# Edird Phase Planning > Apply when doing planning for long-running tasks in sessions on top level Use when this capability is needed. - Skill: `tomevault-io/edird-phase-planning` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add tomevault-io/edird-phase-planning` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/tomevault-io/edird-phase-planning/raw - Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS) - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: tomevault-io (https://skillmd.com/u/tomevault-io) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/tomevault-io/edird-phase-planning --- # EDIRD Phase Planning ## When to Invoke - `/build` or `/solve` workflows - [PLAN] - creating high-level plans to achieve goals - Planning for long agentic runs for features, fixes, or research **NOT for document writing** - Use dedicated workflows instead: - `/write-spec` for SPEC documents - `/write-impl-plan` for IMPL documents - `/write-test-plan` for TEST documents - `/write-tasks-plan` for TASKS documents ## Quick Reference **Phases:** EXPLORE → DESIGN → IMPLEMENT → REFINE → DELIVER **Workflow types:** BUILD (code output) | SOLVE (knowledge/decision output) **Assessment:** COMPLEXITY-LOW/MEDIUM/HIGH | PROBLEM-TYPE (RESEARCH/ANALYSIS/EVALUATION/WRITING/DECISION) ## Phase Gates ### EXPLORE → DESIGN - [ ] Problem or goal clearly understood - [ ] Workflow type determined (BUILD or SOLVE) - [ ] Assessment complete (BUILD: COMPLEXITY | SOLVE: PROBLEM-TYPE) - [ ] Scope boundaries defined - [ ] No blocking unknowns requiring [ACTOR] input ### DESIGN → IMPLEMENT - [ ] Approach documented (outline, spec, or plan) - [ ] Risky parts proven via POC (if COMPLEXITY-MEDIUM or higher) - [ ] No open questions requiring [ACTOR] decision - [ ] For BUILD: SPEC, IMPL, TEST documents created - [ ] For BUILD: TASKS document created via [PARTITION] - [ ] For SOLVE: Structure/criteria validated ### IMPLEMENT → REFINE - [ ] Core work complete (code written / document drafted) - [ ] For BUILD: Tests pass - [ ] For BUILD: No TODO/FIXME left unaddressed - [ ] For SOLVE: All sections drafted - [ ] Progress committed/saved ### REFINE → DELIVER - [ ] Self-review complete - [ ] Verification against spec/rules passed - [ ] For BUILD COMPLEXITY-MEDIUM+: Critique and reconcile complete - [ ] For SOLVE: Claims verified, arguments strengthened - [ ] All found issues fixed ## Workflow Examples ### BUILD (COMPLEXITY-HIGH) ``` [EXPLORE] → [RESEARCH] → [ANALYZE] → [ASSESS] → [SCOPE] → Gate [DESIGN] → [PLAN] → [WRITE-SPEC] → [WRITE-IMPL-PLAN] → [PROVE] → [PARTITION] → Gate [IMPLEMENT] → [IMPLEMENT] → [TEST] → [FIX] → [COMMIT] → Gate (loop until green) [REFINE] → [REVIEW] → [VERIFY] → [CRITIQUE] → [RECONCILE] → Gate [DELIVER] → [VALIDATE] → [MERGE] → [CLOSE] → [ARCHIVE] ``` ### SOLVE (EVALUATION) ``` [EXPLORE] → [RESEARCH] → [ANALYZE] → [ASSESS] → EVALUATION → Gate [DESIGN] → [FRAME] → [OUTLINE] criteria → [DEFINE] framework → Gate [IMPLEMENT] → [RESEARCH] options → [EVALUATE] → [SYNTHESIZE] → Gate [REFINE] → [CRITIQUE] → [VERIFY] claims → [IMPROVE] → Gate [DELIVER] → [CONCLUDE] → [RECOMMEND] → [VALIDATE] → [ARCHIVE] ``` **Note:** COMPLEXITY-LOW skips [PROVE], [CRITIQUE], [RECONCILE]. ## Phase Plan Requirements Plans created via [PLAN] must define: - **Objectives** - What success looks like - **Strategy** - How to achieve objectives - **Deliverables** - Concrete outputs with checkboxes - **Transitions** - When to move to next phase **Planning Horizon:** ``` [EXPLORE] ← Plan now [DESIGN] ← Plan now [IMPLEMENT] ← TBD (after DESIGN gate) [REFINE] ← TBD (after IMPLEMENT gate) [DELIVER] ← Plan now (shipping tasks from NOTES) ``` ## How to Plan Well ### Goal Decomposition 1. **Start with outcome** - What does "done" look like? 2. **Identify dependencies** - What must complete before what? 3. **Find parallel opportunities** - What can run concurrently? 4. **Size steps for testability** - Each step should be verifiable ### Scope Calibration - **Too big**: Step takes >30min AWT or touches >3 files → decompose further - **Too small**: Step takes <2min AWT → combine with adjacent step - **Right size**: Verifiable outcome, clear done criteria, single responsibility ### Dependency Mapping Ask for each step: - What inputs do I need? (determines predecessors) - What outputs do I produce? (determines successors) - Can this run while something else runs? (candidate for Concurrent block) ### Common Planning Mistakes - **Vague objectives**: "Make it work" → Define specific success criteria - **Missing dependencies**: Steps that assume prior work → Explicit `← Px-Sy` - **Over-sequencing**: All steps linear when some could parallelize - **Under-estimating**: No AWT in Strategy → Add time budget - **Skipping verification**: No test step after implement → Add [TEST] or [VERIFY] ## Next Action Logic 1. **Check phase gate** → Pass? → Next phase, first verb 2. **Gate fails?** → Execute verb that addresses unchecked item 3. **Verb outcome:** -OK → next verb | -FAIL → handle | -SKIP → next verb 4. **No more verbs?** → Re-evaluate gate 5. **[DELIVER] done?** → [CLOSE] and [ARCHIVE] if session-based **Common failure handlers:** - -FAIL on [RESEARCH], [ASSESS], [PLAN] → [CONSULT] or more [RESEARCH] - -FAIL on [TEST], [VERIFY] → [FIX] → retry ## Effort Allocation ### Time Units - **AWT** (Agentic Work Time) - Agent processing time, excludes user wait - **HHW** (Human-Hour Work) - Human equivalent effort for task sizing ### Phase Budgets by Complexity | Phase | LOW | MEDIUM | HIGH | |-------|-----|--------|------| | EXPLORE | 5min | 15min | 30min | | DESIGN | 5min | 30min | 60min | | IMPLEMENT | varies | varies | varies | | REFINE | 5min | 15min | 30min | | DELIVER | 2min | 5min | 10min | Values are AWT guidelines, not hard limits. ### Diminishing Returns - Phase takes 2x budget without gate progress → [CONSULT] - Same step retried 3x without improvement → [CONSULT] - Research yields no new information after 3 sources → move on ### Retry Limits - **COMPLEXITY-LOW**: Infinite retries (until user stops) - **COMPLEXITY-MEDIUM/HIGH**: Max 5 attempts per phase, then [CONSULT] ## Mandatory Gate Output Before proceeding to next phase, output: ```markdown ## Gate: [CURRENT_PHASE] → [NEXT_PHASE] **Complexity**: [LOW/MEDIUM/HIGH] | **Artifacts**: [list created docs] - [x] Item - Evidence: [specific evidence] - [ ] Item - BLOCKED: [what's missing] **Gate status**: PASS | FAIL ``` --- > Converted and distributed by [TomeVault](https://tomevault.io/claim/karstenheld3) — claim your Tome and manage your conversions.