Work Planning
Analyze a set of GitHub Issues, identify dependencies, propose an execution order, and define work units. Output a persistent plan document that survives context loss.
Works in any project with GitHub Issues.
Workflow
Step 1: Analyze Issues
- Accept a parent issue number from the user (or a list of issue numbers).
- Read the issue hierarchy using
gh sub-issue list <number>recursively. - For each issue, read the title, labels, body, and parent-child relationships.
- Display a summary of all issues to the user:
- Issue number and title - Labels - Parent-child hierarchy (indented tree)
If reading issues from GitHub fails, display the error message and stop. If the specified parent issue has no sub-issues, inform the user there are no issues to plan.
Step 2: Identify Dependencies and Determine Order
- Analyze dependencies between issues based on:
- Explicit references in issue bodies (e.g., "depends on #X", "blocked by #X") - Hierarchy: parent issues depend on child issues being resolved - Content: issues that produce artifacts needed by other issues
- Determine an execution order based on dependencies and priorities.
When determining order, consider practical benefits: foundational tools first (e.g., a commit skill before other skills, so it can be used during their development).
Step 3: Define Work Units
Group related issues into work units. Each work unit:
- Corresponds to a single feature branch
- Contains issues that are closely related and make sense to implement together
- Has a clear, concise description
A work unit may contain a single issue or multiple related issues.
Step 4: Output Plan Document
Generate a Markdown plan document and save it to .docs/plans/.
The document contains:
# Plan: {Title}
- Date: {YYYY-MM-DD}
- Parent Issue: #{number}
- Requirements Document: {REQ-DOC-ID, if applicable}
## Dependencies
| REQ/Issue | Description | Depends On |
|-----------|-------------|------------|
| #{number} | {title} | {dependencies} |
## Execution Order
| Order | Work Unit | Issue(s) | Branch | Status |
|-------|-----------|----------|--------|--------|
| 1 | {description} | #{number} | TBD | Pending |
## Rationale
- **Order 1 ({description})**: {why this order}
## Next Action
Work Unit 1: {description} (#{number}).After the plan is finalized, display the first work unit and its associated issues as the next action.
Before Finishing
After generating the plan document, verify it stands on its own:
- Survives context loss? If the conversation is lost and only the plan file remains, can someone resume work from it? Every work unit should reference concrete issue numbers, not just descriptions.
- Actionable? Does each work unit have enough detail to create a branch and start working without re-reading the full issue thread?
Constraints
- Do not modify issues (no labels, assignees, or status changes) -- planning is read-only.
- Do not create branches or start implementation -- planning produces a document only.
- Always persist the plan to a file so it survives context loss.