/pair-process-plan-epics — Epic Breakdown

Transform strategic initiatives into comprehensive epic breakdowns. Each epic delivers end-to-end user value in 2-4 sprints. Composes /pair-capability-write-issue for PM tool integration.

Process Profile

<!-- process-step: id=plan-epics -->

Executable form of the plan-epics step, and a composer of define-subdomains. A direct invocation while a step is disabled by the project's profile warns and asks for confirmation; a composed one never prompts — it degrades exactly as a step that is not installed. No section ⇒ no-op. See process-profile gate.

Composed Skills

Skill	Type	Required
/pair-capability-write-issue	Capability	Yes — creates or updates epic issues in the PM tool

Arguments

Argument	Required	Description
$initiative	No	Initiative identifier (e.g., #10). If omitted, selects highest-priority Todo initiative.

Algorithm

Step 0: Prerequisite Check

1. Check: Prerequisites present?
   • Bootstrap complete: way-of-working.md, PRD, architecture, tech-stack
   • Initiatives exist in PM tool
2. Skip: If all present, proceed to Step 1.
3. Act: If bootstrap incomplete → HALT.
4. Verify: Context loaded, PM tool accessible.

Step 1: Initiative Selection

1. Check: Is $initiative provided?

2. Skip: If provided, load the initiative from the PM tool. Proceed to Step 2.

3. Act: Query PM tool for initiatives in Todo state. Apply selection:

   • Priority: P0 > P1 > P2.
   • Dependencies: prefer initiatives whose dependencies are complete.

4. Act: Present recommendation and ask developer to confirm:

   Recommend breaking down Initiative #[ID]: [Title] (Priority: [P0/P1/P2]). Reason: [business value / readiness / dependency chain]. Proceed?

5. Verify: Initiative selected and loaded.

Step 2: Detect Existing Epics

1. Check: Query PM tool for existing epic issues linked to the selected initiative.

2. Act: Build a registry of existing epics:

   EXISTING EPICS:
   ├── #ID: [Title] (Status: [Todo/In Progress/Done])
   └── ...
   

3. Verify: Registry built. Existing epics will be skipped during creation.

Step 3: Epic Analysis & Proposal

1. Act: Analyze initiative components:

   • Business objectives and success metrics.
   • User value propositions and journey stages.
   • Technical requirements from architecture and tech-stack.
   • Architecture alignment for service boundaries.

2. Act: Determine epic structure:

   • Epic 0 assessment: for new projects, assess if bootstrap epic is needed.
   • Value-driven grouping: natural feature groupings following user workflows.
   • Sequential dependencies: foundation-first, user journey progression.
   • Duration sizing: 2-4 sprints per epic with clear completion criteria.

3. Act: Present epic breakdown proposal to developer:

   Epic breakdown for Initiative #[ID]: [Title]:

   [Epic 0: Bootstrap (if needed)] Epic 1: [Name] (2-3 sprints) — [user value] Epic 2: [Name] (3-4 sprints) — [user value] ...

   [N] already exist (will be skipped). Approve or adjust?

4. Verify: Developer approves the breakdown.

Step 4: Epic Creation

Process epics sequentially (Epic 0 first if needed). For each epic:

1. Check: Does this epic already exist in the registry (Step 2)?

2. Skip: If exists → skip, report:

   Epic [Title] already exists (#ID). Skipping.

3. Act: Draft the epic following epic-template.md:

   • Fill template sections: Epic Statement, Business Value, Solution Overview, Epic Breakdown, Technical Considerations.
   • Present to developer for validation.

4. Act: Compose /pair-capability-write-issue with:

   • $type: epic
   • $content: the filled epic template
   • $parent: the initiative identifier

5. Verify: Epic created in PM tool. Record the ID.

Step 5: Completion

1. Act: Validate complete breakdown:
   • All epics documented. Epic sequence verified.
   • Initiative objectives fully covered by epic scope.
   • Tool hierarchy established (Initiative → Epics).
2. Verify: Breakdown complete.

Output Format

EPICS COMPLETE:
├── Initiative: [#ID: Title]
├── Total:      [N epics]
├── Created:    [X new]
├── Skipped:    [Y existing]
├── Sprints:    [estimated total sprints]
├── PM Tool:    [adopted tool]
└── Next:       /pair-process-plan-stories

HALT Conditions

• Bootstrap incomplete (Step 0) — PM tool and tech context required.
• No Todo initiatives (Step 1) — nothing to break down.
• Initiative not found (Step 1) — invalid $initiative identifier.
• Developer rejects breakdown (Step 3) — must resolve before creation.

Graceful Degradation

• If /pair-capability-write-issue is not installed, warn and provide formatted epic content for manual PM tool entry.
• If PM tool is not accessible, produce epic documents and ask developer to create manually.

Notes

• This skill modifies PM tool state — creates epic issues linked to initiatives.
• Idempotent: re-invocation detects existing epics and skips them.
• Epic 0 rule: for new projects, always assess if a bootstrap/foundation epic is needed before functional epics.
• Each epic should deliver end-to-end user value in 2-4 sprints.
• After epic creation, proceed to /pair-process-plan-stories for user story breakdown.