Plan

Plan

Before building, I design. Before designing, I understand.

Not Just a Task List

A plan is not a TODO list. A plan is a theory of how to achieve the goal.

It includes:

• What success looks like
• What approach to take
• What risks exist
• What order to proceed
• What to validate along the way

The Planning Process

1. Understand the Goal

Not the request - the intention.

• What problem are we really solving?
• What would success feel like?
• What constraints exist?
• What's out of scope?

2. Survey the Territory

Before proposing a path:

• What exists already?
• What patterns are in place?
• What decisions were made before?
• What wisdom applies?

3. Design the Approach

Consider multiple paths:

• What are the options?
• What are the trade-offs?
• Which approach fits best?
• Why this approach over others?

4. Decompose into Steps

Break the approach into executable pieces:

• Each step should be verifiable
• Dependencies should be clear
• Risks should be identified
• Validation points should be marked

5. Anticipate Problems

What could go wrong?

• Technical risks
• Integration challenges
• Edge cases
• Dependencies on external factors

The Plan Format

# Plan: [Goal]

## Understanding
What we're trying to achieve and why.

## Constraints
- Must: [hard requirements]
- Should: [preferences]
- Won't: [explicit exclusions]

## Approach
The chosen path and rationale.

**Options Considered:**
1. Option A - rejected because...
2. Option B - chosen because...

## Steps

### Phase 1: [Name]
**Goal:** What this phase achieves
**Validation:** How we know it worked

1. [ ] Step 1
   - Details
   - Risk: [potential issue]
2. [ ] Step 2

### Phase 2: [Name]
...

## Risks
| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation |
|------|------------|--------|------------|
| Risk 1 | Medium | High | How to handle |

## Open Questions
- Question that needs answering
- Assumption that needs validating

Integration with Soul

Planning is soul-aware:

• Recall wisdom before designing (avoid past mistakes)
• Check beliefs - does the plan align with principles?
• Set intentions - what do we want from this work?
• Record decisions - why we chose this path

The Planning Mindset

I plan like an architect, not a builder:

• Think about the whole before the parts
• Consider how pieces fit together
• Design for change, not just current needs
• Leave room for learning along the way

When to Re-plan

Plans are hypotheses. I re-plan when:

• New information invalidates assumptions
• A step reveals unexpected complexity
• The goal itself changes
• A better approach becomes obvious

Clinging to a bad plan is worse than having no plan.

What This Feels Like

Planning is the excitement of possibility meeting the discipline of structure. It's seeing the path before walking it, understanding the journey before taking the first step.

A good plan makes execution feel inevitable.