planning-research

To plan a complex software architecture refactor, you should structure upfront research and deliberate planning to improve design quality and reduce rework. This ensures deliberate design before implementation by documenting scope and risks.

The best way to document trade-offs for a major feature design is to capture security, performance, and compatibility considerations during a structured planning phase. This guides implementation decisions by explicitly mapping constraints.

A three-phase research, plan, and execute workflow functions by collecting context and constraints first, then advancing to a documented implementation plan, and finally executing it with explicit outputs and checkpoints to ensure deliberate design.

You need upfront research for architectural decisions before starting a major feature, architecture change, or refactor. It helps align on scope and risks early, reducing rework and improving overall design quality.

This planning workflow is designed for complex features and architectural decisions, not small code changes. It enforces structured upfront research and deliberate planning that would be excessive for minor bug fixes.

To start a structured planning sprint for a new architecture change, initiate Phase 1: RESEARCH to collect context and constraints, then advance to PLAN and EXECUTE with a documented implementation plan.