plan-feature

Plan Feature

Two-phase pre-implementation planning: clarify requirements via interview, then compile a complete PRD.

Phase 1: Discovery

Help clarify requirements and scope through structured questioning.

Purpose

Turn vague requests into clear, actionable requirements.

Interview Framework

1. Understand the Goal

• What problem are you solving?
• Who is this for?
• What does success look like?

2. Define Scope

• What must be included (MVP)?
• What's nice to have (future)?
• What's explicitly out of scope?

3. Identify Constraints

• Timeline constraints?
• Technical constraints?
• Resource constraints?

4. Clarify Details

• What are the inputs/outputs?
• What are the edge cases?
• What are the error scenarios?

5. Validate Understanding

• Summarize back what you heard
• Confirm priorities
• Identify open questions

Output

## Discovery Summary: [Feature/Project]

### Goal
[Clear statement of what we're building and why]

### Requirements
**Must Have (MVP)**
- [ ] Requirement 1
- [ ] Requirement 2

**Nice to Have**
- [ ] Feature A
- [ ] Feature B

**Out of Scope**
- Not doing X
- Not doing Y

### Technical Approach
[High-level approach]

### Open Questions
- [ ] Need to clarify: ...
- [ ] Decision needed: ...

### Next Steps
1. [First action]
2. [Second action]

Remember

• Ask, don't assume
• Summarize frequently
• Document decisions
• Store requirements as learnings

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Phase 2: PRD Compilation

Structured 6-phase process to produce a complete PRD from a feature idea, including user stories, task breakdown, and parallel execution plan.

Workflow

Phase 1: Clarifying Questions

Ask 5-8 targeted questions to fill gaps. Use smart defaults so the user can skip.

## Clarifying Questions

1. **Target users?** [default: existing app users]
2. **Platform scope?** [default: web only]
3. **Auth required?** [default: yes, existing auth]
4. **Performance targets?** [default: <3s LCP, <100ms INP]
5. **Accessibility level?** [default: WCAG 2.1 AA]
6. **Data persistence?** [default: existing database]
7. **Mobile responsive?** [default: yes]
8. **Analytics needed?** [default: basic events]

Press enter to accept all defaults, or answer specific questions.

Phase 2: Scope Definition

Define what is IN and OUT of scope.

## Scope

### In Scope
- [feature 1]
- [feature 2]

### Out of Scope
- [explicitly excluded 1]
- [explicitly excluded 2]

### Assumptions
- [assumption 1]
- [assumption 2]

Phase 3: User Stories

Write user stories with acceptance criteria.

## User Stories

### US-1: [Title]
**As a** [role]
**I want** [capability]
**So that** [benefit]

**Acceptance Criteria:**
- [ ] Given [context], when [action], then [result]
- [ ] Given [context], when [action], then [result]

**Priority:** P1 | P2 | P3
**Complexity:** trivial | small | medium | large | epic

Phase 4: Task Breakdown

Break into implementable tasks with metadata.

## Tasks

### T-1: [Title]
- **Description:** [what to implement]
- **User Story:** US-1
- **Priority:** 1 (1=highest, 5=lowest)
- **Complexity:** medium
- **Estimated Tokens:** 15000
- **Dependencies:** none
- **Blocks:** T-2, T-3
- **Verification:** [how to verify completion]

### T-2: [Title]
- **Dependencies:** T-1
- ...

Phase 5: Parallel Batch Detection

Analyze task dependencies to find parallel execution groups using topological sorting.

## Execution Plan

### Batch 1 (parallel) — estimated: 25k tokens
- T-1: Setup data models
- T-4: Create UI scaffolding
- T-7: Write test fixtures

### Batch 2 (parallel, depends on Batch 1) — estimated: 40k tokens
- T-2: Implement API endpoints (depends: T-1)
- T-5: Build form components (depends: T-4)

### Batch 3 (sequential) — estimated: 20k tokens
- T-3: Integration wiring (depends: T-2, T-5)

### Batch 4 (parallel) — estimated: 15k tokens
- T-6: E2E tests (depends: T-3)
- T-8: Documentation (depends: T-3)

Total estimated tokens: 100k
Estimated context windows: 2

Phase 6: Final PRD

Compile everything into the final document.

# PRD: [Feature Name]

## Overview
[1-2 paragraph summary]

## Goals
- [measurable goal 1]
- [measurable goal 2]

## Scope
[from Phase 2]

## User Stories
[from Phase 3]

## Technical Design
### Architecture
[high-level approach]

### Data Model
[key entities and relationships]

### API Surface
[endpoints or interfaces]

## Task Breakdown
[from Phase 4]

## Execution Plan
[from Phase 5]

## Success Metrics
- [metric 1: target value]
- [metric 2: target value]

## Risks
| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation |
|------|-----------|--------|------------|
| [risk] | Low/Med/High | Low/Med/High | [approach] |

## Timeline
- Phase 1: [dates] — [deliverable]
- Phase 2: [dates] — [deliverable]

Smart Defaults

When the user provides minimal input, apply these defaults:

• Platform: Web — detect from package.json (next → Next.js / satus, react-router → RR / novus)
• Auth: Existing auth system
• Performance: LCP <3s, INP <100ms, CLS <0.1
• Accessibility: WCAG 2.1 AA
• Testing: Unit + integration, no E2E unless requested
• Styling: Project's existing system (Tailwind if detected)

Task Sizing Reference

See docs/enhanced-todos.md for the complexity/token sizing reference table.