Project Architect — Structured Planning Protocol

Version: 1.1.0 | Author: Shadows Company | License: MIT

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WHEN TO TRIGGER

• Starting a new project from scratch
• Planning a major feature or module
• User says "plan this", "architect", "design the system"
• Refactoring a large codebase
• Breaking a monolith into services

WHEN NOT TO TRIGGER

• Small bug fixes or single-file changes
• User already has a detailed plan
• Quick prototyping / experimentation

PREREQUISITES

No binaries required. This is a pure planning and reasoning skill. It produces structured text output (project plans, architecture documents, task breakdowns) without executing any commands or requiring any external tools.

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PROTOCOL — 5 PHASES

Phase 1 — REQUIREMENTS CAPTURE

Ask the user (max 5 questions):

1. What — What does this system/feature do? (core functionality)
2. Who — Who uses it? (user personas)
3. Scale — Expected load/data volume? (performance requirements)
4. Constraints — Tech stack preferences, budget, timeline?
5. Integration — What existing systems does it connect to?

Phase 2 — ARCHITECTURE DESIGN

Based on requirements, define:

System Components:

[Component A] --> [Component B] --> [Component C]
       |                                  |
       v                                  v
  [Database]                        [External API]

For each component:

• Responsibility (single purpose)
• Interface (inputs/outputs)
• Technology choice (with rationale)
• Data model (key entities)

Architecture Decisions Record (ADR):

### ADR-001: [Decision Title]
- **Status**: Accepted
- **Context**: [Why this decision was needed]
- **Decision**: [What was decided]
- **Consequences**: [Trade-offs accepted]

Phase 3 — TASK BREAKDOWN

Break the project into implementable tasks:

## Epic 1: [Name]
- [ ] Task 1.1: [Description] (~Xh)
- [ ] Task 1.2: [Description] (~Xh)
  - Depends on: Task 1.1
- [ ] Task 1.3: [Description] (~Xh)

## Epic 2: [Name]
- [ ] Task 2.1: [Description] (~Xh)
  - Depends on: Task 1.2

Rules:

• Each task must be completable in 1-4 hours
• Dependencies explicitly stated
• Effort estimate for each task
• Tasks ordered by dependency chain

Phase 4 — DEPENDENCY MAPPING

Identify critical path:

1. Map task dependencies as a directed graph
2. Identify the longest path (critical path)
3. Identify parallelizable work streams
4. Flag external dependencies (APIs, approvals, data)

Phase 5 — MILESTONE DEFINITION

Define 3-5 milestones:

### Milestone 1: Foundation (Week 1)
- [x] Project setup, CI/CD pipeline
- [x] Core data models
- [x] Basic API skeleton
**Demo**: API responds to health check

### Milestone 2: Core Features (Week 2-3)
- [ ] Feature A implementation
- [ ] Feature B implementation
**Demo**: User can perform primary workflow

### Milestone 3: Polish & Deploy (Week 4)
- [ ] Error handling, edge cases
- [ ] Documentation
- [ ] Production deployment
**Demo**: Live system accessible to users

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SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS

This skill is purely advisory — it generates project plans, architecture documents, and task breakdowns as text output. It does not execute commands, read sensitive files, make network calls, or modify any configuration. Zero risk profile.

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OUTPUT FORMAT

# Project Plan: [Name]
**Date**: [YYYY-MM-DD]

## 1. Requirements Summary
[Concise requirements from Phase 1]

## 2. Architecture
[Diagram + component descriptions + ADRs]

## 3. Task Breakdown
[Epics with tasks, estimates, dependencies]

## 4. Critical Path
[Dependency chain visualization]

## 5. Milestones
[3-5 milestones with demo criteria]

## 6. Risks
| Risk | Probability | Impact | Mitigation |
|------|------------|--------|------------|
| ...  | ...        | ...    | ...        |

## 7. Next Steps
[First 3 tasks to start immediately]

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RULES

1. Ask before assuming — never design without understanding requirements
2. Simple first — start with the simplest architecture that could work
3. No over-engineering — design for current needs, not hypothetical futures
4. Explicit dependencies — every task must state what it depends on
5. Demo-driven milestones — each milestone must have a demonstrable outcome

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Published by Shadows Company — "We work in the shadows to serve the Light."