Plan Validation Checklist
When creating implementation plans, incorporate this checklist to ensure plans are complete and well-considered. Address each section as you write the plan, not as a separate validation step.
Required Plan Sections
1. Problem Statement
- •What specific problem are we solving?
- •What evidence exists that this problem is real? (user complaints, metrics, research)
- •Are we solving the root cause or just symptoms?
2. Success Criteria
- •How will we know this worked?
- •What are the measurable outcomes?
- •Who determines success?
3. Scope Definition
- •What is IN scope?
- •What is explicitly OUT of scope?
- •What is the minimum viable version?
- •Can this be shipped incrementally?
4. Technical Approach
- •What is the high-level approach?
- •How does this integrate with existing code patterns?
- •What are the key technical decisions?
- •What are we most uncertain about?
5. Files to Modify/Create
- •List specific files with their purpose
- •Note which are new vs modified
- •Identify any files that need research first
6. Implementation Sequence
- •What order should changes be made?
- •What are the critical path dependencies?
- •What are the risky parts to tackle first?
7. Risk Assessment
- •What could go wrong?
- •What's the rollback plan?
- •Are there security, performance, or reliability concerns?
8. Verification Plan
- •How will changes be tested?
- •What edge cases need consideration?
- •How will we verify success criteria are met?
Plan Quality Signals
Good plans have:
- •Clear problem statement with evidence
- •Defined, measurable success criteria
- •Appropriate scope (not too broad)
- •Identified risks and mitigations
- •Logical implementation sequence
- •Consideration of existing codebase patterns
Red flags in plans:
- •Vague problem statements ("improve performance")
- •No success metrics
- •Scope creep built in ("while we're at it...")
- •Assumptions stated as facts
- •Missing error/edge case handling
- •Ignoring existing patterns in the codebase
Before Finalizing
Ask yourself:
- •Does this plan actually solve the stated problem?
- •Is the scope appropriate for the problem size?
- •Are the technical assumptions validated?
- •What's the simplest version that could work?
If any section is incomplete or uncertain, note it explicitly in the plan rather than glossing over it.