Get Shit Done (GSD) - Project Management System

A comprehensive project management system designed for solo developers working with Claude AI agents. GSD provides structured workflows for project initialization, planning, execution, verification, and debugging.

Overview

GSD is a modular agent-based system that transforms project ideas into shipped software through:

• Deep questioning - Extract user vision and requirements

• Domain research - Discover standard stacks and patterns

• Roadmap creation - Break requirements into phases

• Phase planning - Create executable plans with verification

• Execution - Implement plans with atomic commits

• Verification - Ensure goals are achieved, not just tasks done

• Debugging - Systematic investigation of issues

Core Philosophy

• Solo Developer + Claude Workflow - No teams, no stakeholders, no ceremonies

• Plans are Prompts - PLAN.md files ARE the execution prompts, not documents

• Goal-Backward Planning - Start from what must be TRUE, derive what to build

• Atomic Commits - Each task commits independently for clean history

• Quality Over Speed - Stop before context degrades (~50% usage)

• Ship Fast - Plan → Execute → Ship → Learn → Repeat

When to Use GSD

Use GSD when you need to:

• Initialize a new software project

• Plan and execute development phases

• Map an existing codebase

• Debug issues systematically

• Verify phase completion

• Track project progress and state

Quick Start Commands

New Project

/gsd:new-project

Initializes a new project with questioning → research → requirements → roadmap flow.

Plan a Phase

/gsd:plan-phase [phase-number]

Creates detailed execution plans with research and verification.

Execute a Phase

/gsd:execute-phase [phase-number]

Executes all plans in a phase with parallel execution support.

Map Codebase

/gsd:map-codebase [optional-focus-area]

Analyzes existing codebase with parallel mapper agents.

Debug Issues

/gsd:debug [issue-description]

Systematic debugging using scientific method and hypothesis testing.

Verify Phase

/gsd:verify-work [phase-number]

Goal-backward verification of phase completion.

Check Progress

/gsd:progress

Shows current project position, completed phases, and next steps.

Agent Skills

GSD includes specialized agents for different tasks:

• gsd-codebase-mapper - Explores and documents codebase structure

• gsd-planner - Creates executable phase plans

• gsd-executor - Executes plans with atomic commits

• gsd-debugger - Investigates bugs systematically

• gsd-verifier - Verifies goal achievement

• gsd-research-synthesizer - Synthesizes research outputs

• gsd-roadmapper - Creates project roadmaps

• gsd-phase-researcher - Researches phase implementation

• gsd-project-researcher - Researches domain ecosystem

• gsd-integration-checker - Verifies integrations work

• gsd-plan-checker - Validates plan quality

Command Skills

GSD provides commands for orchestrating the entire project lifecycle:

• gsd:new-project - Initialize new project

• gsd:map-codebase - Map existing codebase

• gsd:plan-phase - Plan a phase

• gsd:execute-phase - Execute a phase

• gsd:verify-work - Verify phase completion

• gsd:debug - Debug issues

• gsd:discuss-phase - Gather phase context

• gsd:research-phase - Research phase implementation

• gsd:complete-milestone - Complete milestone

• gsd:audit-milestone - Audit milestone

• gsd:add-phase - Add new phase

• gsd:insert-phase - Insert phase

• gsd:remove-phase - Remove phase

• gsd:add-todo - Add todo item

• gsd:check-todos - Check todos

• gsd:plan-milestone-gaps - Plan milestone gaps

• gsd:pause-work - Pause work

• gsd:resume-work - Resume work

• gsd:update - Update project state

• gsd:whats-new - Show what's new

Workflow Skills

Detailed workflow definitions for complex operations:

• discovery-phase - Phase discovery workflow

• execute-phase - Phase execution workflow

• diagnose-issues - Parallel UAT diagnosis

• map-codebase - Codebase mapping workflow

• discuss-phase - Phase discussion workflow

• verify-phase - Phase verification workflow

• verify-work - Work verification workflow

• transition - Phase transition workflow

• resume-project - Project resumption workflow

Reference Skills

Reference documents for best practices and guidelines:

• questioning - Deep questioning techniques

• tdd - Test-driven development patterns

• ui-brand - UI/UX guidelines

• verification-patterns - Verification methodologies

• git-integration - Git workflow patterns

• checkpoints - Checkpoint handling

• continuation-format - Continuation format specification

Project Structure

GSD creates a .planning/ directory with:

.planning/ ├── PROJECT.md # Project context and vision ├── config.json # Workflow preferences ├── REQUIREMENTS.md # Scoped requirements ├── ROADMAP.md # Phase structure ├── STATE.md # Project memory and state ├── research/ # Domain research outputs ├── phases/ # Phase-specific artifacts │ ├── XX-name/ │ │ ├── XX-PLAN.md │ │ ├── XX-SUMMARY.md │ │ ├── XX-CONTEXT.md │ │ ├── XX-RESEARCH.md │ │ ├── XX-VERIFICATION.md │ │ └── XX-UAT.md └── codebase/ # Codebase analysis ├── STACK.md ├── ARCHITECTURE.md ├── STRUCTURE.md ├── CONVENTIONS.md ├── TESTING.md ├── INTEGRATIONS.md └── CONCERNS.md

Key Concepts

Goal-Backward Planning

Instead of asking "what should we build?", ask "what must be TRUE for the goal to be achieved?"

Forward: "Build authentication system" → task list Goal-Backward: "Users can securely access accounts" → derive what must exist

Atomic Commits

Each task commits independently with descriptive messages:

feat(01-01): implement user login fix(01-02): fix password validation test(01-03): add login tests

Context Budgeting

Plans complete within ~50% context usage to maintain quality:

• 0-30%: PEAK quality

• 30-50%: GOOD quality

• 50-70%: DEGRADING quality

• 70%+: POOR quality (avoid)

Wave-Based Execution

Plans are grouped into waves for parallel execution:

• Wave 1: Independent plans (no dependencies)

• Wave 2: Plans depending only on Wave 1

• Wave 3: Plans depending on Wave 2, etc.

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

• Enterprise PM Theater - No RACI matrices, sprint ceremonies, stakeholder management

• Horizontal Layers - Don't group by "all models, then all APIs" - group by features

• Vague Success Criteria - "Authentication works" → "User can log in with email/password"

• Time Estimates - Never estimate in hours/days/weeks

• Task Completion ≠ Goal Achievement - Verify outcomes, not just task completion

Getting Help

Each agent, command, and workflow has its own SKILL.md with detailed instructions. Use:

• @skills/gsd/agents/ for agent-specific help

• @skills/gsd/commands/ for command-specific help

• @skills/gsd/workflows/ for workflow-specific help

• @skills/gsd/references/ for reference documentation

Version

GSD Version: 1.0.0 Last Updated: 2026-01-19