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name: sdlc-planning description: Guides software development planning phase. Use when starting new features, projects, or major changes. Creates specifications, identifies requirements, and plans architecture.

SDLC Planning Skill

When to Use This Skill

• Starting a new feature
• Planning major changes
• Creating technical specifications
• Identifying requirements
• Planning architecture

Planning Workflow

1. Requirements Gathering

• Identify stakeholders: Who will use this feature?
• Functional requirements: What must the feature do?
• Non-functional requirements: Performance, security, scalability
• Acceptance criteria: How do we know it's complete?

2. Specification Writing

Create a detailed spec document with:

• Problem statement: What problem are we solving?
• User stories: As a [user], I want [feature] so that [benefit]
• Data models: What data structures are needed?
• API contracts: What are the inputs/outputs?
• Edge cases: What could go wrong?

3. Architecture Planning

• Component diagram: What are the major components?
• Technology choices: What tools/libraries?
• Integration points: How does it connect to existing system?
• Scalability: How will it handle growth?

4. Risk Assessment

• Technical risks: What could fail?
• Mitigation strategies: How do we prevent failures?
• Complexity estimate: How long will this take?
• Dependencies: What do we need first?

Output Format

Create a planning document with:

1. Executive Summary
2. Requirements (Functional & Non-Functional)
3. User Stories
4. Architecture Diagram (text-based is fine)
5. Data Models
6. Risk Assessment
7. Timeline Estimate
8. Success Metrics

Example Usage

Input: "Plan a CSV export feature for sponsor results"

Output:

• Requirements document
• User stories
• Architecture plan
• Risk assessment
• Timeline estimate