DirectionReviewed Markdown template

PLAN.md

Implementation plan

Translate an approved specification into a reversible technical approach, decision sequence, dependency-aware phases, validation strategy, deployment path, and rollback plan.

Fillable structure

Replace prompts with project evidence.

Remove any field that does not apply. A smaller maintained file is more useful than generic documentation that agents and reviewers cannot trust.

  1. 01

    Approach and decisions

    Explain the implementation strategy and why it satisfies the specification.

    • Approach: Summarize components, data changes, interfaces, and control flow

    • Key decisions: Record selected options, alternatives, tradeoffs, and evidence

    • Assumptions: List assumptions to prove before broad implementation

  2. 02

    Phases and dependencies

    Sequence work around risk, independently verifiable outputs, and real blockers.

    • Foundation: List blocking setup, schemas, contracts, and test harnesses

    • Vertical slices: Define incremental user-visible or end-to-end capabilities

    • Dependency order: Map blockers, parallel work, integration points, and owners

  3. 03

    Verification and rollout

    Decide how each phase proves correctness before work begins.

    • Verification: Map unit, integration, end-to-end, eval, security, and manual checks to phases

    • Observability: Name logs, metrics, traces, dashboards, and release signals

    • Rollout: Describe migration, feature flags, cohorts, compatibility, and success gates

  4. 04

    Risk and recovery

    Make failure containment and plan updates part of the implementation.

    • Risks: Rank technical, product, safety, privacy, cost, and schedule risks

    • Mitigations: Assign preventive controls, owners, evidence, and review dates

    • Rollback: Define stop conditions, reversible steps, data recovery, and communication

Next template

TASKS.md · Agent-ready task system