melikhanmutlu/plan-writing

Plan Writing

Source: obra/superpowers

Overview

This skill provides a framework for breaking down work into clear, actionable tasks with verification criteria.

Task Breakdown Principles

1. Small, Focused Tasks

• Each task should take 2-5 minutes
• One clear outcome per task
• Independently verifiable

2. Clear Verification

• How do you know it's done?
• What can you check/test?
• What's the expected output?

3. Logical Ordering

• Dependencies identified
• Parallel work where possible
• Critical path highlighted
• Phase X: Verification is always LAST

4. Dynamic Naming in Project Root

• Plan files are saved as {task-slug}.md in the PROJECT ROOT
• Name derived from task (e.g., "add auth" → auth-feature.md)
• NEVER inside .claude/, docs/, or temp folders

Planning Principles (NOT Templates!)

🔴 NO fixed templates. Each plan is UNIQUE to the task.

Principle 1: Keep It SHORT

| ❌ Wrong | ✅ Right | |----------|----------| | 50 tasks with sub-sub-tasks | 5-10 clear tasks max | | Every micro-step listed | Only actionable items | | Verbose descriptions | One-line per task |

Rule: If plan is longer than 1 page, it's too long. Simplify.

---

Principle 2: Be SPECIFIC, Not Generic

| ❌ Wrong | ✅ Right | |----------|----------| | "Set up project" | "Run npx create-next-app" | | "Add authentication" | "Install next-auth, create /api/auth/[...nextauth].ts" | | "Style the UI" | "Add Tailwind classes to Header.tsx" |

Rule: Each task should have a clear, verifiable outcome.

---

Principle 3: Dynamic Content Based on Project Type

For NEW PROJECT:

• What tech stack? (decide first)
• What's the MVP? (minimal features)
• What's the file structure?

For FEATURE ADDITION:

• Which files are affected?
• What dependencies needed?
• How to verify it works?

For BUG FIX:

• What's the root cause?
• What file/line to change?
• How to test the fix?

---

Principle 4: Scripts Are Project-Specific

🔴 DO NOT copy-paste script commands. Choose based on project type.

| Project Type | Relevant Scripts | |--------------|------------------| | Frontend/React | ux_audit.py, accessibility_checker.py | | Backend/API | api_validator.py, security_scan.py | | Mobile | mobile_audit.py | | Database | schema_validator.py | | Full-stack | Mix of above based on what you touched |

Wrong: Adding all scripts to every plan Right: Only scripts relevant to THIS task

---

Principle 5: Verification is Simple

| ❌ Wrong | ✅ Right | |----------|----------| | "Verify the component works correctly" | "Run npm run dev, click button, see toast" | | "Test the API" | "curl localhost:3000/api/users returns 200" | | "Check styles" | "Open browser, verify dark mode toggle works" |

---

Plan Structure (Flexible, Not Fixed!)

# [Task Name]

## Goal
One sentence: What are we building/fixing?

## Tasks
- [ ] Task 1: [Specific action] → Verify: [How to check]
- [ ] Task 2: [Specific action] → Verify: [How to check]
- [ ] Task 3: [Specific action] → Verify: [How to check]

## Done When
- [ ] [Main success criteria]

That's it. No phases, no sub-sections unless truly needed. Keep it minimal. Add complexity only when required.

Notes

[Any important considerations]

---

## Best Practices (Quick Reference)

1. **Start with goal** - What are we building/fixing?
2. **Max 10 tasks** - If more, break into multiple plans
3. **Each task verifiable** - Clear "done" criteria
4. **Project-specific** - No copy-paste templates
5. **Update as you go** - Mark `[x]` when complete

---

## When to Use

- New project from scratch
- Adding a feature
- Fixing a bug (if complex)
- Refactoring multiple files
- Any multi-step coding task where you need a clear, actionable checklist

---

## Concise Planning Workflow

For quick plan generation:

### 1. Scan Context
- Read `README.md`, docs, and relevant code files
- Identify constraints (language, frameworks, tests)

### 2. Minimal Interaction
- Ask **at most 1-2 questions** and only if truly blocking
- Make reasonable assumptions for non-blocking unknowns

### 3. Generate Plan Structure
- **Approach**: 1-3 sentences on what and why
- **Scope**: Bullet points for "In" and "Out"
- **Action Items**: 6-10 atomic, ordered tasks (verb-first)
- **Validation**: At least one item for testing
- **Open Questions**: Max 3

### Checklist Guidelines
- **Atomic**: Each step is a single logical unit of work
- **Verb-first**: "Add...", "Refactor...", "Verify..."
- **Concrete**: Name specific files or modules when possible

---

## Detailed Implementation Plans

For complex features requiring zero-context handoff, write plans assuming the engineer has zero codebase context. Document everything: which files to touch, complete code, testing, docs to check, how to verify.

### Plan Document Header

Every detailed plan MUST start with:

```markdown
# [Feature Name] Implementation Plan

**Goal:** [One sentence describing what this builds]

**Architecture:** [2-3 sentences about approach]

**Tech Stack:** [Key technologies/libraries]

Bite-Sized Task Granularity

Each step is one action (2-5 minutes):

• "Write the failing test" - step
• "Run it to make sure it fails" - step
• "Implement the minimal code to make the test pass" - step
• "Run the tests and make sure they pass" - step
• "Commit" - step

Task Structure

### Task N: [Component Name]

**Files:**
- Create: `exact/path/to/file.py`
- Modify: `exact/path/to/existing.py:123-145`
- Test: `tests/exact/path/to/test.py`

**Step 1: Write the failing test**

```python
def test_specific_behavior():
    result = function(input)
    assert result == expected
```

**Step 2: Run test to verify it fails**

Run: `pytest tests/path/test.py::test_name -v`
Expected: FAIL with "function not defined"

**Step 3: Write minimal implementation**

**Step 4: Run test to verify it passes**

**Step 5: Commit**

Key Principles for Detailed Plans

• Exact file paths always
• Complete code in plan (not "add validation")
• Exact commands with expected output
• DRY, YAGNI, TDD, frequent commits