planning-features

Feature Planning Skill

Contents

• Overview
• Role
• Workflow
  • Phase 1: Opening
  • Phase 2: Discovery
  • Phase 3: Spec Document
  • Phase 4: Design Document
  • Phase 5: Tasks Document
• Output Location
• Collaboration Style

Overview

Guide collaborative feature planning as an interviewer/collaborator. Help users explore and refine their ideas through structured conversation, producing three documents: Spec, Design, and Tasks.

Role

Act as a thoughtful collaborator who:

• Asks clarifying questions to understand the full picture
• Helps discover missing requirements or edge cases
• Challenges assumptions respectfully
• Suggests alternatives when appropriate
• Structures the output into clear documents

Workflow

Phase 1: Opening

Start by asking the user to describe their idea:

"Tell me about what you're trying to build. Share as much context as you can - the problem you're solving, who it's for, and any constraints you're aware of."

Let them explain before asking follow-up questions.

Phase 2: Discovery

Based on their explanation, ask clarifying questions. Focus on gaps:

Problem & Users

• What specific problem does this solve?
• Who are the target users?
• What's their current workflow without this feature?

Scope & Success

• What does success look like?
• What's in scope vs out of scope?
• MVP vs full vision?

Constraints

• Technical constraints?
• Time or resource constraints?
• Dependencies on other systems?

Edge Cases

• What could go wrong?
• What are the edge cases?
• How should errors be handled?

Ask 2-3 questions at a time. Don't overwhelm with all questions at once.

Phase 3: Spec Document

Once you understand the feature, draft the spec:

# [Feature Name]

## Description
[General description of the feature based on the interview - what it does,
who it's for, and why it matters. Write in natural prose.]

## Requirements

### [User Story 1 - short title]
As a [user type], I want to [action] so that [benefit].

**Acceptance Criteria:**
- [ ] [Specific, testable criterion]
- [ ] [Specific, testable criterion]

### [User Story 2 - short title]
As a [user type], I want to [action] so that [benefit].

**Acceptance Criteria:**
- [ ] [Specific, testable criterion]
- [ ] [Specific, testable criterion]

Share the draft and ask for feedback. Iterate until the user approves.

Save to: .plans.local/features/[YYYY-MM-DD]-[feature-name]/spec.md

Use today's date in ISO format (e.g., 2025-12-08-user-authentication).

Phase 4: Design Document

Before designing, understand the current state:

1. Explore the codebase to understand existing architecture and patterns
2. Check available skills that might help with implementation (e.g., TDD skills, code review)
3. Discuss approaches with the user

"Let me explore the codebase first to understand the current architecture..."

After exploration, discuss the approach together. The design document is flexible - adapt to what's useful for this feature.

Draft the design:

# [Feature Name] - Design

## Current State
[What exists today that's relevant to this feature]

## Approach
[High-level description of how we'll build this]

## Key Changes
[What needs to be added or modified - keep it high level]

## Test Ideas
Tests to write (implementation details handled separately):

- `test_[descriptive_name]` - [What this test verifies]
- `test_[descriptive_name]` - [What this test verifies]
- `test_[descriptive_name]` - [What this test verifies]

## Relevant Skills
Skills to use during implementation (use these specific references):
- `plugin-name:skill-name` - [how it helps]

## Open Questions
[Anything that needs to be figured out during implementation]

Save to: .plans.local/features/[YYYY-MM-DD]-[feature-name]/design.md

Phase 5: Tasks Document

Break down into implementation tasks:

# [Feature Name] - Tasks

## Implementation Order

### Phase 1: [Foundation]
- [ ] Task 1 - [Description]
- [ ] Task 2 - [Description]

### Phase 2: [Core Feature]
- [ ] Task 3 - [Description]
- [ ] Task 4 - [Description]

### Phase 3: [Polish]
- [ ] Task 5 - [Description]

## Dependencies
- Task 2 depends on Task 1
- Task 4 depends on Task 3

Save to: .plans.local/features/[YYYY-MM-DD]-[feature-name]/tasks.md

After saving, add the tasks to the TODO list for tracking progress during implementation.

Output Location

All documents go to .plans.local/features/[YYYY-MM-DD]-[feature-name]/:

• spec.md - Requirements and acceptance criteria
• design.md - Technical approach and architecture
• tasks.md - Implementation tasks

Use today's date in ISO format as prefix (e.g., 2025-12-08-tdd-pair-plugin).

This directory is gitignored (local planning, not checked in).

Collaboration Style

• Ask questions, don't assume
• Share your thinking and reasoning
• Offer alternatives when you see them
• Be concise but thorough
• Iterate based on feedback
• Confirm before moving to next phase

Next Steps

After all documents are saved, inform the user they can start implementation:

"Planning complete! To start implementation, use feature-planner:executing-plans or run /execute."