writing-plans

To generate an implementation plan from a vague feature spec, you provide the specification to generate a structured, executable plan. This plan outlines touched files, tests, docs, and commit steps, converting abstract requirements into actionable tasks.

The standard structure for saving engineering implementation plans is a markdown file named docs/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-<feature-name>.md. This format features a consistent header and a task-by-task structure suitable for incremental development and review workflows.

Yes, you can break down multi-step engineering tasks into bite-sized development items. The process produces granular tasks suitable for incremental development, CI workflows, and team review when starting with zero context.

You need to create a task-by-task plan before coding when engineering teams have zero context for a multi-step task. This ensures precise file modifications, test coverage, and documentation steps are defined before development begins.

The best way to document touched files and tests for a new feature is to apply planning to specs before coding. This generates a structured markdown file outlining exactly which files to touch, which tests to write, and how to commit changes.