Harness Roadmap Pilot

Harness Roadmap Pilot

AI-assisted selection of the next highest-impact unblocked roadmap item. Scores candidates, recommends one, assigns it, and transitions to the appropriate next skill.

When to Use

• When the team or individual needs to pick the next item to work on from the roadmap
• When there are multiple unblocked items and prioritization guidance is needed
• After completing a feature and looking for the next highest-impact work
• NOT when the roadmap does not exist (direct user to harness-roadmap --create)
• NOT when the user already knows what to work on (use harness-brainstorming or harness-autopilot directly)

Process

Iron Law

Never assign or transition without the human confirming the recommendation first.

Present the ranked candidates, the AI reasoning, and the recommended pick. Wait for explicit confirmation before making any changes.

---

Phase 1: SCAN -- Score Candidates

1. Resolve the roadmap mode with loadProjectRoadmapMode(projectRoot) from @harness-engineering/core.
   • In file-backed mode (default): check that docs/roadmap.md exists. If missing, error. "No roadmap found at docs/roadmap.md. Run harness-roadmap --create first."
   • In file-less mode: docs/roadmap.md is intentionally absent. Synthesize the roadmap from the tracker: a. loadTrackerClientConfigFromProject(projectRoot) -> createTrackerClient(config) to obtain a RoadmapTrackerClient. b. client.fetchAll() -> map each TrackedFeature into a RoadmapFeature and group by milestone (or use a single synthetic milestone if the tracker has no milestone field). c. If the tracker call fails, surface the error verbatim; do not fall back to a file-backed branch.
2. Parse the roadmap (file-backed only) using parseRoadmap from @harness-engineering/core. (File-less mode produces the in-memory roadmap directly from step 1.)
3. Determine the current user:
   • Use the --user argument if provided
   • Otherwise, attempt to detect from git config: git config user.name or git config user.email
   • If neither available, proceed without affinity scoring
4. Call scoreRoadmapCandidatesForMode(roadmap, { currentUser }, config) from @harness-engineering/core (FR-S3). This is the mode-aware wrapper: in file-backed mode it delegates to scoreRoadmapCandidates unchanged; in file-less mode it routes through scoreRoadmapCandidatesFileLess for the D4 priority+createdAt ordering. Always passing through this wrapper keeps the skill mode-agnostic.
5. If no candidates: inform the human. "No unblocked planned or backlog items found. All items are either in-progress, done, blocked, or the roadmap is empty."

Present the top 5 candidates:

ROADMAP PILOT -- Candidate Scoring

Top candidates (scored by position 50%, dependents 30%, affinity 20%):

  #  Feature               Milestone    Priority  Score   Breakdown
  1. Feature A             MVP Release  P0        0.85    pos:0.9 dep:0.8 aff:1.0
  2. Feature B             MVP Release  P1        0.72    pos:0.8 dep:0.6 aff:0.5
  3. Feature C             Q2 Release   --        0.65    pos:0.7 dep:0.5 aff:0.0
  4. Feature D             Backlog      --        0.40    pos:0.3 dep:0.4 aff:0.0
  5. Feature E             Backlog      --        0.35    pos:0.2 dep:0.3 aff:0.0

Phase 2: RECOMMEND -- AI-Assisted Analysis

1. For the top 3 candidates, read their spec files (if they exist):
   • Read the spec's Overview and Goals section
   • Read the spec's Success Criteria section
   • Assess effort and impact from the spec content

1a. Read STRATEGY.md if present at repo root (strategy-alignment input). Use a Node one-liner that calls validateStrategy from @harness-engineering/core, then (when valid) parseStrategyDoc + asStrategyDoc:

node -e "import('@harness-engineering/core').then(async m => {
  const v = await m.validateStrategy(process.cwd());
  if (!v.present || !v.valid) { console.log(JSON.stringify({ grounded: false })); return; }
  const raw = require('fs').readFileSync('STRATEGY.md', 'utf-8');
  console.log(JSON.stringify({ grounded: true, doc: m.asStrategyDoc(m.parseStrategyDoc(raw)) }));
})"

When grounded: true, capture the Target problem, Our approach, and Tracks section bodies. For each top-3 candidate, compute a strategy-alignment score:

• +0.5 if the candidate's feature name or spec keywords plausibly advance one of the Tracks (case-insensitive substring or paraphrase match)
• +0.25 if the candidate's spec Overview cites the Target problem or Our approach verbatim or near-verbatim
• 0 otherwise

The alignment score is a tiebreaker bonus, NEVER a hard filter:

• Apply only when the absolute difference between two candidates' base scores is ≤ 0.05 (items score similarly on position × 0.5 + dependents × 0.3 + affinity × 0.2).
• Never let the bonus override a meaningful base-score difference.
• When alignment is applied, cite it in the recommendation rationale ("Tiebreaker: aligned with track 'pulse-reports' from STRATEGY.md").
• When STRATEGY.md is absent or invalid, skip this step silently; the recommendation proceeds without a strategy tiebreaker.

1b. Read the most recent pulse report (if any):

• List entries in docs/pulse-reports/ and filter to those matching the regex /^\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}_\d{2}-\d{2}\.md$/ (the canonical YYYY-MM-DD_HH-MM.md pulse-report filename shape). Filtering before sorting prevents non-conforming files (e.g. README.md, NOTES.md, partial-timestamp drafts) from corrupting the signal.
• Lexical-sort the matched filenames (ISO timestamps sort chronologically) and take the LAST entry as the most recent.
• If zero entries match the regex (directory empty, absent, or only contains non-conforming files), soft-fail: skip this step and proceed without pulse signal. Do not block recommendation.
• For each top-3 candidate, scan the most recent pulse report's Headlines and Followups sections for keywords matching the candidate's name, milestone, or spec keywords. Note any signal that elevates priority (top followup item related to a candidate; an error spike in a candidate's area) or suppresses it (recent stable signal in candidate's area).
• When pulse signal is found, cite it verbatim in the recommendation rationale (e.g., "Pulse 2026-05-05_08-00 headline: 'auth errors up 30%' — elevates Auth Hardening").
• Use ONLY the most recent file. If older reports conflict with the most recent, ignore the older signal.

2. Provide a recommendation with reasoning:

RECOMMENDATION

I recommend Feature A (MVP Release, P0, score: 0.85).

Reasoning:
- Highest priority (P0) with strong positional signal (first in MVP milestone)
- Unblocks 2 downstream features (Feature X, Feature Y)
- You completed its blocker "Foundation" -- high context affinity
- Spec exists with clear success criteria (12 acceptance tests)
- Estimated effort: medium (8 tasks in the plan)

Alternative: Feature B (P1, score: 0.72) -- consider if Feature A's scope is too large for the current time window.

Proceed with Feature A? (y/n/pick another)

Phase 3: CONFIRM -- Human Decision

Ask the human in plain text (matching the y/n/pick another example above). Do not elevate this confirmation to an AskUserQuestion tool call — candidate labels and natural header choices ("Pick candidate", etc.) exceed its 12-char header cap and the prompt is rejected as ERR.

1. Wait for human confirmation.
   • If yes: proceed to Phase 4.
   • If pick another: ask which candidate number, then proceed with that pick.
   • If no: stop. No changes made.

Phase 4: ASSIGN -- Execute Assignment and Transition

1. Call manage_roadmap with action update to assign the feature:

   manage_roadmap({
     path: "<project-root>",
     action: "update",
     feature: "<feature-name>",
     assignee: "<currentUser>"
   })
   

   • This updates the feature's Assignee field with assignment history tracking
   • Automatically triggers external sync (GitHub Issues) if tracker config exists in harness.config.json
   • External sync is fire-and-forget — errors are logged but do not block the assignment

2. Determine the transition target:

   • If the feature has a spec field (non-null): transition to harness:autopilot
   • If the feature has no spec: transition to harness:brainstorming

3. Present the transition to the human via emit_interaction:

   emit_interaction({
     path: "<project-root>",
     type: "transition",
     transition: {
       completedPhase: "roadmap-pilot",
       suggestedNext: "<brainstorming|autopilot>",
       reason: "Feature '<name>' assigned and ready for <brainstorming|execution>",
       artifacts: ["docs/roadmap.md"],
       requiresConfirmation: true,
       summary: "Assigned '<name>' to <user>. <Spec exists -- ready for autopilot|No spec -- needs brainstorming first>.",
       qualityGate: {
         checks: [
           { "name": "roadmap-parsed", "passed": true },
           { "name": "candidate-scored", "passed": true },
           { "name": "human-confirmed", "passed": true },
           { "name": "assignment-written", "passed": true }
         ],
         allPassed: true
       }
     }
   })
   

4. Run harness validate.

---

Harness Integration

• parseRoadmap / serializeRoadmap -- Parse and write docs/roadmap.md (file-backed mode only). Import from @harness-engineering/core.
• loadProjectRoadmapMode / loadTrackerClientConfigFromProject / createTrackerClient -- Resolve roadmap.mode and obtain a RoadmapTrackerClient for file-less mode. Import from @harness-engineering/core.
• scoreRoadmapCandidatesForMode -- Mode-aware scoring entry point. Import from @harness-engineering/core. In file-backed mode delegates to scoreRoadmapCandidates; in file-less mode routes through scoreRoadmapCandidatesFileLess (priority + createdAt sort, FR-S3).
• scoreRoadmapCandidates -- Underlying file-backed scoring algorithm. Prefer scoreRoadmapCandidatesForMode from the skill; direct callers in file-backed-only code paths can still use this.
• manage_roadmap update -- Used for assignment. Supports assignee field which delegates to assignFeature internally, handles history tracking, and automatically triggers external sync (GitHub Issues). In file-less mode, manage_roadmap dispatches through the tracker; the skill flow is unchanged.
• emit_interaction -- Used for the skill transition at the end. Transitions to harness:brainstorming (no spec) or harness:autopilot (spec exists).
• STRATEGY.md alignment (Phase 2 step 1a) -- When present at repo root and valid, loaded via validateStrategy + parseStrategyDoc + asStrategyDoc from @harness-engineering/core. Applied as a bounded tiebreaker bonus (max +0.75) only when candidates score within 0.05 on the base formula. Boundary: roadmap-pilot READS; harness-strategy WRITES. Never modify STRATEGY.md from this skill.
• harness validate -- Run after assignment is written.

Success Criteria

1. Roadmap is parsed and unblocked planned/backlog items are scored
2. Scoring uses two-tier sort: explicit priority first, then weighted score
3. AI reads top candidates' specs and provides recommendation with reasoning
4. Human confirms before any changes are made
5. Assignment updates feature field, appends history records, and syncs externally
6. Reassignment produces two history records (unassigned + assigned)
7. Transition routes to brainstorming (no spec) or autopilot (spec exists)
8. When a pulse report exists, the recommendation rationale cites pulse signal for any top-3 candidate whose area is referenced in the pulse Headlines or Followups.
9. When STRATEGY.md is present and valid AND two candidates score within 0.05 on the base formula, the recommendation rationale cites strategy-alignment as the tiebreaker. The bonus never overrides a meaningful base-score difference.
10. When STRATEGY.md is absent or invalid, the skill completes without error and no strategy-alignment rationale appears in the output.
11. harness validate passes after all changes

Rationalizations to Reject

Rationalization	Reality
"The top-scored candidate is obviously correct, so I can assign it without asking the human"	The Iron Law: never assign or transition without the human confirming the recommendation first.
"Affinity data is not available so the scoring is degraded -- I should just pick the first planned item"	Proceed without affinity scoring by zeroing out the affinity weight. Position and dependents signals still produce meaningful rankings.
"The feature has no spec, but I can skip brainstorming and jump straight to planning since the summary is clear enough"	No spec routes to brainstorming, spec exists routes to autopilot. A one-line roadmap summary is not a spec.
"STRATEGY.md exists, so I should let it override the top-scored candidate when alignment is clear"	The alignment bonus is bounded (max +0.75) and only fires when base scores are within 0.05. It is a tiebreaker, not a hard filter — a clearly higher-scored item still wins.

Examples

Example: Pick Next Item from a Multi-Milestone Roadmap

Context: A roadmap with 3 milestones, 8 features. 2 are in-progress, 1 is done, 2 are blocked, 3 are planned/backlog and unblocked. User is @cwarner who completed "Core Library Design".

Phase 1: SCAN

ROADMAP PILOT -- Candidate Scoring

Top candidates:
  #  Feature               Milestone    Priority  Score   Breakdown
  1. Graph Connector       MVP Release  P2        0.78    pos:0.8 dep:0.6 aff:1.0
  2. Performance Baselines Q3 Hardening --        0.45    pos:0.5 dep:0.3 aff:0.0
  3. Push Notifications    Backlog      --        0.30    pos:0.2 dep:0.2 aff:0.5

Phase 2: RECOMMEND

I recommend Graph Connector (MVP Release, P2, score: 0.78).

Reasoning:
- Only prioritized item among candidates (P2)
- You completed its blocker "Core Library Design" -- maximum affinity bonus
- Unblocks "API Integration" downstream
- Spec exists at docs/changes/graph-connector/proposal.md

Proceed? (y/n/pick another)

Human confirms y.

Phase 4: ASSIGN

manage_roadmap update: Graph Connector assignee -> @cwarner
History: +1 record (assigned, 2026-04-02)
Roadmap updated: docs/roadmap.md
External sync: github:harness-eng/harness#43 assigned (automatic)

Transitioning to harness:autopilot (spec exists)...

Gates

• No assignment without human confirmation. The CONFIRM phase must complete with explicit approval. Never auto-assign.
• No transition without assignment. The skill must write the assignment before transitioning to the next skill.
• No scoring without a parsed roadmap. If docs/roadmap.md does not exist or fails to parse, stop with an error.

Escalation

• When no unblocked candidates exist: Inform the human. Suggest reviewing blocked items to see if blockers can be resolved, or adding new features via harness-roadmap --add.
• When affinity data is unavailable: Proceed without affinity scoring (weight falls to 0 for all candidates). Note this in the output.
• When external sync fails: Log the error, complete the local assignment, and note that external sync can be retried with harness-roadmap --sync.