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Executing Implementation Plans

Executing Implementation Plans

by Jesse Vincent
MIT
Repository Docs
markdown Development
workflowplanningreview

Summary

Work through a written implementation plan in a fresh session, with review checkpoints between steps.

Features

  • Executes a written plan step by step with checkpoints
  • Stops for review rather than barrelling through
  • Keeps the plan document as the source of truth

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Skill Content

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# Executing Plans

## Overview

Load plan, review critically, execute all tasks, report when complete.

**Announce at start:** "I'm using the executing-plans skill to implement this plan."

**Note:** Tell your human partner that Superpowers works much better with access to subagents (Claude Code, Codex CLI, Codex App, Copilot CLI, and Gemini CLI all qualify; see the per-platform tool refs in `../using-superpowers/references/`). If subagents are available, use superpowers:subagent-driven-development instead of this skill.

## The Process

### Step 1: Load and Review Plan
1. Ensure an isolated workspace: use superpowers:using-git-worktrees to create one or verify the existing one
2. Read plan file
3. Review critically - identify any questions or concerns about the plan
4. If concerns: Raise them with your human partner before starting
5. If no concerns: Create todos for the plan items and proceed

### Step 2: Execute Tasks

For each task:
1. Mark as in_progress
2. Follow each step exactly (plan has bite-sized steps)
3. Run verifications as specified
4. Mark as completed

### Step 3: Complete Development

After all tasks complete and verified:
- Announce: "I'm using the finishing-a-development-branch skill to complete this work."
- **REQUIRED SUB-SKILL:** Use superpowers:finishing-a-development-branch
- Follow that skill to verify tests, present options, execute choice

## When to Stop and Ask for Help

**STOP executing immediately when:**
- Hit a blocker (missing dependency, test fails, instruction unclear)
- Plan has critical gaps preventing starting
- You don't understand an instruction
- Verification fails repeatedly

**Ask for clarification rather than guessing.**

## When to Revisit Earlier Steps

**Return to Review (Step 1) when:**
- Partner updates the plan based on your feedback
- Fundamental approach needs rethinking

**Don't force through blockers** - stop and ask.

## Remember
- Review plan critically first
- Follow plan steps exactly
- Don't skip verifications
- Reference skills when plan says to
- Stop when blocked, don't guess
- Never start implementation on main/master branch without explicit user consent

Description

The companion to Writing Implementation Plans. It takes an existing plan document and executes it methodically: one step at a time, verifying each before moving on, and pausing at defined checkpoints for human review.

Running execution in a separate session from planning is deliberate. It keeps the context focused on the work rather than the debate that produced the plan, and it means the plan has to be good enough to stand on its own — which is a useful forcing function.

The skill also covers what to do when reality diverges from the plan: update the document rather than quietly improvising.

Part of the Superpowers collection.

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