Epic Scoping

Epic Scoping Skill

Interactive question bank-driven scoping for epic workflows.

Purpose

Systematically scope epics with structured AskUserQuestion calls, eliminating ambiguity before planning. Uses centralized question bank to ensure consistent, comprehensive scoping.

When to Invoke

• Always for new epics (via /epic command)
• Skip if resuming with /epic continue

Quick Start

# Load question bank
cat .claude/skills/epic/references/question-bank.md

5-Round Interactive Scoping

Round 1: Initial Scoping (2 questions)

Questions from bank:

• initial_scoping.business_goal
• initial_scoping.subsystem_selection

AskUserQuestion({
  questions: [
    questionBank.initial_scoping.business_goal,
    questionBank.initial_scoping.subsystem_selection,
  ],
});

Apply answers to epic-spec.md:

• business_goal → ## Objective > ### Business Value
• subsystem_selection → ## Subsystems (update Involved field)

Round 2: Scope Refinement (0-4 questions, conditional)

Based on subsystem_selection, ask relevant follow-ups:

const refinementQuestions = [];

if (selectedSubsystems.includes("Backend API")) {
  refinementQuestions.push(questionBank.scope_refinement.backend_scope);
}
if (selectedSubsystems.includes("Frontend UI")) {
  refinementQuestions.push(questionBank.scope_refinement.frontend_scope);
}
if (selectedSubsystems.includes("Database")) {
  refinementQuestions.push(questionBank.scope_refinement.database_scope);
}
if (selectedSubsystems.includes("External integrations")) {
  refinementQuestions.push(questionBank.scope_refinement.integration_scope);
}

if (refinementQuestions.length > 0) {
  AskUserQuestion({ questions: refinementQuestions });
}

Apply answers:

• backend_scope → ### Backend section
• frontend_scope → ### Frontend section
• database_scope → ### Database section
• integration_scope → ### Infrastructure section

Round 3: Success Metrics (2 questions)

AskUserQuestion({
  questions: [
    questionBank.success_metrics.measurement_approach,
    questionBank.success_metrics.target_values,
  ],
});

// If "Specific targets" selected, follow-up:
if (answers["Targets"] === "Specific targets") {
  const customTargets = answers["Targets_custom"];
  // Parse and apply to epic-spec.md
}

Apply answers:

• measurement_approach → ### Success Metrics section
• target_values → ### Success Metrics (actual values)

Round 4: Dependencies & Constraints (2 questions)

AskUserQuestion({
  questions: [
    questionBank.dependencies_and_constraints.external_dependencies,
    questionBank.dependencies_and_constraints.constraints,
  ],
});

Apply answers:

• external_dependencies → ## Dependencies section
• constraints → ### Constraints section

Round 5: Complexity Assessment (2 questions)

AskUserQuestion({
  questions: [
    questionBank.complexity_assessment.technical_complexity,
    questionBank.complexity_assessment.sprint_estimate,
  ],
});

// Warn if 7+ sprints
if (answers["Sprint Estimate"] === "7+ sprints") {
  console.log("Warning: Consider breaking into smaller epics");
}

Apply answers:

• technical_complexity → YAML frontmatter complexity field
• sprint_estimate → ## Overview section

Progress Indicators

Show progress after each round:

🔍 Epic Scoping: Round 1/5 (Initial scoping)
📝 Applied: Business Goal → New capability
📝 Applied: Subsystems → Backend API, Frontend UI, Database
🔍 Epic Scoping: Round 2/5 (Scope refinement)
...

Completion Summary

After 5 rounds:

✅ Epic Scoping Complete (9 questions answered)

📊 Epic Summary:
  Business Goal: New capability
  Subsystems: Backend API, Frontend UI, Database (3)
  Success Metrics: User adoption (target: 80% within 30 days)
  Dependencies: Third-party APIs (Stripe)
  Constraints: Time constraint (2-week deadline)
  Complexity: Medium
  Estimated Sprints: 3-4 sprints

📋 Next Steps:
  1. Review epic-spec.md for accuracy
  2. Run /plan to generate research → plan → sprint breakdown
  3. Run /epic continue to execute automated workflow

Velocity Benefit

• With skill: 5-10 minute interactive scoping
• Without skill: 30+ minute unstructured discussion
• Improvement: 3-6x faster

Question Bank Reference

Location: .claude/skills/epic/references/question-bank.md

Contains:

• Initial scoping (2 questions)
• Scope refinement (0-4 conditional)
• Success metrics (2 questions)
• Dependencies & constraints (2 questions)
• Complexity assessment (2 questions)

Total: 8-9 questions across 5 rounds