Research, analyze, and plan features intelligently before coding

Quick Start

/plan implement email drip campaign

What happens (30 seconds):

1. Spawns 3 researcher agents in parallel
2. Analyzes codebase structure with /scout
3. Assesses complexity (simple → /plan
   , complex → /plan
   )
4. Creates progressive disclosure plan with phases

Output: plans/251229-email-drip-campaign/plan.md + phase files

What It Does

Before /plan

• Ad-hoc implementation (no strategy)
• Missing requirements discovered mid-coding
• No parallel execution opportunities
• Unclear dependencies between tasks
• Manual research (2-4 hours)

After /plan

• Detailed implementation roadmap (30 seconds)
• All requirements surfaced upfront
• Phases designed for parallelization
• Clear dependencies mapped
• AI research from 3+ sources

Syntax

/plan [task]

Variants

Example: Plan Email Campaign

Input:

/plan implement email drip campaign with analytics

Expected Output:

✓ researcher (3 agents): Research complete (45 sources)
✓ scout: Codebase analyzed (found email/, analytics/ dirs)
✓ planner: Plan created (4 phases, 2 parallelizable)

---
Plan: Email Drip Campaign Implementation
Created: 2025-01-29 14:30 UTC
Complexity: Medium (4 phases)
Est. Time: 4-6 hours
Parallelization: Phases 2-3 can run concurrently

## Overview

Implement email drip campaign system with:
- Campaign creation and scheduling
- Email template management
- Trigger-based automation
- Analytics and reporting

## Phases

Phase 1: Database Schema & API Setup [CRITICAL PATH]
Status: Planned
Priority: High
Dependencies: None
Est: 1-1.5 hours
File: phase-01-database-api.md

Phase 2: Email Template System [PARALLEL OK]
Status: Planned
Priority: High
Dependencies: Phase 1
Est: 1.5-2 hours
File: phase-02-email-templates.md

Phase 3: Campaign Automation Engine [PARALLEL OK]
Status: Planned
Priority: High
Dependencies: Phase 1
Est: 1.5-2 hours
File: phase-03-automation-engine.md

Phase 4: Analytics Dashboard [DEPENDS: 2+3]
Status: Planned
Priority: Medium
Dependencies: Phases 2, 3
Est: 1-1.5 hours
File: phase-04-analytics-dashboard.md

## Parallelization Strategy

Sequential: Phase 1 (foundation)
Parallel: Phases 2 & 3 (independent)
Sequential: Phase 4 (integrates 2 & 3)

Total time (sequential): 5.5-7.5 hours
Total time (parallel): 4-5.5 hours
**Time saved: 25-27%**

## Success Criteria
✓ Create campaigns with 3+ email sequences
✓ Triggers: time-based, event-based, behavior-based
✓ Template variables work ({{first_name}}, etc.)
✓ Analytics show open/click/conversion rates
✓ All tests pass (12 test cases)

## Files to Create
- lib/email/campaign.ts
- lib/email/scheduler.ts
- lib/email/triggers.ts
- lib/analytics/email-metrics.ts
- components/CampaignBuilder.tsx
- components/EmailEditor.tsx

## Files to Modify
- prisma/schema.prisma (add tables)
- app/api/campaigns/route.ts (new endpoint)
- app/dashboard/campaigns/page.tsx (UI)

Saved: plans/250129-email-drip-campaign/plan.md

Phase details:
- plans/250129-email-drip-campaign/phase-01-database-api.md
- plans/250129-email-drip-campaign/phase-02-email-templates.md
- plans/250129-email-drip-campaign/phase-03-automation-engine.md
- plans/250129-email-drip-campaign/phase-04-analytics-dashboard.md

Next: "Implement email drip campaign"

Workflow Integration

Plan → Cook → Test → Review

# Step 1: Plan
/plan add user authentication

# Step 2: Review plan
cat plans/latest/plan.md

# Step 3: Implement
/cook

# Tests run automatically in /cook
# Code review happens automatically in /cook

Plan Variants

# Auto-detect complexity
/plan add dark mode toggle

# Force fast planning
/plan:fast fix button styling

# Force deep planning
/plan:hard refactor entire auth system

# Parallel execution
/plan:parallel implement 3 dashboard widgets

Agents Used

• planner: Plan creation and structure
• researcher (3+): Parallel research for best practices
• scout: Codebase analysis

Skills Activated

• planning: Planning frameworks
• architecture: System design patterns

Output Structure

plans/251229-{slug}/
├── plan.md              # Overview, phases, status
├── phase-01-{name}.md   # Detailed phase specs
├── phase-02-{name}.md
└── reports/             # Implementation reports

Related Commands

• /cook - Execute plan + implement
• /scout - Codebase search

Plan smart. Code fast. AI-powered planning that actually works.