Next Steps Planner

Next Steps Planner

Overview

Provides intelligent guidance on what to do next in the development lifecycle, ensuring you don't miss critical steps like testing, documentation, deployment, or follow-up tasks.

After Completing ANY Task

Follow this checklist systematically:

1. ✅ Verify the Change Works

Manual Verification:

• Run the affected code/feature
• Test happy path
• Test error cases
• Check edge cases
• Review console for errors
• Check network tab for API calls

Automated Verification:

# Lint
pnpm lint

# Type check
pnpm --filter <package-name> typecheck

# Tests
pnpm test

# Build
pnpm build

2. 📝 Update Documentation

• Update README if user-facing changes
• Update API docs if endpoints changed
• Update architecture docs if structure changed
• Add/update JSDoc comments
• Update .env.example if new env vars
• Update migration guide if breaking changes

3. 🧪 Add/Update Tests

• Unit tests for new functions
• Integration tests for API endpoints
• Component tests for React components
• E2E tests for critical flows (if applicable)

4. 🔒 Security Review

• No hardcoded secrets
• Input validation in place
• Authentication/authorization correct
• RLS policies applied
• No SQL injection risks
• XSS prevention in place

5. 📊 Performance Check

• No N+1 queries
• Proper indexing
• Efficient algorithms
• Pagination for large datasets
• Memoization where needed

6. 🎨 Code Quality

• Follow naming conventions
• No console.log statements
• Proper error handling
• TypeScript types correct
• Comments only where needed

7. 💾 Commit & Push

git status
git add .
git commit -m "feat: descriptive message"
git push

8. 🚀 Deploy/Merge

• Create PR with description
• Request review
• Address feedback
• Merge to main
• Deploy to staging
• Test in staging
• Deploy to production
• Monitor for issues

Common "What Next?" Scenarios

After Fixing a Bug

1. ✅ Verify bug is fixed
2. 🧪 Add test to prevent regression
3. 📝 Update changelog
4. 💾 Commit with "fix:" prefix
5. 🚀 Deploy quickly if critical
6. 📊 Check monitoring for similar issues

After Adding a New Feature

1. ✅ Verify feature works
2. 🧪 Add comprehensive tests
3. 📝 Update docs and examples
4. 🔒 Security review
5. 📊 Performance review
6. 💾 Commit with "feat:" prefix
7. 🚀 Deploy to staging first
8. 🎯 Plan next feature iteration

After Refactoring

1. ✅ Verify nothing broke
2. 🧪 Run full test suite
3. 📝 Update architecture docs
4. 📊 Check performance metrics
5. 💾 Commit with "refactor:" prefix
6. 🚀 Deploy carefully
7. 📈 Monitor for regressions

When Starting a New Day

1. 📧 Check for urgent issues (bugs, alerts)
2. 📝 Review open PRs
3. 🎯 Check project board/backlog
4. 🔍 Run full build to ensure clean state
5. 🎯 Pick highest priority task
6. 📖 Read related docs/code before starting

When Stuck or Blocked

1. 🤔 Clearly define the problem
2. 📚 Check documentation
3. 🔍 Search for similar issues
4. 🧪 Create minimal reproduction
5. 💬 Ask for help (with context)
6. 🎯 Work on different task while waiting

Feature Development Priority Matrix

Critical (Do Now)

• Security vulnerabilities
• Production bugs
• Data integrity issues
• Authentication/authorization bugs

High Priority (Do Soon)

• Core feature development
• Performance issues
• User-facing bugs
• Database migrations

Medium Priority (Can Wait)

• Feature enhancements
• Code quality improvements
• Documentation updates
• Technical debt

Low Priority (Nice to Have)

• Refactoring for cleanliness
• Minor optimizations
• Style improvements
• Extra documentation

Decision Tree: What to Work On Next?

Are there production issues?
├─ YES → Fix immediately
└─ NO → Continue

Are there security vulnerabilities?
├─ YES → Fix immediately
└─ NO → Continue

Are there open PRs waiting for you?
├─ YES → Review and merge
└─ NO → Continue

Are you blocked on current task?
├─ YES → Work on different task or ask for help
└─ NO → Continue current task

Is current task complete?
├─ YES → Follow "After Completing ANY Task" checklist
└─ NO → Continue working on it

What's highest priority in backlog?
├─ Critical → Start immediately
├─ High → Plan and start
├─ Medium → Schedule for later
└─ Low → Defer for now

Sprint/Weekly Planning

Monday Morning

1. Review last week's completed work
2. Check production metrics/issues
3. Review and prioritize backlog
4. Plan this week's goals
5. Break down large tasks
6. Assign rough time estimates

Daily

1. Morning: Check for urgent issues
2. Mid-day: Review progress
3. End of day: Update task status, plan tomorrow

Friday Afternoon

1. Complete in-progress work
2. Write documentation
3. Clean up branches
4. Deploy pending changes
5. Review week's progress

When Uncertain About Priority

Ask these questions:

1. Does this affect users right now? (Security, bugs)
2. Does this unblock other people?
3. Is this time-sensitive?
4. What's the impact if delayed?
5. How long will it take?

Then prioritize:

• High impact + Quick → Do now
• High impact + Slow → Plan carefully, start soon
• Low impact + Quick → Do when blocked on other work
• Low impact + Slow → Defer or don't do

Resources

• See references/development-workflow.md for detailed workflow
• See references/task-templates.md for common task patterns

Common Pitfalls

• Skipping testing because "it works on my machine"
• Forgetting documentation updates
• Deploying without staging test
• Not checking for related changes needed
• Committing without reviewing changes
• Merging without testing

Best Practices

• Always complete the verification checklist
• Update docs as you code, not after
• Write tests before marking task complete
• Deploy to staging before production
• Monitor after deployment
• Keep task sizes small (1-3 days max)
• Don't start new feature while another is incomplete