planning

Break large projects into small, verifiable increments with PLAN.md, WIP.md, and LEARNINGS.md.

Updated Nov 8, 2016

Search Tags:#workflow #planning #testing #documentation #project-management #incremental

Ready to run

npx skills add https://github.com/jscriptcoder/jscriptcoder.com --skill planning-jscriptcoder

💬 Prompt for ChatGPT / Claude Chat▼

Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: planning
Source: https://github.com/jscriptcoder/jscriptcoder.com/tree/main/.claude/skills/planning
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/jscriptcoder/jscriptcoder.com --skill planning-jscriptcoder

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve?

Planning in small, known-good increments helps teams avoid scope creep, keep the codebase stable, and maintain testability throughout the project lifecycle.

Core Features & Use Cases

Three-document model: Maintain PLAN.md for goals and acceptance criteria, WIP.md for current progress, and LEARNINGS.md for discoveries and post-mortem notes.
Lifecycle governance: Each increment leaves the project in a verifiably working state and supports approval before commits.
Reusable workflow: Works at project startup and during ongoing work to structure changes, tests, and reviews.

Quick Start

Create PLAN.md with the feature goal and acceptance criteria, start with Step 1 detailing the test, implementation, and done criteria, then use WIP.md to track progress and LEARNINGS.md to capture outcomes as you proceed.

Frequently Asked Questions about planning

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema

How do I break a large software project into small, testable increments?▼

Incremental project planning uses a three-document model: PLAN.md for goals and acceptance criteria, WIP.md for current progress, and LEARNINGS.md for discoveries. This ensures each step leaves the codebase in a verifiably working state before commits.

What is the progress-guardian workflow for project management?▼

The progress-guardian workflow is a project-management technique that enforces testing and approval before commits. It maintains project stability by requiring tests to pass and approvals to be granted before integrating incremental changes into the main codebase.

How do I start planning a feature using a documentation-driven workflow?▼

To start planning a feature, create PLAN.md with the feature goal and acceptance criteria. Detail Step 1 by specifying the test, implementation, and done criteria, then use WIP.md to track progress and LEARNINGS.md to capture outcomes as you proceed.

Does incremental planning prevent scope creep in software engineering?▼

Incremental planning prevents scope creep by structuring work into small, verifiable increments with strict lifecycle governance. Each increment must pass tests and require approval before commits, keeping the codebase stable and avoiding uncontrolled feature expansion.

When should I not use incremental planning for my codebase?▼

You should avoid incremental planning if your project does not require maintaining documentation like PLAN.md, WIP.md, and LEARNINGS.md, or if your workflow does not mandate passing tests and securing approvals before each commit.