---
name: planning-guidelines
description: 'Project planning guidelines including task implementation tracking and specification-driven workflow practices for software development teams.'
---

# Planning Guidelines

This skill provides guidelines and best practices for project planning and implementation tracking.

## Included Guidelines

### Task Implementation Tracking
Guidelines for implementing task plans with progressive tracking and change records.

See: [Task Implementation Instructions](../../../instructions/task-implementation.instructions.md)

Key practices:
- Read and understand the complete plan before starting
- Process tasks in order, one at a time
- Track progress in `.copilot-tracking/changes/` files
- Mark tasks complete as you go
- Follow existing workspace patterns and conventions

### Specification-Driven Workflow
A structured approach ensuring requirements are clearly defined, designs are planned, and implementations are documented.

See: [Spec-Driven Workflow v1](../../../instructions/spec-driven-workflow-v1.instructions.md)

Key artifacts to maintain:
- **`requirements.md`**: User stories and acceptance criteria in EARS notation
- **`design.md`**: Technical architecture and sequence diagrams
- **`tasks.md`**: Detailed, trackable implementation plan

## When to Use

Activate these guidelines when:
- Starting a new feature implementation
- Breaking down epics into tasks
- Creating implementation plans
- Tracking progress on complex work
- Ensuring documentation stays in sync with code