Work Plan

Work Plan

Generate a comprehensive execution plan showing current status, phase breakdown, and next actions. Writes output to {feature-path}/work-plan.md for persistent tracking.

User Input

FEATURE_ID = $ARGUMENT (optional, defaults to current branch feature)

Accept feature ID like "001" or "001-mcp-integration". If not provided, extract from current git branch.

Output Behavior

• Primary output: Write full work plan to {feature-path}/work-plan.md
• Console output: Show condensed summary with key status and next action
• Updates: Subsequent runs overwrite the file with current state (timestamp included)

Workflow

Step 1: Extract Feature ID

1. If ARGUMENT provided:
   • Format "NNN" (e.g., "001"): Search backlog/plans/ and backlog/plans/_completed/ for matching folder
   • Format "NNN-slug" (e.g., "001-mcp-integration"): Use directly
2. If no ARGUMENT:
   • Run git branch --show-current
   • Extract feature ID from branch name (e.g., feature/001-mcp-integration → 001-mcp-integration)
   • If not on a feature branch, show error and list available features

Note: In-progress features are in backlog/plans/{NNN}-{slug}/, completed features in backlog/plans/_completed/{NNN}-{slug}/

Step 2: Load Feature Context

Read the following files:

• {feature-path}/tasks.md (required)
• {feature-path}/spec.md (for feature name/description)
• specs/tests/{feature-id}.md (if exists, for spec test info)
• Current git branch status

Step 3: Parse tasks.md

Extract:

Phase Information:

• Phase headers: ## Phase N: Name
• For each phase: number, name, description, task range, task count, completed count
• Entry spec test task ([SPEC] with "→ expect ALL FAIL")
• Exit spec test task ([SPEC] with "→ expect ALL PASS")

Dependency Information:

• Find dependency diagram (after "## Dependencies" header)
• Parse dependency arrows (──►, ──┬──►, etc.)
• Build dependency graph

Overall Metrics:

• Total task count, completed count, percentage

Step 4: Determine Status

For each phase:

• Complete: All tasks checked (- [x])
• In Progress: Some tasks checked
• Not Started: No tasks checked
• Blocked: Depends on incomplete phases

Identify current phase and next action.

Step 5: Generate Work Plan

Build the work plan with these sections (see references/output-format.md for detailed templates):

1. Current Status - Feature name, branch, progress, current phase
2. Phase Overview - Table with status, progress, blocks
3. Recommended Execution Plan - Per-phase commands and goals
4. Parallel Execution Strategy - Wave structure for independent phases
5. Quick Commands Reference - Command table
6. Success Criteria - Completion checklist
7. Manual Testing Strategy - What needs manual testing and when
8. Next Action - Specific recommended command

Step 6: Write to File

Write the complete work plan to {feature-path}/work-plan.md:

<!-- Auto-generated by /work-plan - Updated: {ISO timestamp} -->

# Work Plan: Feature {NNN} - {Feature Name}

{All sections from Step 5}

File behavior:

• Creates new file if doesn't exist
• Overwrites existing file with fresh state on each run
• Includes timestamp header for tracking when last updated

Step 7: Display Summary to Console

Show a condensed summary to the user (NOT the full file contents):

✅ Work plan written to: {feature-path}/work-plan.md

## Quick Status
- **Progress**: {completed}/{total} tasks ({percentage}%)
- **Current Phase**: {phase-name} ({status})

## Next Action
{next action recommendation with command}

This keeps console output minimal while the full details live in the file.

Next Action Logic

Error Handling

Feature not found:

❌ Error: Feature '{feature-id}' not found

Available features:
{list folders in backlog/plans/ and backlog/plans/_completed/}

Usage: /work-plan {feature-number}

tasks.md not found:

❌ Error: tasks.md not found at {feature-path}/tasks.md

This feature may not follow the methodology structure.

Output Guidelines

• Keep output concise but actionable
• Use emojis for visual clarity (✓, ⚠️, ✅, 🔄, ⏸️, 🔒)
• Provide specific commands, not just guidance
• Always include "Next Action" - never leave user wondering what to do

Additional Resources

Reference Files

For detailed output templates, consult:

• references/output-format.md - Full templates for all output sections