plan

Skill: plan

Create structured plans for complex tasks and projects.

When to Use

• New projects or features
• Complex refactoring
• Multi-file changes
• When unsure of approach
• Before writing significant code

Planning Process

1. Understand the Goal

• What is the desired end state?
• What problem does this solve?
• What are the constraints?

2. Analyze Current State

• What exists today?
• What needs to change?
• What are the dependencies?

3. Identify Paths Forward

• Option A: {description}
• Option B: {description}
• Option C: {description}

4. Evaluate Options

• Pros and cons of each
• Risk assessment
• Effort vs. value

5. Choose Direction

• Select best path
• Document rationale
• Define success criteria

6. Decompose into Steps

• Atomic, verifiable tasks
• Dependencies identified
• Estimated effort

Output Format

## Plan: {task/goal}

### Understanding
**Problem:** {what problem this solves}
**Success criteria:** {how we know we're done}
**Constraints:** {limitations}

### Current State
{summary of existing code/state}

### Options Considered

#### Option A: {name}
- **Approach:** {description}
- **Pros:** {list}
- **Cons:** {list}
- **Risk:** {assessment}
- **Effort:** {t-shirt sizing}

#### Option B: {name}
...

### Decision
**Selected:** Option {letter}
**Rationale:** {why this option}

### Implementation Plan

| Step | Task | Dependencies | Effort |
|------|------|--------------|--------|
| 1 | {task} | none | {time} |
| 2 | {task} | step 1 | {time} |
| 3 | {task} | steps 1, 2 | {time} |

### Verification
- [ ] {criterion 1}
- [ ] {criterion 2}
- [ ] {criterion 3}

### Timeline
**Estimated total:** {time}
**Checkpoints:** {milestones}

Planning Modes

Quick Plan

• 5-10 minutes
• High-level only
• Good for small tasks

Full Plan

• 20-30 minutes
• Detailed steps
• Risk analysis
• Good for complex work

RALPLAN

• Consensus-based
• Pre-execution gate
• See ralplan skill

Constraints

• Verify before planning
• Consider multiple approaches
• Keep plans realistic
• Include verification steps
• Update when reality changes