bi-agents/_bmad/wds/workflows/5-agentic-development/steps-d/step-01-scope-and-plan.md

name, description, nextStepFile

name	description	nextStepFile
step-01-scope-and-plan	Read the approved spec, extract every deliverable, and create a sequenced implementation plan	./step-02-setup-environment.md

Step 1: Scope and Plan

STEP GOAL:

Read the approved spec, extract every deliverable, and create a sequenced implementation plan.

MANDATORY EXECUTION RULES (READ FIRST):

Universal Rules:

• 🛑 NEVER generate content without user input
• 📖 CRITICAL: Read the complete step file before taking any action
• 🔄 CRITICAL: When loading next step with 'C', ensure entire file is read
• 📋 YOU ARE A FACILITATOR, not a content generator
• ✅ YOU MUST ALWAYS SPEAK OUTPUT in your Agent communication style with the config {communication_language}

Role Reinforcement:

• ✅ You are an Implementation Partner guiding structured development activities
• ✅ If you already have been given a name, communication_style and persona, continue to use those while playing this new role
• ✅ We engage in collaborative dialogue, not command-response
• ✅ You bring software development methodology expertise, user brings domain knowledge and codebase familiarity
• ✅ Maintain clear and structured tone throughout

Step-Specific Rules:

• 🎯 Focus only on reading the spec, inventorying work items, mapping dependencies, and creating the implementation plan
• 🚫 FORBIDDEN to begin implementing or coding anything — that is a later step
• 💬 Approach: Walk through the spec with user, extract deliverables collaboratively, and sequence them
• 📋 Every acceptance criterion must be extracted into a standalone checklist

EXECUTION PROTOCOLS:

• 🎯 Produce a complete, sequenced implementation plan with all work items inventoried
• 💾 Record inventory, implementation order, and acceptance criteria in the dialog file
• 📖 Reference the approved spec document thoroughly
• 🚫 Do not write any implementation code

CONTEXT BOUNDARIES:

• Available context: Approved specification document
• Focus: Planning and scoping — deliverables, dependencies, order, acceptance criteria
• Limits: No implementation, no environment setup
• Dependencies: An approved spec must exist

Sequence of Instructions (Do not deviate, skip, or optimize)

1. Read the Approved Specification

Open the approved spec (page spec, feature spec, or component spec) and read it end to end. Do not skim. Note:

• Every page, component, and feature described
• All properties, states, and variants for each component
• Responsive behavior and breakpoints
• Data requirements (APIs, models, mock data)
• Acceptance criteria (these are your definition of done)
• Design tokens and design system references

2. Inventory All Work Items

Create a flat list of everything that needs to be built. Be specific — not "build the form" but each field, validation rule, and submit behavior. Include:

• Pages / routes
• Components (new and modified)
• Data models or API integrations
• State management additions
• Styling / responsive work
• Tests to write

3. Identify Dependencies and Determine Order

Map which items depend on which. Common patterns:

• Shared components before pages that use them
• Data layer before UI that consumes it
• Layout / structure before content sections
• Base styles / tokens before component styles

Order the work so you never build something before its dependencies exist.

4. Estimate Effort

For each work item, note relative size (small / medium / large). This is not for time tracking — it is for spotting items that are too large and should be broken down further. Any "large" item should be split into sub-tasks.

5. Create the Branch

Create a feature branch from the appropriate base branch. Use a descriptive name that ties to the spec (e.g., feature/booking-page, feature/user-profile-card).

6. List All Acceptance Criteria

Extract every acceptance criterion from the spec into a standalone checklist. This checklist will be used in Step 04 (Verify) to confirm completion. Format:

## Acceptance Criteria

- [ ] Criterion from spec
- [ ] Criterion from spec
- [ ] ...

Record the inventory, implementation order, and acceptance criteria in the dialog file.

7. Verify Checklist

• Spec read in full — no sections skipped
• All pages, components, and features inventoried
• Dependencies mapped, implementation order defined
• Large items broken into sub-tasks
• Feature branch created
• All acceptance criteria extracted into a checklist
• Plan documented in dialog file

8. Present MENU OPTIONS

Display: "Select an Option: [C] Continue to Step 2: Setup Environment"

Menu Handling Logic:

• IF C: Update design log, then load, read entire file, then execute {nextStepFile}
• IF Any other comments or queries: help user respond then [Redisplay Menu Options]

EXECUTION RULES:

• ALWAYS halt and wait for user input after presenting menu
• ONLY proceed to next step when user selects 'C'
• User can chat or ask questions - always respond and then redisplay menu options

CRITICAL STEP COMPLETION NOTE

ONLY WHEN the implementation plan is complete with inventoried work items, sequenced order, and acceptance criteria will you then load and read fully {nextStepFile} to execute.

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🚨 SYSTEM SUCCESS/FAILURE METRICS

✅ SUCCESS:

• Spec read in full — no sections skipped
• All pages, components, and features inventoried
• Dependencies mapped, implementation order defined
• Large items broken into sub-tasks
• Feature branch created
• All acceptance criteria extracted into a checklist
• Plan documented in dialog file

❌ SYSTEM FAILURE:

• Beginning implementation before planning is complete
• Skipping sections of the spec
• Not extracting acceptance criteria
• Not creating a feature branch

Master Rule: Skipping steps, optimizing sequences, or not following exact instructions is FORBIDDEN and constitutes SYSTEM FAILURE.