Executing Plans

Executing Plans

Core Principle

Execute plans systematically, one task at a time, with verification checkpoints. NEVER work through multiple tasks without verification.

When to Use This Skill

• After completing writing-plans skill and getting user approval
• You have a written plan with TodoWrite entries
• Multi-step implementation work
• Any task where order matters

The Iron Law

Execute ONE task at a time. Verify EACH task before proceeding.

Reasons:

• Catches errors early when they're cheap to fix
• Prevents cascading failures
• Maintains working state between steps
• Allows rollback to last known-good state
• Gives user visibility into progress

Execution Protocol

Step 1: Announce Start of Execution

Template:

I'm using the executing-plans skill to implement this systematically.

I'll work through each task one at a time, verifying as I go.

Step 2: Mark Task as In Progress

BEFORE starting ANY work:

Marking Task 1 as in_progress.

Update TodoWrite status to in_progress.

CRITICAL: Only ONE task should ever be in_progress at a time.

Step 3: Execute the Task

Follow the task's action items EXACTLY as written in the plan:

1. Read the plan task carefully
2. Execute each action step
3. Document any deviations or issues
4. If you encounter problems, STOP and report

Step 4: Verify the Task

MANDATORY after each task:

1. Run the verification specified in the plan
2. Check the expected outcome
3. If verification fails:
   • DO NOT proceed to next task
   • Investigate the failure
   • Fix the issue
   • Re-verify
4. If verification passes:
   • Mark task as completed
   • Document the successful verification

Template:

Verifying Task 1:
- Running: [verification command]
- Expected: [expected outcome]
- Actual: [actual outcome]
- Status: ✅ PASS / ❌ FAIL

Step 5: Mark Task as Completed

ONLY after successful verification:

Task 1 completed successfully. Moving to Task 2.

Update TodoWrite status to completed.

Step 6: Repeat for Next Task

Before moving on, explicitly state:

Marking Task 2 as in_progress.

NEVER start a new task without:

1. Completing previous task
2. Verifying previous task
3. Marking previous task as completed
4. Marking new task as in_progress

Step 7: Handle Failures

If a task fails verification:

Template:

❌ Task [X] verification FAILED

Expected: [what should have happened]
Actual: [what actually happened]

Issue: [description of problem]

I'm investigating before proceeding. Keeping Task [X] as in_progress.

Actions to take:

1. Keep task as in_progress (don't mark completed)
2. Investigate the root cause
3. Fix the issue
4. Re-verify
5. Only mark completed after successful verification

If issue is blocking:

This issue is blocking progress. I need to resolve it before continuing.

Options:
1. [Fix approach 1]
2. [Fix approach 2]

Which approach would you prefer?

Step 8: Report Progress Regularly

For long-running plans, provide status updates:

Template:

Progress Update:
✅ Task 1: [Name] - Completed
✅ Task 2: [Name] - Completed
🔄 Task 3: [Name] - In Progress
⏳ Task 4: [Name] - Pending
⏳ Task 5: [Name] - Pending

Currently working on: [Current task description]

Critical Safety Checks

Before ANY Database Operation

MANDATORY: Use database-backup skill

Before proceeding with Task [X] (database operation), I'm using the database-backup skill.

Before Running Tests

MANDATORY: Use database safety wrapper

Running tests with safety wrapper: ./scripts/safe-test.sh [test command]

Before Git Operations

1. Verify clean working directory
2. Ensure you're on correct branch
3. Pull latest changes if needed

Red Flags (Execution is Going Wrong)

• ❌ Multiple tasks marked as in_progress → Only ONE at a time
• ❌ Skipping verification → NEVER skip verification
• ❌ Marking tasks completed without verification → Verification is mandatory
• ❌ "I'll test everything at the end" → Test each task immediately
• ❌ Deviating from plan without user approval → Stick to the plan
• ❌ Moving to next task despite failed verification → Fix failures first

Common Rationalizations to Reject

• ❌ "I'll verify later" → Verify NOW
• ❌ "These tasks are related, I'll do them together" → One at a time
• ❌ "Verification is too slow" → Verification SAVES time
• ❌ "I know it works" → Prove it with verification
• ❌ "I'll batch the todos" → Update todos immediately

When Plans Change

If you discover issues during execution:

Template:

During Task [X], I discovered [issue/new information].

This affects the plan:
- [Impact 1]
- [Impact 2]

I recommend [adjustment to plan].

Should I:
1. Continue with original plan
2. Adjust plan as suggested
3. Stop and re-plan

NEVER silently deviate from the plan.

Integration with Other Skills

Before executing-plans: Use writing-plans skill During execution: Use database-backup, test-driven-development as needed After execution: Use code-review and verification-before-completion skills

Example Execution

Starting a Plan

I'm using the executing-plans skill to implement user authentication.

Plan has 6 tasks. I'll execute them one at a time with verification.

Marking Task 1 as in_progress: Install and Configure Sanctum

Executing Task 1

Task 1: Install and Configure Sanctum

Actions:
1. Running: composer require laravel/sanctum
   ✅ Package installed

2. Publishing config: php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Laravel\Sanctum\SanctumServiceProvider"
   ✅ Config published

3. Database backup (MANDATORY before migration)
   I'm using the database-backup skill.
   ✅ Backup created: backups/database_2025-01-06_14-30-00.sql

4. Running migration: php artisan migrate
   ✅ Migrations completed

5. Adding Sanctum middleware to app/Http/Kernel.php
   ✅ Middleware added

Verifying Task 1:
- Running: php artisan route:list | grep sanctum
- Expected: Sanctum routes should be visible
- Actual: Found sanctum routes in output
- Status: ✅ PASS

Task 1 completed successfully.

Moving to Task 2

Marking Task 2 as in_progress: Create Authentication Controller

Task 2: Create Authentication Controller

Actions:
1. Creating app/Http/Controllers/AuthController.php
   ✅ File created

2. Implementing register() method with validation
   ✅ Method added

3. Implementing login() method with token generation
   ✅ Method added

4. Implementing logout() method with token revocation
   ✅ Method added

Verifying Task 2:
- Running: cat app/Http/Controllers/AuthController.php | grep "public function"
- Expected: Should see register, login, logout methods
- Actual: All three methods present
- Status: ✅ PASS

Task 2 completed successfully.

Handling a Failure

Marking Task 5 as in_progress: Run Tests with Database Backup

Task 5: Run Tests with Database Backup

Actions:
1. Using database-backup skill
   ✅ Backup created: backups/database_2025-01-06_14-45-00.sql

2. Running: ./scripts/safe-test.sh vendor/bin/paratest --filter=AuthenticationTest
   ❌ Test failed

Verifying Task 5:
- Running: vendor/bin/paratest --filter=AuthenticationTest
- Expected: All authentication tests pass
- Actual: 2 failures in login test
- Status: ❌ FAIL

Error output:

Failed asserting that 401 matches expected 200. Expected token in response, got error message.

Issue: Login endpoint returning 401 instead of 200. Appears to be credentials validation issue.

Investigating AuthController login method...

Found issue: Missing password verification.

Fixing: Added Hash::check() for password validation.

Re-running verification:
- Running: ./scripts/safe-test.sh vendor/bin/paratest --filter=AuthenticationTest
- Status: ✅ PASS - All tests now passing

Task 5 completed successfully (after fix).

Progress Update

Progress Update - User Authentication Implementation:
✅ Task 1: Install and Configure Sanctum - Completed
✅ Task 2: Create Authentication Controller - Completed
✅ Task 3: Add API Routes - Completed
✅ Task 4: Create Authentication Tests - Completed
✅ Task 5: Run Tests with Database Backup - Completed (fixed login validation)
🔄 Task 6: Update API Documentation - In Progress

Currently working on: Generating OpenAPI documentation for auth endpoints

Completing the Plan

Task 6: Update API Documentation

Actions:
1. Adding PHPDoc comments to AuthController methods
   ✅ Comments added

2. Generating OpenAPI docs: php artisan scramble:generate
   ✅ Documentation generated

3. Verifying endpoints in /docs/api
   ✅ Auth endpoints visible

Verifying Task 6:
- Running: curl http://localhost/docs/api | grep "auth"
- Expected: Should see register, login, logout endpoints
- Actual: All three endpoints present in documentation
- Status: ✅ PASS

Task 6 completed successfully.

---

All 6 tasks completed successfully! ✅

Summary:
✅ Sanctum installed and configured
✅ Authentication controller created
✅ API routes exposed
✅ Tests created and passing
✅ API documentation generated

Ready for code-review skill.

Task Completion Checklist

Before marking a task as completed:

• All actions in the task are executed
• Verification step has been run
• Verification has PASSED
• Any files created/modified are correct
• No errors or warnings
• TodoWrite status updated

Authority

This skill is based on:

• Software engineering best practice: Incremental development with verification
• Test-driven development: Verify each step
• Agile methodology: Working software at all times
• Empirical evidence: Verified incremental progress has 90% success rate vs 40% for unverified batch work

Social Proof: Professional developers verify each step. No one writes 1000 lines without running tests.

Your Commitment

Before using this skill, confirm:

• I will execute ONE task at a time
• I will VERIFY each task before moving on
• I will NEVER mark tasks completed without verification
• I will UPDATE TodoWrite status immediately
• I will REPORT failures and stop if blocked

Bottom Line: Slow and steady wins. One task, one verification, one completion at a time. Batch work leads to batch failures.