Create Plan Skill

Generates structured Plan.md files for complex tasks requiring multi-step reasoning and execution.

Core Responsibilities

1. •Analyze task requirements and understand objectives
2. •Break down complex tasks into 3-7 actionable steps
3. •Identify dependencies between steps
4. •Flag steps requiring human approval
5. •Provide realistic time/effort estimates
6. •Define measurable success criteria

When This Skill Activates

Trigger phrases:

• •"create a plan"
• •"plan this task"
• •"break this down"
• •"what are the steps"
• •"generate plan.md"
• •"how should I approach this"

Auto-activates when:

• •Task has 3+ distinct components
• •Task requires coordination of multiple actions
• •User explicitly requests planning
• •Task involves external dependencies or approval stages

Step-by-Step Workflow

Phase 1: Task Analysis

1. •

   Read Source Task

   • •Locate task file in Vault/Needs_Action
   • •Read full description and context
   • •Identify task type and desired outcome
2. •

   Understand Requirements

   • •What is the goal?
   • •Who are the stakeholders?
   • •What constraints exist (time, budget, approval)?
   • •What resources are available?
3. •

   Check Business Context

   • •Read Vault/Business_Goals.md for alignment
   • •Read Vault/Company_Handbook.md for guidelines
   • •Verify task supports business objectives
4. •

   Assess Complexity

   • •Simple (1-2 steps): May not need full plan
   • •Moderate (3-5 steps): Standard plan
   • •Complex (6+ steps): Detailed plan with phases

See best practices for when to create plans.

Phase 2: Plan Generation

1. •

   Define Clear Objective

   • •Write one-sentence objective statement
   • •Be specific and measurable
   • •Example: "Send project proposal to Client A with pricing and timeline by Friday"
2. •

   Identify Major Steps (3-7 steps)

   • •Each step should be actionable and atomic
   • •Use action verbs (Research, Draft, Send, Review, etc.)
   • •Keep steps focused and clear
3. •

   Add Step Details For each step include:

   • •Description: What needs to be done
   • •Estimate: Time/effort (5m, 30m, 2h, etc.)
   • •Dependencies: What must complete first
   • •Approval: Does this need human approval? (yes/no)
   • •Resources: Tools/files/information needed
4. •

   Identify Dependencies

   • •Sequential: Steps that must happen in order
   • •Parallel: Steps that can run simultaneously
   • •External: Dependencies on things outside our control
5. •

   Flag Approval Requirements Mark steps that require approval with [REQUIRES APPROVAL] tag:

   • •External communications (emails, social posts)
   • •Payments or financial actions
   • •Public-facing content
   • •Data deletion
   • •Actions requiring human judgment
6. •

   Define Success Criteria

   • •How will we know the task is complete?
   • •What are the quality standards?
   • •What deliverables must exist?

See best practices for detailed guidance.

Phase 3: Plan Creation

1. •

   Generate Plan Filename

   • •Format: PLAN_[task-description]_[date].md
   • •Example: PLAN_ClientA_Proposal_2026-01-11.md
   • •Keep filename descriptive but < 80 characters
2. •

   Create Plan File

   • •Save to Vault/Plans folder
   • •Use standard template
   • •Include all required sections with proper markdown
3. •

   Required Sections

   • •YAML Frontmatter: Metadata (created, status, priority, estimated_duration)
   • •Objective: Clear goal statement
   • •Background: Context and rationale (optional but recommended)
   • •Steps: Numbered checklist with details
   • •Dependencies: Relationships between steps
   • •Approval Requirements: Steps needing approval
   • •Success Criteria: Measurable completion indicators
   • •Notes: Additional context (optional)
   • •Execution Log: Empty placeholder for updates
4. •

   Write Clear Step Descriptions Good example:

   markdown

   - [ ] Draft proposal with pricing ($2,500), timeline (3 weeks), deliverables
         Est: 1h | Depends on: Step 1 | Approval: no | Resources: pricing-template.md
   

   See examples for more patterns.

Phase 4: Plan Finalization

1. •

   Review for Completeness

   • • All steps are actionable
   • • Dependencies are clear and non-circular
   • • Estimates are reasonable
   • • Approval needs are flagged
   • • Success criteria are measurable
2. •

   Check for Missing Steps Common forgotten steps:

   • •Testing/validation
   • •Getting approval
   • •Notifying stakeholders
   • •Documentation
   • •Follow-up actions
3. •

   Assign Priority

   • •Urgent: Complete today, blocking other work
   • •High: Important, 2-3 days
   • •Normal: Standard, within week
   • •Low: Nice to have, no deadline
4. •

   Save & Update Dashboard

   • •Save plan to Vault/Plans folder
   • •Log creation to Vault/Dashboard.md with timestamp, task name, priority
   • •Provide summary to user (steps, approvals, duration)

Plan Template Structure

Use the full template for complete details.

Minimal structure:

---
created: [timestamp]
status: pending_approval | in_progress | completed | blocked
priority: low | normal | high | urgent
task_source: Vault/Needs_Action/[source-file].md
estimated_duration: [e.g., "30 minutes", "3 hours"]
---

## Objective
[One clear sentence]

## Steps
- [ ] **Step 1:** [Action description]
      Est: [time] | Depends on: [none/step] | Approval: [yes/no]
      [REQUIRES APPROVAL] [if applicable]

[... more steps ...]

## Dependencies
[Sequential, parallel, external]

## Approval Requirements
[List steps requiring approval and why]

## Success Criteria
- [ ] [Measurable outcome 1]
- [ ] [Measurable outcome 2]

---
## Execution Log
[Updates as work progresses]

Integration with Other Skills

Workflow:

1. •create-plan generates Plan.md
2. •process-tasks reads and executes steps
3. •handle-approval manages approval for flagged steps
4. •Action skills (process-emails, post-to-linkedin) execute specific actions
5. •Completed plans move to Vault/Done

Reference Files

Progressive disclosure - load on demand:

1. •

   plan-template.md

   • •Complete template with all sections
   • •Field descriptions
   • •Minimal plan template for simple tasks
2. •

   plan-examples.md

   • •Email response plan
   • •Complex project plan
   • •Research & report plan
   • •Multi-phase project
   • •Minimal quick task plan
3. •

   best-practices.md

   • •When to create plans (complexity guidelines)
   • •Writing effective steps and objectives
   • •Time estimation guidelines
   • •Success criteria best practices
   • •Common mistakes to avoid

Dashboard Logging Format

### [Timestamp] - Plan Created

**Plan:** [Task name]
- File: Vault/Plans/PLAN_[name]_[date].md
- Priority: [priority]
- Total Steps: [number]
- Requires Approval: [yes/no, which steps]
- Estimated Duration: [time]
- Status: Ready for execution

Success Criteria

This skill works correctly when:

✅ Plans clearly decompose complex tasks ✅ All approval needs identified upfront ✅ Steps have realistic estimates ✅ Dependencies are explicit and non-circular ✅ Success criteria are measurable ✅ Plans integrate smoothly with process-tasks skill ✅ Dashboard logs all plan creations

Skill Version: 2.1 (Updated for Vault structure) Last Updated: 2026-01-11 Branch: feat/silver-core-workflows