writing-plans
Use when design is complete and you need detailed implementation tasks for engineers with zero codebase context - creates comprehensive implementation plans with exact file paths, complete code examples, and verification steps assuming engineer has minimal domain knowledge
When & Why to Use This Skill
The Writing Plans skill for Claude is a specialized developer tool designed to bridge the gap between high-level architectural design and technical execution. It automates the creation of exhaustive implementation roadmaps, breaking down complex features into bite-sized, actionable tasks. By emphasizing Test-Driven Development (TDD), exact file paths, and complete code examples, it ensures that even engineers with zero codebase context can deliver high-quality, consistent results while maintaining a clean and documented development history.
Use Cases
- Accelerating Developer Onboarding: Provide new team members or external contractors with a precise, step-by-step implementation guide that eliminates the need for deep initial codebase knowledge.
- Standardizing Technical Workflows: Enforce best practices like TDD, DRY, and frequent commits across a team by generating standardized plans that mandate specific verification steps for every task.
- Complex Feature Decomposition: Transform abstract design documents into granular 2-5 minute tasks, reducing cognitive load and preventing implementation errors in large-scale software projects.
- Automated Documentation: Maintain a searchable and structured record of feature implementations by automatically saving detailed plans to the project's documentation directory for future reference and audits.
| name | writing-plans |
|---|---|
| description | Use when design is complete and you need detailed implementation tasks for engineers with zero codebase context - creates comprehensive implementation plans with exact file paths, complete code examples, and verification steps assuming engineer has minimal domain knowledge |
Writing Plans
Overview
Write comprehensive implementation plans assuming the engineer has zero context for our codebase and questionable taste. Document everything they need to know: which files to touch for each task, code, testing, docs they might need to check, how to test it. Give them the whole plan as bite-sized tasks. DRY. YAGNI. TDD. Frequent commits.
Assume they are a skilled developer, but know almost nothing about our toolset or problem domain. Assume they don't know good test design very well.
Announce at start: "I'm using the writing-plans skill to create the implementation plan."
Context: This should be run in a dedicated worktree (created by brainstorming skill).
Save plans to: docs/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-<feature-name>.md
Bite-Sized Task Granularity
Each step is one action (2-5 minutes):
- "Write the failing test" - step
- "Run it to make sure it fails" - step
- "Implement the minimal code to make the test pass" - step
- "Run the tests and make sure they pass" - step
- "Commit" - step
Plan Document Header
Every plan MUST start with this header:
# [Feature Name] Implementation Plan
**Goal:** [One sentence describing what this builds]
**Architecture:** [2-3 sentences about approach]
---
Task Structure
### Task N: [Component Name]
**Files:**
- Create: `exact/path/to/file.py`
- Modify: `exact/path/to/existing.py:123-145`
- Test: `tests/exact/path/to/test.py`
**Step 1: Write the failing test**
```python
def test_specific_behavior():
result = function(input)
assert result == expected
```
Step 2: Run test to verify it fails
Run: pytest tests/path/test.py::test_name -v Expected: FAIL with "function not
defined"
Step 3: Write minimal implementation
def function(input):
return expected
Step 4: Run test to verify it passes
Run: pytest tests/path/test.py::test_name -v Expected: PASS
Step 5: Commit
git add tests/path/test.py src/path/file.py
git commit -m "feat: add specific feature"
## Remember
- Exact file paths always
- Complete code in plan (not "add validation")
- Exact commands with expected output
- Reference relevant skills with @ syntax
- DRY, YAGNI, TDD, frequent commits