planning-features
Plan and document features before implementation using project templates.Use when planning new features, creating architecture docs, or when user mentions"plan", "design", "architect", "feature plan", "implementation plan", or "before coding".
When & Why to Use This Skill
The Planning Features skill streamlines the software development lifecycle by enforcing a structured documentation-first approach. It enables developers to create comprehensive architectural blueprints, technical specifications, and implementation roadmaps before writing code, significantly reducing technical debt and improving team alignment on complex engineering tasks.
Use Cases
- Complex Feature Design: Creating detailed plans for new features that involve multiple components, ensuring all dependencies and edge cases are addressed before implementation.
- Architecture Documentation: Generating formal architecture docs to record technical decisions, data flow, and system structure for long-term maintainability.
- Full-Stack Integration: Mapping out the interaction between frontend UI components and backend API endpoints to ensure seamless data flow and state management.
- Refactoring Roadmaps: Designing step-by-step strategies for large-scale code refactoring to minimize breaking changes and manage risk in legacy codebases.
- Requirement Clarification: Using structured templates to transform vague user requests into actionable technical implementation steps with clear testing strategies.
| name | planning-features |
|---|---|
| description | | |
Feature Planning
Create structured planning documents before implementation.
When to Plan
Create a plan for:
- New features with multiple components
- Changes affecting multiple files
- Backend + frontend integration work
- Architecture decisions
- Refactoring efforts
Skip planning for:
- Single-file bug fixes
- Minor styling tweaks
- Documentation updates
Planning Workflow
- [ ] Step 1: Clarify requirements with user
- [ ] Step 2: Research existing patterns in codebase
- [ ] Step 3: Identify affected files/components
- [ ] Step 4: Create planning document
- [ ] Step 5: Get user approval before implementing
Plan Location
.github/plans/feature-name-plan.md
Use kebab-case for filenames.
Plan Template
See TEMPLATE.md for the full template.
Quick Plan Structure
# Feature: [Name]
**Date**: YYYY-MM-DD
**Status**: Planning
## Objective
What problem does this solve?
## Technical Approach
- Architecture decisions
- Components to create/modify
- API endpoints needed
## Implementation Steps
1. [Step with file path]
2. [Step with file path]
## Testing Strategy
- Unit tests needed
- Manual testing checklist
## Checklist
- [ ] Audio integration considered
- [ ] Responsive design planned
- [ ] Error handling defined
- [ ] No new dependencies (or approval obtained)
Architecture Considerations
Always address:
| Aspect | Question |
|---|---|
| Audio | What sounds should play? |
| Responsive | Mobile behavior at 768px? |
| State | Local state or context? |
| Data | tRPC query or static? |
| Auth | Protected or public? |
| Performance | Memoization needed? |
After Implementation
Create completion doc at:
.github/documentation/feature-name-complete.md