steveclarke/goal

Goal Planning

Overview

Compressed alternative to the full feature development process. Produces a single goal.md document through a quick conversational interview — typically 3-6 questions total.

One document instead of four. Plain language instead of formal requirement IDs. Quick interview instead of deep multi-phase discovery.

When to use this:

• Infrastructure work (deploy, configure, set up a service)
• Script or small tool development
• Technical configurations or migrations
• Anything bigger than a one-off task but not a full product feature

When NOT to use this:

• Full product features → use /feature-vision, /feature-requirements, /feature-spec, /feature-plan
• Simple one-off tasks → just do them or use plan mode

IMPORTANT: Start by creating a TODO list to track the 3 phases of goal creation. Mark the first phase as "in_progress" and others as "pending".

Goal Document Structure

A goal.md is a single markdown file with four sections:

1. Goal Statement — One paragraph: what you're building, why, what success looks like
2. Requirements — Simple bullets in plain language (no REQ-X.X.X IDs, no user story format)
3. Technical Approach — Brief technical decisions: tools, languages, integration points, key choices
4. Plan — Ordered steps with checkboxes, ready to execute

Target length: 1-2 pages total. If it's getting longer, you're over-thinking it — use the full feature process instead.

Process: Work Through These 3 Phases Sequentially

Phase 1: Discovery (2-3 questions)

Understand what and why. Ask ONE question at a time:

• What are you trying to accomplish?
• Why does this need to be done? (What problem does it solve or what does it enable?)
• Any constraints or context I should know? (Existing systems, preferences, limitations)

Keep it conversational. Don't ask questions you can answer yourself from context — check the codebase, memory, and project docs first. If the goal is already clear from what the user said, skip straight to confirming your understanding rather than re-asking.

Goal of this phase: Enough understanding to write a clear goal statement and requirements bullets.

Phase 2: Technical Approach (1-2 questions)

Understand how. Again, ONE question at a time:

• What tools, languages, or technologies should we use? (Or: here's what I'd suggest based on your stack — does that sound right?)
• Are there existing patterns or systems this needs to integrate with?

Be opinionated. If you know the user's stack and preferences, propose an approach and ask for confirmation rather than open-ended questions. Check the codebase for existing patterns before asking.

Goal of this phase: Key technical decisions made. Ready to write the document.

Phase 3: Document Generation

Before generating, confirm the save location:

• Default: goals/YYYY-MM-DD-brief-name/goal.md relative to the current project root
• If the current project doesn't make sense, ask where to save it

Generate the goal.md with this structure:

# Goal: [Brief Title]

## Goal Statement

[One paragraph — what you're building, why it's needed, what success looks like.]

## Requirements

- [Simple bullet — what the system must do]
- [Another capability]
- [Any constraints]
- [Keep these plain and practical]

## Technical Approach

[Brief — what tools, languages, frameworks. Key technical decisions and why.
Integration points with existing systems. 1-2 short paragraphs max.]

## Plan

- [ ] Step 1 — description
- [ ] Step 2 — description
- [ ] Step 3 — description
  - [ ] Sub-step if needed
- [ ] Step N — verify everything works

After generating: Mark all TODO phases complete. Ask if the user wants to start executing the plan or adjust anything first.

Guidelines

• Speed is the point. Total interview: 3-6 questions. Don't fish for detail you don't need.
• One question at a time. Wait for the answer before asking the next.
• Be opinionated. Propose approaches based on what you know about the user's stack and preferences. Don't ask when you can suggest.
• Plain language. No corporate speak, no formal IDs, no jargon unless it's technical and necessary.
• Check context first. Read relevant files, memory, and project docs before asking questions the codebase can answer.
• Single document. No discussion-summary.md, no future.md, no cross-references. Just one goal.md.
• Practical plans. Steps should be concrete and executable. Include validation steps. No time estimates.