feature-planner

Feature Planner

Skill to plan new features through a structured interview and documentation process.

Workflow

Step 1: Understand the Feature

When the user describes a feature (e.g., "I want to add dark mode"):

1. Create initial draft in /docs/wip/<feature-name>-plan.md using the structure of references/plan-template.md
2. Capture the main idea from the user in the document
3. Identify missing information for the implementation

Step 2: Interview the User

Ask the user directly to obtain all necessary details.

Areas to cover:

Area	Key Questions
Functionality	What exactly should it do? What should it not do?
UI/UX	How does the user interact? What do they see?
Data	What data is needed? Where is it stored?
Integrations	What APIs or external services?
Edge cases	What happens if...? Boundary scenarios
Constraints	Performance, security, compatibility
Priority	MVP vs nice-to-have

Interview techniques:

• Do not ask obvious questions or ones that can be inferred from the code
• Dig deeper into vague answers ("could you elaborate?")
• Confirm understanding before moving forward
• Continue until the spec is complete

Reference: See commands/dev/interview.md for the complete interview pattern.

Step 3: Document the Spec

Once the interview is complete, update the document in /docs/wip/<feature-name>-plan.md using the complete template of references/plan-template.md.

Change the status from DRAFT to SPECIFIED when it is complete.

Step 4: Create Tasks

After documenting, create items with TodoWrite:

1. Analyze the spec and split it into atomic tasks
2. Order by dependency (what must be done first)
3. Estimate complexity (small, medium, large)

Criteria for good tasks:

• Each task is independent or has clear dependencies
• It can be completed in one session
• It has an implicit acceptance criterion
• It follows the logical implementation order

Step 5: Validate Current State (Optional)

If the project has validation scripts, check whether npm run check or similar exists in the scripts of package.json.

If it exists:

1. Ask the user whether they want to run validation
2. Run the script
3. Report issues found before implementing
4. Document any relevant technical debt in the plan

Important Notes

• Do not implement during planning
• Be thorough in the interview, do not assume
• Document decisions and their justification
• Keep the document updated during implementation
• The document remains in /docs/wip/ until the feature is complete