGUOUS</reason> <action>Create HANDOFF.md requesting architectural decision.</action> <input> Git push rejected with "Updates were rejected" </input> <reason>CONFLICT</reason> <action>Create HANDOFF.md requesting merge resolution.</action>