Decomposition Planning and Roadmap

This skill creates structured decomposition plans and roadmaps to guide the migration from monolithic to distributed architectures, prioritizing work and tracking progress through decomposition patterns.

How to Use

Quick Start

Request creation of a decomposition plan:

• "Create a decomposition roadmap for this codebase"

• "Plan the decomposition migration strategy"

• "Prioritize decomposition work based on component analysis"

• "Create a step-by-step decomposition plan"

Usage Examples

Example 1: Complete Roadmap

User: "Create a decomposition roadmap for this codebase"

The skill will:

1. Analyze current codebase state
2. Identify decomposition patterns to apply
3. Prioritize work based on risk and value
4. Create phased roadmap
5. Generate architecture stories
6. Estimate effort and dependencies

Example 2: Prioritized Plan

User: "Prioritize decomposition work based on component analysis"

The skill will:

1. Review component inventory and dependencies
2. Assess risk and value for each pattern
3. Prioritize patterns by impact
4. Create prioritized work plan

Example 3: Phase Planning

User: "Create a phased decomposition plan"

The skill will:

1. Group decomposition patterns into phases
2. Identify dependencies between phases
3. Create phase timeline
4. Define phase success criteria

Step-by-Step Process

• Assess Current State: Analyze codebase and identify what's been done

• Identify Patterns: Determine which decomposition patterns to apply

• Prioritize Work: Rank patterns by risk, value, and dependencies

• Create Roadmap: Build phased plan with milestones

• Generate Stories: Create architecture stories for tracking

• Track Progress: Monitor progress through decomposition phases

When to Use

Apply this skill when:

• Starting a decomposition effort

• Planning migration from monolith to distributed architecture

• Prioritizing decomposition work

• Creating architecture stories for decomposition

• Tracking progress through decomposition patterns

• Need structured approach to decomposition

• Want to estimate effort and dependencies

Core Concepts

Decomposition Pattern Sequence

The six component-based decomposition patterns should be applied in sequence:

• Identify and Size Components - Understand what you have

• Gather Common Domain Components - Find duplicates

• Flatten Components - Remove orphaned classes

• Determine Component Dependencies - Assess coupling

• Create Component Domains - Group into domains

• Create Domain Services - Extract to services

Phased Approach

Decomposition typically follows phases:

Phase 1: Analysis & Preparation (Patterns 1-4)

• Component identification and sizing

• Common component detection

• Component flattening

• Dependency analysis

Phase 2: Domain Organization (Pattern 5)

• Domain identification

• Component grouping

• Namespace refactoring

Phase 3: Service Extraction (Pattern 6)

• Domain service creation

• Service extraction

• API boundary definition

Prioritization Factors

When prioritizing decomposition work, consider:

• Risk: Low risk = easier to extract, fewer dependencies

• Value: High value = business-critical, high impact

• Dependencies: Can this be done independently?

• Complexity: Simple = fewer components, clear boundaries

• Coupling: Low coupling = easier to extract

Analysis Process

Phase 1: Assess Current State

Analyze what's already been done:

Check Component Inventory

• Have components been identified and sized?

• Is there a component inventory document?

• Are oversized components identified?

Check Common Component Analysis

• Have common domain components been identified?

• Are consolidation opportunities documented?

• Has coupling impact been analyzed?

Check Component Structure

• Have components been flattened?

• Are there orphaned classes?

• Is component structure clean?

Check Dependency Analysis

• Have component dependencies been mapped?

• Is coupling analysis complete?

• Is feasibility assessed?

Check Domain Identification

• Have domains been identified?

• Are components grouped into domains?

• Are namespaces aligned with domains?

Check Service Extraction

• Have any services been extracted?

• Are domain services created?

• Is service-based architecture in place?

Output: Current state assessment showing what's done and what's remaining

Phase 2: Identify Patterns to Apply

Determine which decomposition patterns need to be applied:

Review Pattern Prerequisites

• Pattern 1: Always needed (foundation)

• Pattern 2: Needed if common components exist

• Pattern 3: Needed if components have hierarchy

• Pattern 4: Always needed (feasibility check)

• Pattern 5: Needed before service extraction

• Pattern 6: Final step (service extraction)

Check Pattern Completion

• Which patterns are complete?

• Which patterns are in progress?

• Which patterns haven't started?

Identify Missing Patterns

• What patterns still need to be applied?

• What's blocking pattern application?

• What dependencies exist?

Output: List of patterns to apply with status

Phase 3: Prioritize Work

Prioritize decomposition patterns and work items:

Assess Risk

• Low Risk: Infrastructure components, standalone functionality

• Medium Risk: Domain components with some dependencies

• High Risk: Core business logic, high coupling

Assess Value

• High Value: Business-critical, high impact, frequent changes

• Medium Value: Important but not critical

• Low Value: Nice to have, low impact

Assess Dependencies

• Independent: Can be done without other work

• Dependent: Requires other patterns/work first

• Blocking: Blocks other work from proceeding

Calculate Priority Score

Priority = (Value × 3) - (Risk × 2) - (Dependencies × 1)

Higher score = Higher priority

Output: Prioritized list of patterns and work items

Phase 4: Create Phased Roadmap

Build a phased roadmap with milestones:

Define Phases

• Phase 1: Analysis & Preparation

• Phase 2: Domain Organization

• Phase 3: Service Extraction

• Phase 4: Optimization & Refinement

Assign Patterns to Phases

• Which patterns belong in which phase?

• What's the sequence within each phase?

• What are the phase dependencies?

Set Milestones

• What marks completion of each phase?

• What are the success criteria?

• What deliverables are expected?

Estimate Timeline

• How long will each phase take?

• What are the dependencies?

• What's the critical path?

Output: Phased roadmap with timeline and milestones

Phase 5: Generate Architecture Stories

Create architecture stories for tracking work:

Create Story Template

As an architect, I need to [apply pattern/refactor component] to support [architectural characteristic/business need] so that [benefit/outcome]

Break Down Work

• One story per pattern application

• One story per major refactoring

• One story per domain grouping

Add Acceptance Criteria

• What defines "done"?

• What metrics validate success?

• What tests verify completion?

Estimate Effort

• Story points or time estimates

• Complexity assessment

• Risk factors

Output: List of architecture stories with estimates

Phase 6: Track Progress

Monitor progress through decomposition:

Track Pattern Completion

• Which patterns are complete?

• Which are in progress?

• Which are blocked?

Track Story Completion

• Stories completed

• Stories in progress

• Stories not started

Track Metrics

• Components identified

• Components refactored

• Domains created

• Services extracted

Identify Blockers

• What's blocking progress?

• What dependencies are missing?

• What risks have emerged?

Output: Progress dashboard and status report

Output Format

Decomposition Roadmap

Decomposition Roadmap

Current State Assessment

Completed Patterns:

• ✅ Pattern 1: Identify and Size Components
• ✅ Pattern 2: Gather Common Domain Components
• ⚠️ Pattern 3: Flatten Components (in progress)
• ❌ Pattern 4: Determine Component Dependencies (not started)
• ❌ Pattern 5: Create Component Domains (not started)
• ❌ Pattern 6: Create Domain Services (not started)

Key Findings:

• 75 components identified
• 3 common domain components found
• 2 oversized components need splitting
• High database coupling detected

Phased Roadmap

Phase 1: Analysis & Preparation (Weeks 1-4)

Goal: Complete component analysis and refactoring

Patterns:

1. Complete Pattern 3: Flatten Components
2. Apply Pattern 4: Determine Component Dependencies
3. Refactor oversized components

Milestones:

• Week 2: Component flattening complete
• Week 4: Dependency analysis complete

Deliverables:

• Flattened component structure
• Dependency diagram
• Feasibility assessment

Phase 2: Domain Organization (Weeks 5-8)

Goal: Organize components into domains

Patterns:

1. Apply Pattern 5: Create Component Domains
2. Refactor namespaces for domain alignment

Milestones:

• Week 6: Domains identified
• Week 8: Namespace refactoring complete

Deliverables:

• Domain map
• Refactored component namespaces
• Domain documentation

Phase 3: Service Extraction (Weeks 9-16)

Goal: Extract domains to domain services

Patterns:

1. Apply Pattern 6: Create Domain Services
2. Extract services incrementally

Milestones:

• Week 12: First domain service extracted
• Week 16: All domain services extracted

Deliverables:

• Domain services deployed
• API boundaries defined
• Service documentation

Prioritized Work Plan

Prioritized Work Plan

High Priority (Do First)

1. Complete Component Flattening (Priority: 9/10)

   • Risk: Low
   • Value: High (enables domain grouping)
   • Dependencies: None
   • Effort: 2 weeks

2. Dependency Analysis (Priority: 8/10)

   • Risk: Low
   • Value: High (validates feasibility)
   • Dependencies: Component flattening
   • Effort: 1 week

Medium Priority (Do Next)

3. Domain Identification (Priority: 7/10)
   • Risk: Medium
   • Value: High (enables service extraction)
   • Dependencies: Dependency analysis
   • Effort: 2 weeks

Low Priority (Do Later)

4. Service Extraction (Priority: 5/10)
   • Risk: High
   • Value: High (final goal)
   • Dependencies: Domain identification
   • Effort: 8 weeks

Architecture Stories

Architecture Stories

Story 1: Flatten Ticket Components

As an architect, I need to flatten the Ticket component hierarchy to support better component organization so that components exist only as leaf nodes.

Acceptance Criteria:

• No orphaned classes in root namespaces
• All components are leaf nodes
• Component structure validated

Estimate: 5 story points Priority: High Dependencies: None

Story 2: Identify Component Domains

As an architect, I need to group components into logical domains to support service-based architecture so that components can be extracted to domain services.

Acceptance Criteria:

• All components assigned to domains
• Domain boundaries validated with stakeholders
• Domain map created

Estimate: 8 story points Priority: High Dependencies: Component flattening complete

Progress Dashboard

Decomposition Progress Dashboard

Pattern Completion Status

Story Completion Status

Completed: 5 stories (25%) In Progress: 3 stories (15%) Not Started: 12 stories (60%)

Key Metrics

• Components Identified: 75
• Components Refactored: 45 (60%)
• Domains Created: 0
• Services Extracted: 0

Analysis Checklist

Current State Assessment:

• Reviewed component inventory

• Checked common component analysis

• Assessed component structure

• Reviewed dependency analysis

• Checked domain identification

• Assessed service extraction status

Pattern Identification:

• Identified which patterns are complete

• Identified which patterns are in progress

• Identified which patterns need to be applied

• Checked pattern dependencies

Prioritization:

• Assessed risk for each pattern

• Assessed value for each pattern

• Assessed dependencies

• Calculated priority scores

Roadmap Creation:

• Defined phases

• Assigned patterns to phases

• Set milestones

• Estimated timeline

Story Generation:

• Created architecture stories

• Added acceptance criteria

• Estimated effort

• Prioritized stories

Progress Tracking:

• Set up tracking mechanism

• Defined metrics

• Created dashboard

• Identified blockers

Implementation Notes

Roadmap Templates

Simple Roadmap (for small projects):

• Phase 1: Analysis (2-4 weeks)

• Phase 2: Refactoring (4-6 weeks)

• Phase 3: Extraction (8-12 weeks)

Detailed Roadmap (for large projects):

• Phase 1: Analysis & Preparation (4-8 weeks)

• Phase 2: Domain Organization (4-6 weeks)

• Phase 3: Service Extraction (12-16 weeks)

• Phase 4: Optimization (4-8 weeks)

Prioritization Matrix

Use a 2x2 matrix for prioritization:

High Value, Low Risk | High Value, High Risk (Do First) | (Do Carefully) ────────────────────────┼────────────────────── Low Value, Low Risk | Low Value, High Risk (Do Later) | (Avoid/Defer)

Story Estimation

Use story points or time estimates:

Story Points (Fibonacci):

• 1: Trivial (few hours)

• 2: Simple (1 day)

• 3: Small (2-3 days)

• 5: Medium (1 week)

• 8: Large (2 weeks)

• 13: Very Large (3+ weeks)

Time Estimates:

• Small: 1-3 days

• Medium: 1-2 weeks

• Large: 2-4 weeks

• Very Large: 1+ month

Best Practices

Do's ✅

• Start with analysis patterns (Patterns 1-4)

• Prioritize low-risk, high-value work

• Create architecture stories for tracking

• Set clear milestones and success criteria

• Track progress regularly

• Adjust roadmap based on learnings

• Collaborate with stakeholders on priorities

Don'ts ❌

• Don't skip analysis patterns

• Don't start service extraction too early

• Don't ignore dependencies between patterns

• Don't create unrealistic timelines

• Don't skip progress tracking

• Don't forget to validate with stakeholders

• Don't proceed without feasibility assessment

Integration with Other Skills

This skill coordinates the use of other decomposition skills:

• Component Identification & Sizing → Foundation for planning

• Common Domain Component Detection → Identifies consolidation work

• Component Flattening → Prepares for domain grouping

• Component Dependency Analysis → Validates feasibility

• Domain Identification & Grouping → Enables service extraction

• Decomposition Planning & Roadmap (this skill) → Coordinates everything

Next Steps

After creating the roadmap:

• Review with Stakeholders - Get buy-in on plan

• Start Phase 1 - Begin with analysis patterns

• Track Progress - Monitor completion and blockers

• Adjust as Needed - Update roadmap based on learnings

• Celebrate Milestones - Recognize progress

Notes

• Roadmaps should be living documents, updated regularly

• Prioritization may change as you learn more

• Dependencies between patterns must be respected

• Feasibility assessment is critical before proceeding

• Stakeholder collaboration is essential for success

• Progress tracking helps identify issues early