plan

Decompose a goal into a phased implementation strategy.

Part of [[.agents/skills/AGENTS|Skills Directory]].

When to Use

• New project or initiative needs a roadmap
• Complex task needs breakdown before execution
• Strategic decision requires options analysis

Inputs

Process

1. Clarify the goal — what does success look like? State observable outcomes, not internal attributes.
2. Identify unknowns — what do we need to research or prototype first? For significant unknowns, plan explicit spike/prototype phases that validate feasibility before committing.
3. Break into phases with clear dependencies
4. For each phase: define deliverables and acceptance criteria phrased as behavior a human can verify
5. Identify risks and mitigations
6. Write the plan as a note or add tasks to the board
7. For complex tasks: write the plan as a file (in project folder or .plans/). Plans that live as files can be handed to any agent or human cold.

Subagent Orchestration

When work partitions into independent subgraphs, dispatch parallel subagents with clear scope boundaries:

• Each subagent gets a self-contained task spec: objective, owned areas, do-not-touch list, acceptance criteria
• Define shared interfaces/contracts before parallel work begins
• Integrate in controlled order (highest-dependency first)
• Do NOT parallelize tightly-coupled work through shared state

Outputs

• Plan document (in project folder or .plans/)
• Tasks on [[apps/My tasks]] with phase labels
• Dependencies noted (which tasks block which)

Conventions

• Plans are living documents — update as reality changes. Maintain a Decision Log for why you changed course.
• Prefer fewer, larger phases over many tiny steps
• Every phase should produce something demonstrable — observable outcomes, not just “code that compiles”
• Include a “What We Don’t Build” section to prevent scope creep
• Record surprises and discoveries as you go — they inform future plans
• Plans should be self-contained enough that a novice (or stateless agent) can pick them up cold
• If a plan will produce many files in one folder, plan subfolder structure upfront. Reorganize any folder that crosses ~8–10 items (per [[AGENTS]] conventions).