implementation-strategy

Implementation Strategy

Analyze a proposed change and produce a structured implementation plan before writing code.

Workflow

1. Understand the goal

   • Read the goal specification, criteria, and budget
   • Identify what problem is being solved and why
   • Note any constraints from policy or verification requirements

2. Scope the impact

   • Identify all files likely to be affected
   • Identify public API surfaces that may change
   • Check for existing tests related to the affected areas
   • Map dependencies between components

3. Design the approach

   • Enumerate at least two possible approaches with trade-offs
   • Select the approach with the best balance of correctness, safety, and maintainability
   • Design the test strategy: what tests need to be added or updated
   • Plan the rollback strategy: how to revert if something goes wrong

4. Write the strategy document

   • Summary of the problem and proposed solution
   • List of affected files (estimated)
   • Test strategy
   • Rollback plan
   • Risk assessment (low/medium/high per component)

Required Outputs

• A strategy document (markdown) with all sections above
• Estimated changed file count (compare against goal budget.max_changed_files)
• Test coverage plan

Verification Expectations

• Strategy MUST be reviewed by a human before implementation begins
• Estimated file count MUST NOT exceed goal budget.max_changed_files
• All identified public API changes MUST be flagged for approval
• No implementation code should be written during this phase

Safety Notes

• This skill only reads files and produces a plan. It does not modify code.
• If the strategy identifies risks that cannot be mitigated, stop and escalate.
• Do not proceed to implementation if the strategy is incomplete.