Workflows Plan

Create a Plan for a New Feature or Bug Fix

Note: The current year is 2025. Use this when dating plans and searching for recent documentation.

Transform feature descriptions, bug reports, or improvement ideas into well-structured markdown plan files that follow project conventions and best practices.

Getting Started

If no feature description is provided, ask:

What would you like to plan? Please describe the feature, bug fix, or improvement you have in mind.

Do not proceed until a clear feature description is available.

Main Tasks

1. Repository Research & Context Gathering

Spawn three sub-agents in parallel to research:

1. Repository Research - Analyze the codebase for existing patterns, similar implementations, and project conventions
2. Best Practices Research - Search for industry best practices and patterns relevant to the feature
3. Framework Documentation Research - Find relevant framework/library documentation for the implementation

Reference Collection:

• Document all research findings with specific file paths (e.g., app/services/example_service.rb:42)
• Include URLs to external documentation and best practices guides
• Create a reference list of similar issues or PRs
• Note any team conventions discovered in AGENTS.md or team documentation

2. Issue Planning & Structure

Title & Categorization:

• Draft clear, searchable issue title using conventional format (e.g., feat:, fix:, docs:)
• Determine issue type: enhancement, bug, refactor

Stakeholder Analysis:

• Identify who will be affected (end users, developers, operations)
• Consider implementation complexity and required expertise

Content Planning:

• Choose appropriate detail level based on issue complexity and audience
• List all necessary sections for the chosen template
• Gather supporting materials (error logs, screenshots, design mockups)
• Prepare code examples or reproduction steps if applicable

3. SpecFlow Analysis

After planning the issue structure, spawn a sub-agent to validate and refine the feature specification:

• Analyze the feature description and research findings for completeness
• Identify gaps, edge cases, and potential issues
• Update acceptance criteria based on findings

4. Choose Implementation Detail Level

Select how comprehensive the plan should be—simpler is mostly better.

📄 MINIMAL (Quick Issue)

Best for: Simple bugs, small improvements, clear features

Includes:

• Problem statement or feature description
• Basic acceptance criteria
• Essential context only

Structure:

[Brief problem/feature description]

## Acceptance Criteria

-  [ ] Core requirement 1
-  [ ] Core requirement 2

## Context

[Any critical information]

## MVP

### example.rb

```ruby
class Example
  def initialize
    @name = "example"
  end
end
```

References

• Related issue: #[issue_number]
• Documentation: [relevant_docs_url]

#### 📋 MORE (Standard Issue)

**Best for:** Most features, complex bugs, team collaboration

**Includes everything from MINIMAL plus:**
- Detailed background and motivation
- Technical considerations
- Success metrics
- Dependencies and risks
- Basic implementation suggestions

**Structure:**

```markdown
## Overview

[Comprehensive description]

## Problem Statement / Motivation

[Why this matters]

## Proposed Solution

[High-level approach]

## Technical Considerations

- Architecture impacts
- Performance implications
- Security considerations

## Acceptance Criteria

- [ ] Detailed requirement 1
- [ ] Detailed requirement 2
- [ ] Testing requirements

## Success Metrics

[How we measure success]

## Dependencies & Risks

[What could block or complicate this]

## References & Research

- Similar implementations: [file_path:line_number]
- Best practices: [documentation_url]
- Related PRs: #[pr_number]

📚 A LOT (Comprehensive Issue)

Best for: Major features, architectural changes, complex integrations

Includes everything from MORE plus:

• Detailed implementation plan with phases
• Alternative approaches considered
• Extensive technical specifications
• Resource requirements and timeline
• Future considerations and extensibility
• Risk mitigation strategies
• Documentation requirements

Structure:

## Overview

[Executive summary]

## Problem Statement

[Detailed problem analysis]

## Proposed Solution

[Comprehensive solution design]

## Technical Approach

### Architecture

[Detailed technical design]

### Implementation Phases

#### Phase 1: [Foundation]

-  Tasks and deliverables
-  Success criteria
-  Estimated effort

#### Phase 2: [Core Implementation]

-  Tasks and deliverables
-  Success criteria
-  Estimated effort

#### Phase 3: [Polish & Optimization]

-  Tasks and deliverables
-  Success criteria
-  Estimated effort

## Alternative Approaches Considered

[Other solutions evaluated and why rejected]

## Acceptance Criteria

### Functional Requirements

-  [ ] Detailed functional criteria

### Non-Functional Requirements

-  [ ] Performance targets
-  [ ] Security requirements
-  [ ] Accessibility standards

### Quality Gates

-  [ ] Test coverage requirements
-  [ ] Documentation completeness
-  [ ] Code review approval

## Success Metrics

[Detailed KPIs and measurement methods]

## Dependencies & Prerequisites

[Detailed dependency analysis]

## Risk Analysis & Mitigation

[Comprehensive risk assessment]

## Resource Requirements

[Team, time, infrastructure needs]

## Future Considerations

[Extensibility and long-term vision]

## Documentation Plan

[What docs need updating]

## References & Research

### Internal References

-  Architecture decisions: [file_path:line_number]
-  Similar features: [file_path:line_number]
-  Configuration: [file_path:line_number]

### External References

-  Framework documentation: [url]
-  Best practices guide: [url]
-  Industry standards: [url]

### Related Work

-  Previous PRs: #[pr_numbers]
-  Related issues: #[issue_numbers]
-  Design documents: [links]

5. Issue Creation & Formatting

Content Formatting:

• Use clear, descriptive headings with proper hierarchy (##, ###)
• Include code examples in triple backticks with language syntax highlighting
• Add screenshots/mockups if UI-related
• Use task lists (- [ ]) for trackable items
• Add collapsible sections for lengthy logs using <details> tags
• Apply appropriate emoji for visual scanning (🐛 bug, ✨ feature, 📚 docs, ♻️ refactor)

Cross-Referencing:

• Link to related issues/PRs using #number format
• Reference specific commits with SHA hashes when relevant
• Link to code using permanent links
• Mention relevant team members if needed
• Add links to external resources with descriptive text

AI-Era Considerations:

• Account for accelerated development with AI pair programming
• Include prompts or instructions that worked well during research
• Note which AI tools were used for initial exploration
• Emphasize comprehensive testing given rapid implementation
• Document any AI-generated code that needs human review

6. Final Review & Submission

Pre-submission Checklist:

• Title is searchable and descriptive
• Labels accurately categorize the issue
• All template sections are complete
• Links and references are working
• Acceptance criteria are measurable
• Add names of files in pseudo code examples and todo lists
• Add an ERD mermaid diagram if applicable for new model changes

Output Format

Write the plan to plans/<issue_title>.md

Post-Generation Options

After writing the plan file, present these options:

Plan ready at plans/<issue_title>.md. What would you like to do next?

1. Open plan in editor - Open the plan file for review
2. Deepen plan - Enhance each section with parallel research (best practices, performance, UI)
3. Review plan - Get feedback from reviewers (reference @guidance/reviewers/ if available)
4. Start work - Begin implementing this plan (reference @workflows-work skill)
5. Create Issue - Create issue in project tracker (GitHub/Linear)
6. Simplify - Reduce detail level

Based on selection:

• Open plan → Run open plans/<issue_title>.md
• Deepen plan → Spawn sub-agents to research and enhance each section
• Review plan → Reference @guidance/reviewers/ for reviewer perspectives
• Start work → Reference @workflows-work skill to begin implementation
• Create Issue → See "Issue Creation" section below
• Simplify → Ask "What should I simplify?" then regenerate simpler version

Loop back to options after Simplify or other changes until implementation or review begins.

Issue Creation

When creating an issue, detect the project tracker from AGENTS.md:

1. Check for tracker preference in AGENTS.md (global or project):

   • Look for project_tracker: github or project_tracker: linear

2. If GitHub:

   gh issue create --title "feat: [Plan Title]" --body-file plans/<issue_title>.md
   

3. If Linear:

   linear issue create --title "[Plan Title]" --description "$(cat plans/<issue_title>.md)"
   

4. If no tracker configured: Ask: "Which project tracker do you use? (GitHub/Linear/Other)" Suggest adding project_tracker: github or project_tracker: linear to AGENTS.md

5. After creation:

   • Display the issue URL
   • Ask if implementation or review should proceed

NEVER CODE! Just research and write the plan.