AGENTS/skills/plan-writing/references/component-guide.md

Component Selection Guide

Decision matrix for which templates to include based on project characteristics.

Decision Matrix

Question	If Yes	If No
Team project (>1 person)?	+kickoff, +stakeholders	Use brief instead of kickoff
Duration >2 weeks?	+risk-register	Skip risks
External stakeholders?	+stakeholders (detailed)	Stakeholders optional
Complex dependencies?	+detailed todos with deps	Simple todo list
Ongoing tracking needed?	+progress-update template	One-time plan

Quick Selection by Project Type

Solo, Short (<2 weeks)

✓ project-brief.md
✓ todo-structure.md

Solo, Medium (2-4 weeks)

✓ project-brief.md
✓ todo-structure.md
✓ risk-register.md

Solo, Long (>4 weeks)

✓ project-brief.md (or kickoff for complex)
✓ todo-structure.md
✓ risk-register.md
✓ progress-update.md (for self-tracking)

Team, Any Duration

✓ project-kickoff.md (always for team alignment)
✓ stakeholder-map.md
✓ todo-structure.md
✓ risk-register.md (if >2 weeks)
✓ progress-update.md (for status updates)

Template Purposes

project-kickoff.md

Full 8-section document for team alignment:

1. Project essentials (name, owner, dates)
2. Goals and success criteria
3. Stakeholders overview
4. Timeline and milestones
5. Scope (in/out)
6. Risks overview
7. Communication plan
8. Next steps

Use when: Multiple people need alignment on what/why/how.

project-brief.md

1-page summary for simpler projects:

• Goal statement
• Success criteria
• Key milestones
• Initial tasks

Use when: Solo project or simple scope that doesn't need formal kickoff.

stakeholder-map.md

Communication matrix:

• Who needs information
• What they need to know
• How often
• Which channel

Use when: Team projects with multiple stakeholders needing different information.

risk-register.md

Risk tracking table:

• Risk description
• Probability (H/M/L)
• Impact (H/M/L)
• Mitigation plan
• Owner

Use when: Projects >2 weeks or high-stakes projects of any duration.

todo-structure.md

Hierarchical task breakdown:

• Phases or milestones
• Tasks under each phase
• Subtasks if needed
• Metadata: owner, estimate, due date, dependencies

Use when: Always. Every project needs task breakdown.

progress-update.md

Status reporting template:

• Completed since last update
• In progress
• Blockers
• Next steps
• Metrics/progress %

Use when: Projects needing regular status updates (weekly, sprint-based, etc.).

Customization Notes

Templates are starting points. Common customizations:

• Remove sections that don't apply
• Add project-specific sections
• Adjust detail level based on audience
• Combine templates for simpler output

The goal is useful documentation, not template compliance.