planning-with-files

Avoid goal drift in long workflows by enforcing a loop-driven process: always read task_plan.md before making decisions. This refreshes your goals and phases, ensuring research and synthesis stay aligned with the original deliverable requirements.

The best way to structure deliverable-driven workflows is using persistent markdown files. Create task_plan.md to outline your goal and phases, use notes.md for research, and compile final outputs into a dedicated deliverable file.

Yes, markdown memory works well for research tasks and versioned outputs. The workflow separates ongoing research notes from final deliverables, updating phase statuses in task_plan.md to track progress across the entire task lifecycle.

You need a 3-file markdown pattern when planning complex, multi-step tasks like multi-phase development or extensive research. It provides persistent external memory to organize goals, track progress, and store deliverables without chaos.