Planning Slices

Planning Slices

Use this skill to write planning documents as working handoff records, not polished proposals. A good plan names the target state, records decisions that matter, then splits the work into small ordered slices that can each become a focused PR, commit, or reviewable checkpoint.

When Drafting A Plan

Create the plan under docs/plans/YYYY-MM-DD--plan.md unless the user gives another path.

Start with enough context that a future agent can resume without rediscovering the whole problem:

• # Title: name the feature, migration, or validation effort directly.
• ## Summary: state the target outcome and why the plan exists.
• ## Decision or ## Decisions: record choices that are already made.
• ## Scope: say what is covered and what is explicitly out of scope.
• ## Current State or ## Behavior To Preserve: capture the baseline.
• ## Recommended Approach or ## Implementation Shape: describe the intended architecture.
• ## Testing Plan: list confidence checks and where they run.
• ## Files to Add and ## Files to Change: constrain likely blast radius when useful.
• ## Open Questions: keep unresolved product and engineering judgment visible.

Do not force every section into every plan. Use more contract, risk, and edge-case detail for deep migrations; keep compact UI or product plans lighter.

Slice Structure

Order slices from least dependent to most dependent. Earlier slices should harden a contract, prove a risky assumption, or create a foundation later slices can rely on.

Each substantial slice should include:

• Goal: the concrete outcome of the slice.
• Why here: why this slice belongs at this point in the order.
• This slice should implement: the work items.
• Expected output: the files, behavior, or operational state produced.
• Verification: the smallest meaningful command or manual check.
• Dependencies: prior slices or external prerequisites.

Use this status legend when tracking active work in the plan:

• [ ] Not started
• [-] In progress
• [x] Done

For small plans, a compact checklist is fine as long as the slice boundary remains crisp:

### Slice 1: Deployment summary helper

Status: `[ ]` Not started

- add a small helper that parses deployment YAML
- keep failures non-throwing
- add focused tests

Sizing Rules

A slice is well-sized when it can be reviewed on its own and leaves the repo in a better state even if later slices are delayed.

Prefer slices that:

• touch one module or one contract boundary at a time
• add or harden tests before changing risky behavior
• keep deployment, runtime, API, and UI work separated where possible
• have a clear verification command
• produce a natural commit, focused PR, or reviewable checkpoint

Avoid slices that:

• mix refactor, behavior change, and rollout in one step
• require later slices before tests pass
• create a long-lived dual implementation without an explicit cleanup slice
• leave the next agent guessing what was learned

Updating Or Resuming A Plan

Treat the plan as the durable handoff record between sessions. Before editing an existing plan, read it end to end and identify the active slice, prior Working Notes, existing verification records, Open Questions, and Next Slice.

When updating an existing plan:

• preserve prior decisions, notes, findings, and verification records unless the user explicitly asks for cleanup
• append dated findings under Working Notes or findings instead of replacing old context
• mark a slice [x] only when the completed work is verified by an exact command, manual check, merged PR, or clearly recorded prior evidence
• use [-] for partial work and leave unverified or untouched work as [ ]
• record Completed in this slice for compact plans when it clarifies what actually changed
• update Implication for later slices when new information changes the remaining order, scope, or risk
• update Verification with the exact command or manual check that passed; if verification was not run, say that directly
• add a numbered follow-up slice such as Slice 5.1 when real follow-up work emerges outside the original path
• always leave Next Slice actionable enough for a future session to start without chat history

A good Next Slice names the next concrete task, the first files or systems to inspect, the expected verification, and any blocker or open question that must be resolved first.

Cross-Slice Rules

Add cross-slice rules when the same constraint applies everywhere, such as:

• preserve an existing runtime or API contract unless a limitation is proven
• keep a client path unchanged until the replacement is validated
• use a specific test suite as the black-box contract source
• remove legacy code only after parity is proven

These rules keep slice-level implementation choices aligned without repeating the same warning under every slice.

Verification

Name verification at two levels:

• per-slice verification for the smallest useful check
• final verification for the broader confidence pass

Use repo-standard commands where possible, and record the exact command that passed in the plan. If a slice cannot be fully verified locally, state what remains unverified and where it must be checked, such as staging.

Checklist

Before considering a new or updated plan ready, confirm it:

• states the target state before the implementation list
• separates decisions from open questions
• splits the work into ordered slices
• gives each slice a dependency boundary and verification step
• adds cleanup or docs slices when temporary state is introduced
• preserves prior notes, decisions, findings, and verification records when updating an existing plan
• marks only verified work as done
• records findings and actual verification as work proceeds
• leaves Next Slice concrete, current, and actionable
• updates relevant wiki or docs pages after implementation changes project behavior

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: kodi
• Source: kodi/planning-slices
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.