Create Engineering Plan

Create Implementation Plan

Trigger

Use when the user asks how to build, sequence, scope, split, estimate, or safely implement a feature or change.

When To Use

• After requirements and architecture are clear enough.
• Before source-code changes.
• When migration, rollout, or dependency ordering matters.

Inputs Inspected

• PRD, UX flow, system map, architecture plan, data model, and API contract.
• Current codebase, test commands, package scripts, and repo conventions.

Workflow

1. Inspect upstream artifacts, current code locations, test scripts, CI config, and migration/deployment constraints.

2. Split work into independently reviewable implementation slices.

3. For each slice, name likely files/modules, behavior to change, tests to add/run, rollback notes, and dependencies.

4. Separate required work from optional follow-ups.

5. Write the plan scope file. Collect every file the plan expects to touch into .project/.engineering/current-plan.json:

   { "initiative_id": "<id>", "created_at": "<iso>", "affected_files": ["src/..."] }
   

   The edit-scope-guard PreToolUse hook reads this file and asks for confirmation when an edit lands outside the plan. Without it the guard has nothing to check against and is inert, so an unplanned edit passes silently.

6. Emit action items for unresolved questions, blocked dependencies, manual QA and release prerequisites. Write them as - [ ] checklist lines in the plan, then ingest them:

   python "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/emit-action-items.py" <plan path>
   

   That writes ledger/action-items.json, which the dashboard and the Linear sync both read. A checklist that is never ingested is invisible outside the document. Put anything needing a human decision under ## Open Questions instead; it is scraped into the open-questions store automatically.

7. For a high-stakes, irreversible, or cross-cutting change, convene run-engineering-council before committing to the sequence.

8. Run python "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/validate-artifact.py" <artifact paths>.

Outputs

• .project/docs/engineering/<initiative-id>/engineering-plan.md
• .project/docs/engineering/<initiative-id>/task-breakdown.md
• .project/.engineering/current-plan.json (the scope the edit guard enforces)
• .project/.engineering/ledger/action-items.json (via emit-action-items.py)

Required Front Matter

• initiative_id
• skill
• created_at
• status
• confidence
• source_artifacts

Required Sections

• Goal
• Current State
• Implementation Slices
• Data Or Migration Work
• Test Plan
• Rollback
• Open Questions

Safety Constraints

• Identify files or modules likely to change without editing them.
• Include tests, rollback, and migration notes when relevant.
• Separate required work from optional follow-ups.

Related Agents

• solution-architect
• frontend-engineer
• backend-engineer
• database-engineer
• qa-test-strategist