planning-mastery

An RFC-Lite plan is a strictly formatted, architecture-first document that outlines software changes, file-level implications, and explicit verification steps without including code blocks. It captures objectives, strategy, execution steps, and test coverage to ensure changes are scoped and testable.

To write a concise implementation plan, use the RFC-Lite template to define the objective, strategy, required file changes, execution steps, and verification criteria. You must enforce a strict 300-line limit and perform a blast-radius analysis to prevent scope creep.

No, the RFC-Lite planning protocol requires a strictly formatted template with no code blocks. The plan focuses entirely on architectural changes, file-level implications, and verification steps rather than writing the actual code.

You need to perform a blast-radius analysis when planning feature or component design tasks across frontend, backend, or tooling to explicitly define the scope of changes. It prevents scope creep and ensures all affected files are documented within the 300-line limit.

The best way to structure documentation for complex modifications is using an architecture-first template that separates objective, strategy, file changes, and verification. This standardization prevents errors by focusing on what to change and how to test it before execution.