Creating Implementation Plans
Transform feature requirements into actionable implementation plans with clear phases, deliverables, and success criteria.
When to Use This Skill
- •User requests an implementation plan, build plan, or roadmap
- •Planning a new feature with multiple components
- •Organizing work into logical phases
- •Need to identify dependencies between features
Flexibility
Adapt based on project type:
- •Single feature: Simplified structure, may skip phases
- •Multi-feature project: Full phase breakdown with dependencies
- •Refactoring: Focus on risk assessment and rollback strategy
- •Prototypes: Lighter on testing, heavier on deliverables
Quick Start
- •Locate feature requirements documents - check
requirements/features/or ask user for paths - •Ask for GitHub issue URL(s) if not provided in context
- •Identify dependencies between features
- •Determine optimal build sequence
- •Create the implementation plan using the template
File Locations
- •
requirements/implementation/- Implementation plan documents
Filename Convention
Use the primary Feature ID as the filename prefix:
- •Single feature:
FEAT-XXX-feature-name.md(e.g.,FEAT-001-user-authentication.md) - •Multiple features:
FEAT-XXX-project-name.mdusing the first/primary feature ID (e.g.,FEAT-001-podcast-cli-features.md)
Template
See assets/implementation-plan.md for the full template.
Structure Overview
code
# Implementation Plan: [Project Name] - Overview - Features Summary (table: ID, Name, Priority, Complexity, Status) - Recommended Build Sequence - Phase N: Rationale, Implementation Steps, Deliverables - Shared Infrastructure - Testing Strategy - Dependencies and Prerequisites - Risk Assessment (table: Risk, Impact, Probability, Mitigation) - Success Criteria - Code Organization
Sequencing Principles
Order features by: foundation patterns → dependencies → complexity progression → value delivery
Each phase needs a rationale explaining why it comes at this point and what patterns it introduces.
Implementation Steps
- •Start with CLI/API/interface additions
- •Include validation and error handling
- •End with tests and documentation
- •Be specific enough to execute without ambiguity
Verification Checklist
Before finalizing:
- • All features from requirements included
- • Build sequence accounts for dependencies
- • Each phase has clear rationale and deliverables
- • Risks identified with mitigations
- • Success criteria are measurable
Reference
See implementation-plan-example.md for a complete example covering 5 CLI features with full phase breakdowns.