excatt/skills/feature-planner

Feature Planner

Purpose

Generate structured, phase-based plans where:

• Each phase delivers complete, runnable functionality
• Quality gates enforce validation before proceeding
• User approves plan before any work begins
• Progress tracked via markdown checkboxes
• Each phase is 1-4 hours maximum

Planning Workflow

Step 1: Requirements Analysis

1. Read relevant files to understand codebase architecture
2. Identify dependencies and integration points
3. Assess complexity and risks
4. Determine appropriate scope (small/medium/large)

Step 2: Phase Breakdown with TDD Integration

Break feature into 3-7 phases where each phase:

• Test-First: Write tests BEFORE implementation
• Delivers working, testable functionality
• Takes 1-4 hours maximum
• Follows Red-Green-Refactor cycle
• Has measurable test coverage requirements
• Can be rolled back independently
• Has clear success criteria

Phase Structure:

• Phase Name: Clear deliverable
• Goal: What working functionality this produces
• Test Strategy: What test types, coverage target, test scenarios
• Tasks (ordered by TDD workflow):
  1. RED Tasks: Write failing tests first
  2. GREEN Tasks: Implement minimal code to make tests pass
  3. REFACTOR Tasks: Improve code quality while tests stay green
• Quality Gate: TDD compliance + validation criteria
• Dependencies: What must exist before starting
• Coverage Target: Specific percentage or checklist for this phase

Step 3: Plan Document Creation

Use plan-template.md to generate: docs/plans/PLAN_<feature-name>.md

Include:

• Overview and objectives
• Architecture decisions with rationale
• Complete phase breakdown with checkboxes
• Quality gate checklists
• Risk assessment table
• Rollback strategy per phase
• Progress tracking section
• Notes & learnings area

Step 4: User Approval

CRITICAL: Use AskUserQuestion to get explicit approval before proceeding.

Ask:

• "Does this phase breakdown make sense for your project?"
• "Any concerns about the proposed approach?"
• "Should I proceed with creating the plan document?"

Only create plan document after user confirms approval.

Step 5: Document Generation

1. Create docs/plans/ directory if not exists
2. Generate plan document with all checkboxes unchecked
3. Add clear instructions in header about quality gates
4. Inform user of plan location and next steps

Quality Gate Standards

Each phase MUST validate these items before proceeding to next phase:

Build & Compilation:

• [ ] Project builds/compiles without errors
• [ ] No syntax errors

Test-Driven Development (TDD):

• [ ] Tests written BEFORE production code
• [ ] Red-Green-Refactor cycle followed
• [ ] Unit tests: ≥80% coverage for business logic
• [ ] Integration tests: Critical user flows validated
• [ ] Test suite runs in acceptable time (<5 minutes)

Testing:

• [ ] All existing tests pass
• [ ] New tests added for new functionality
• [ ] Test coverage maintained or improved

Code Quality:

• [ ] Linting passes with no errors
• [ ] Type checking passes (if applicable)
• [ ] Code formatting consistent

Functionality:

• [ ] Manual testing confirms feature works
• [ ] No regressions in existing functionality
• [ ] Edge cases tested

Security & Performance:

• [ ] No new security vulnerabilities
• [ ] No performance degradation
• [ ] Resource usage acceptable

Documentation:

• [ ] Code comments updated
• [ ] Documentation reflects changes

Progress Tracking Protocol

Add this to plan document header:

**CRITICAL INSTRUCTIONS**: After completing each phase:
1. ✅ Check off completed task checkboxes
2. 🧪 Run all quality gate validation commands
3. ⚠️ Verify ALL quality gate items pass
4. 📅 Update "Last Updated" date
5. 📝 Document learnings in Notes section
6. ➡️ Only then proceed to next phase

⛔ DO NOT skip quality gates or proceed with failing checks

Phase Sizing Guidelines

Small Scope (2-3 phases, 3-6 hours total):

• Single component or simple feature
• Minimal dependencies
• Clear requirements
• Example: Add dark mode toggle, create new form component

Medium Scope (4-5 phases, 8-15 hours total):

• Multiple components or moderate feature
• Some integration complexity
• Database changes or API work
• Example: User authentication system, search functionality

Large Scope (6-7 phases, 15-25 hours total):

• Complex feature spanning multiple areas
• Significant architectural impact
• Multiple integrations
• Example: AI-powered search with embeddings, real-time collaboration

Risk Assessment

Identify and document:

• Technical Risks: API changes, performance issues, data migration
• Dependency Risks: External library updates, third-party service availability
• Timeline Risks: Complexity unknowns, blocking dependencies
• Quality Risks: Test coverage gaps, regression potential

For each risk, specify:

• Probability: Low/Medium/High
• Impact: Low/Medium/High
• Mitigation Strategy: Specific action steps

Rollback Strategy

For each phase, document how to revert changes if issues arise. Consider:

• What code changes need to be undone
• Database migrations to reverse (if applicable)
• Configuration changes to restore
• Dependencies to remove

Test Specification Guidelines

Test-First Development Workflow

For Each Feature Component:

1. Specify Test Cases (before writing ANY code)

   • What inputs will be tested?
   • What outputs are expected?
   • What edge cases must be handled?
   • What error conditions should be tested?

2. Write Tests (Red Phase)

   • Write tests that WILL fail
   • Verify tests fail for the right reason
   • Run tests to confirm failure
   • Commit failing tests to track TDD compliance

3. Implement Code (Green Phase)

   • Write minimal code to make tests pass
   • Run tests frequently (every 2-5 minutes)
   • Stop when all tests pass
   • No additional functionality beyond tests

4. Refactor (Blue Phase)

   • Improve code quality while tests remain green
   • Extract duplicated logic
   • Improve naming and structure
   • Run tests after each refactoring step
   • Commit when refactoring complete

Test Types

Unit Tests:

• Target: Individual functions, methods, classes
• Dependencies: None or mocked/stubbed
• Speed: Fast (<100ms per test)
• Isolation: Complete isolation from external systems
• Coverage: ≥80% of business logic

Integration Tests:

• Target: Interaction between components/modules
• Dependencies: May use real dependencies
• Speed: Moderate (<1s per test)
• Isolation: Tests component boundaries
• Coverage: Critical integration points

End-to-End (E2E) Tests:

• Target: Complete user workflows
• Dependencies: Real or near-real environment
• Speed: Slow (seconds to minutes)
• Isolation: Full system integration
• Coverage: Critical user journeys

Test Coverage Calculation

Coverage Thresholds (adjust for your project):

• Business Logic: ≥90% (critical code paths)
• Data Access Layer: ≥80% (repositories, DAOs)
• API/Controller Layer: ≥70% (endpoints)
• UI/Presentation: Integration tests preferred over coverage

Coverage Commands by Ecosystem:

# JavaScript/TypeScript
jest --coverage
nyc report --reporter=html

# Python
pytest --cov=src --cov-report=html
coverage report

# Java
mvn jacoco:report
gradle jacocoTestReport

# Go
go test -cover ./...
go tool cover -html=coverage.out

# .NET
dotnet test /p:CollectCoverage=true /p:CoverageReporter=html
reportgenerator -reports:coverage.xml -targetdir:coverage

# Ruby
bundle exec rspec --coverage
open coverage/index.html

# PHP
phpunit --coverage-html coverage

Common Test Patterns

Arrange-Act-Assert (AAA) Pattern:

test 'description of behavior':
  // Arrange: Set up test data and dependencies
  input = createTestData()

  // Act: Execute the behavior being tested
  result = systemUnderTest.method(input)

  // Assert: Verify expected outcome
  assert result == expectedOutput

Given-When-Then (BDD Style):

test 'feature should behave in specific way':
  // Given: Initial context/state
  given userIsLoggedIn()

  // When: Action occurs
  when userClicksButton()

  // Then: Observable outcome
  then shouldSeeConfirmation()

Mocking/Stubbing Dependencies:

test 'component should call dependency':
  // Create mock/stub
  mockService = createMock(ExternalService)
  component = new Component(mockService)

  // Configure mock behavior
  when(mockService.method()).thenReturn(expectedData)

  // Execute and verify
  component.execute()
  verify(mockService.method()).calledOnce()

Test Documentation in Plan

In each phase, specify:

1. Test File Location: Exact path where tests will be written
2. Test Scenarios: List of specific test cases
3. Expected Failures: What error should tests show initially?
4. Coverage Target: Percentage for this phase
5. Dependencies to Mock: What needs mocking/stubbing?
6. Test Data: What fixtures/factories are needed?

Supporting Files Reference

• plan-template.md - Complete plan document template