Plan Granularity

straightenGuideline

Thin plans are not actionable. Bloated plans are not reviewable.

Rule

Every plan has a type (CTX, EXP, PRD) that sets its phase and size range, a structured header, and at least five substance elements (Goal, Scope, Steps, Affected Files, Acceptance Criteria). Plans outside those bounds must be corrected before approval.

Why

Without explicit type and size discipline, plans either under-specify the work or cover too many concerns at once, causing G2 approvals that the team cannot actually honor.

How

Pick the plan type from the scenario table. Keep within size range. Split by concern when over the maximum, expand when below the minimum. Fill all five substance elements before requesting G2.

Plan Types

Type	Phase	Purpose	Size Range
CTX	Context	Architecture understanding, data models, concept docs	150–500 lines
EXP	Exploration	Feature specs, prototyping, new systems	150–500 lines
PRD	Production	Bugfixes, refactoring, cleanup, migrations	100–400 lines

Type Selection

Scenario	Type
New feature: plan and specify	EXP
Architecture documentation, concept clarification	CTX
Architecture decision with ADR	CTX + ADR
Bugfix >10 lines	PRD
Refactoring / cleanup / migration	PRD
Trivial change (<10 lines)	No plan — verbal confirmation

Size Limits

arrow_drop_downBelow minimum

Plan is too thin — expand with design rationale, affected files, concrete steps, and acceptance criteria. If it cannot be expanded meaningfully, treat as a micro-plan (verbal).

arrow_drop_upAbove maximum

Plan covers too much — split into 2–3 focused plans by concern, not by arbitrary size. Each split plan must be self-contained.

Plan Header

Every plan must include a structured header after the H1 title:

# EXP-042: Feature Title

## Type: EXP
## Status: draft
## Depends-on: CTX-037, EXP-041
## Blocks: PRD-050

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