Code Plan Writing

researched 2026-05-25· 12 sources · 10 concepts · skill code-plan-writing

Translating a specification, requirement, or feature request into a structured sequence of implementable tasks.

Translating a specification, requirement, or feature request into a structured sequence of implementable tasks. [source]
Break-even point: any change touching 4+ files, any refactor with a coherent end state. [source]

Output Format

Every plan document must contain these sections in order: [source]
Header - Feature name, one-sentence goal, architecture summary, tech stack [source]
File Map - Table: Action (Create/Modify/Delete) | File path | Responsibility [source]
Tasks - Numbered blocks with checkbox steps, exact code, commands, and expected outputs [source]
Validation - Per-task done criteria + overall acceptance criteria [source]
Not In Scope - Explicit list of excluded work [source]
Delivery: Save to docs/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-<feature-slug>.md unless the user specifies otherwise. [source]

Self-contained documents for autonomous multi-hour execution. Required sections: Purpose, Progress (timestamped checkboxes), Surprises & Discoveries, Decision Log, Context & Orientation, Concrete Steps (exact commands + expected outputs), Validation & Acceptance, Idempotence & Recovery. [source]

Frontier under this node: Checkpoint Design, Context Handoff, RFC and ADR Formats, Spec-to-Plan Translation, Task Granularity Design