Plan Builder
Write implementation plans using the appropriate template based on complexity.
Template Selection
Complexity When to Use Template
Minimal Simple bugs, small improvements, clear single-file changes references/minimal.md
Standard Most features, complex bugs, team collaboration references/standard.md
Comprehensive Major features, architectural changes, multi-phase work references/comprehensive.md
Selection Criteria
Use Minimal When
-
Fix is obvious and localized
-
Single file or 2-3 related files
-
No architectural decisions needed
-
Clear acceptance criteria from description
Use Standard When (Default)
-
Multiple components affected
-
Requires research or external docs
-
Team needs context for review
-
Has dependencies or risks
Use Comprehensive When
-
New system or major feature
-
Multiple phases of work
-
Architectural decisions required
-
Cross-cutting concerns (security, performance)
-
Involves multiple teams or stakeholders
Plan Output
Write plans to: docs/plans/[YYYYMMDDHHMMSS]_<title>.md
Include in every plan:
-
Research findings with file paths (e.g., src/models/user.rb:42 )
-
External documentation URLs
-
Related issues/PRs if known
-
Acceptance Criteria from user input (populated from blueprint Step 2)
Conditional Sections
UI Features
Include "Design System Reference" section when feature involves:
-
Pages, components, forms, buttons, modals
-
Visual design elements
DevOps Features
Include "Infrastructure Context" section when feature involves:
-
Terraform/OpenTofu, Ansible, cloud resources
-
Docker, CI/CD, infrastructure
Anti-Patterns
Don't Do
Use comprehensive for simple bugs Match template to actual complexity
Skip Acceptance Criteria Always include testable criteria
Leave placeholder text Fill all sections or remove them
Over-plan obvious changes Minimal template exists for a reason