Scale-Adaptive Planning Skill

"Right-size the process – small projects need less ceremony, large projects need more structure."

When to Use This Skill

Use at:

•Session initialization (determine project scale)
•Each retrospective (reassess based on progress)
•When PRD size changes significantly

Quick Start

javascript

// Determine project scale (reads both PRD files since v3.1.0)
const prd = readJson("prd.json");
const backlog = readJson(prd.backlogFile || "prd_backlog.json");
const allItems = [...prd.items, ...backlog.backlogItems];

const taskCount = allItems.filter((i) => !i.passes).length;
const scale =
  taskCount <= 3 ? 0 : taskCount <= 8 ? 1 : taskCount <= 15 ? 2 : taskCount <= 30 ? 3 : 4;

// Apply scale-appropriate process
const config = SCALE_CONFIG[scale];

Note: Since v3.1.0, tasks are split between prd.json (active queue: 5 tasks) and prd_backlog.json (backlog: ~70 tasks). PM must read both files to get accurate task counts for scale detection.

Decision Framework

Scale	Task Count	Process Depth	Retrospective	Skill Updates
0 - Micro	1-3	Minimal	Brief notes	None
1 - Small	4-8	Light	Quick review	Anti-patterns only
2 - Medium	9-15	Standard	Full process	Update relevant
3 - Large	16-30	Comprehensive	Deep analysis	Create new skills
4 - Enterprise	31+	Full methodology	Multi-phase	Full skill suite

Progressive Guide

Level 0: Micro (1-3 tasks)

Minimal ceremony for tiny projects:

markdown

## Process Adjustments

- Skip formal retrospective file
- Use inline progress notes
- No skill improvement phase
- Simple task → implement → validate → done

## State Files

- prd.json.session (minimal session state)
- prd.json.items[{taskId}] (task details)
- Skip: retrospective.txt, handoff-log.json

Level 1: Small (4-8 tasks)

Light process for small projects:

markdown

## Process Adjustments

- Brief retrospective (inline in progress.txt)
- Quick learnings capture
- Anti-pattern documentation only
- Single-pass validation

## Retrospective Format (Inline)

### [TIMESTAMP] Task Complete: {{TASK_ID}}

- Done: {{what}}
- Learned: {{key insight}}
- Watch out: {{anti-pattern if any}}

Level 2: Medium (9-15 tasks)

Standard process for typical projects:

markdown

## Process Adjustments

- Full file-based retrospective
- Agent contributions required
- Skill updates for gaps
- Risk identification

## Full Process

1. Create retrospective.txt
2. Wait for Developer + QA input
3. PM synthesis
4. Update skills if gaps found
5. Proceed to next task

Level 3: Large (16-30 tasks)

Comprehensive process for complex projects:

markdown

## Process Adjustments

- Deep retrospective analysis
- Milestone reviews every 5 tasks
- Create new skill files
- Reference folder documentation
- Risk heat map tracking

## Additional Steps

1. Milestone review at 25%, 50%, 75%
2. Create domain-specific skill files
3. Build reference documentation
4. Track technical debt
5. Velocity monitoring

Level 4: Enterprise (31+ tasks)

Full methodology for large projects:

markdown

## Process Adjustments

- Multi-phase planning
- Sprint boundaries
- Full skill suite creation
- Architectural decision records
- Quality gates

## Enterprise Features

1. Sprint planning (5-8 tasks per sprint)
2. Architectural retrospectives
3. Full skill documentation
4. Integration testing phases
5. Release milestones

Scale Detection Algorithm

javascript

function detectScale(prd, backlog) {
  // Read both files for complete task picture (v3.1.0+)
  const prd = readJson("prd.json");
  const backlog = readJson(prd.backlogFile || "prd_backlog.json");
  const allItems = [...prd.items, ...backlog.backlogItems];

  const remaining = allItems.filter((i) => !i.passes).length;
  const total = allItems.length;
  const complexity = allItems.reduce(
    (sum, i) => sum + (i.category === 'architectural' ? 3 : i.category === 'integration' ? 2 : 1),
    0
  );

  // Base scale on task count
  let scale =
    remaining <= 3 ? 0 : remaining <= 8 ? 1 : remaining <= 15 ? 2 : remaining <= 30 ? 3 : 4;

  // Adjust for complexity
  if (complexity / total > 2) scale = Math.min(4, scale + 1);

  // Adjust for dependencies
  const depCount = allItems.reduce((sum, i) => sum + i.dependencies.length, 0);
  if (depCount / total > 1.5) scale = Math.min(4, scale + 1);

  return scale;
}

Anti-Patterns

❌ DON'T:

•Apply enterprise process to 3-task projects
•Skip retrospectives for large projects
•Ignore scale changes during project
•Use fixed process regardless of size

✅ DO:

•Reassess scale at each retrospective
•Adjust process depth dynamically
•Right-size documentation effort
•Scale skill updates to project size

Checklist

At session start:

• Count remaining tasks
• Calculate complexity score
• Determine initial scale (0-4)
• Configure process depth
• Document scale in prd.json.session

At each retrospective:

• Reassess remaining tasks
• Check if scale changed
• Adjust process if needed
• Update scale in prd.json.session

Reference

•pm-retrospective-facilitation — Retrospective process
•pm-improvement-skill-research — Skill updates
•https://github.com/bmad-code-org/BMAD-METHOD — Scale-adaptive methodology