AgileFlow Epic Planner

Purpose

This skill automatically structures large features or initiatives into epics, breaking them down into logical story groupings and milestones.

When This Skill Activates

Load this skill when:

• User describes a large feature spanning multiple sprints
• Discussing a major initiative or project
• User says "we need to build...", "big feature", "multi-month project"
• Feature seems too large to be a single story (>13 story points)
• User mentions "epic", "initiative", "theme"

Epic Format

# [EPIC-###] Title

**Status**: PLANNING | ACTIVE | ON_HOLD | COMPLETED
**Owner**: Product Owner / Team Lead
**Start Date**: YYYY-MM-DD
**Target Completion**: YYYY-MM-DD
**Priority**: P0 | P1 | P2 | P3
**Business Value**: High | Medium | Low

## Problem Statement

[What problem does this epic solve? Why is it important?]

## Goals and Objectives

- [Goal 1: Specific, measurable outcome]
- [Goal 2: Business or user metric to improve]
- [Goal 3: Strategic alignment]

## Success Metrics

- [Metric 1: e.g., 20% increase in user engagement]
- [Metric 2: e.g., Reduce support tickets by 30%]
- [Metric 3: e.g., 95% user satisfaction on feature]

## User Stories

### Milestone 1: [Name] (Target: YYYY-MM-DD)
- [ ] [STORY-###: Title](../06-stories/STORY-###-title.md) - 5 pts
- [ ] [STORY-###: Title](../06-stories/STORY-###-title.md) - 8 pts
- [ ] [STORY-###: Title](../06-stories/STORY-###-title.md) - 3 pts
**Total: 16 story points**

### Milestone 2: [Name] (Target: YYYY-MM-DD)
- [ ] [STORY-###: Title](../06-stories/STORY-###-title.md) - 5 pts
- [ ] [STORY-###: Title](../06-stories/STORY-###-title.md) - 8 pts
**Total: 13 story points**

## Dependencies

- [Dependency 1: What needs to be done first]
- [Dependency 2: External team dependencies]
- [Dependency 3: Technical prerequisites]

## Risks and Assumptions

**Risks**:
- [Risk 1: What could go wrong]
- [Risk 2: Mitigation plan]

**Assumptions**:
- [Assumption 1: What we're assuming is true]
- [Assumption 2: Needs validation]

## Out of Scope

- [What we're explicitly NOT doing in this epic]
- [Features deferred to future epics]

## Progress Tracking

**Overall Progress**: X / Y stories completed (Z%)
**Last Updated**: YYYY-MM-DD

Workflow

1. Detect large feature: User describes something too big for a single story

2. Ask clarifying questions:

   • "What's the main problem you're solving?"
   • "Who are the users?"
   • "What's the timeline/urgency?"
   • "What defines success?"

3. Break down into logical chunks:

   • Identify milestones (MVP, Phase 2, Polish)
   • Group related functionality
   • Ensure each milestone delivers value

4. Create epic structure:

   • Read existing epics for numbering
   • Write epic file in docs/05-epics/
   • Outline stories (create skeleton, defer details)

5. Estimate effort:

   • Rough story point estimates
   • Calculate milestone totals
   • Suggest timeline based on team velocity

Epic vs Story

This Should Be an Epic If:

• Takes more than 1-2 sprints (>13 story points total)
• Involves multiple team members or subteams
• Has distinct phases or milestones
• Requires coordination across different areas (UI, API, DevOps)
• Has significant business impact or strategic value

This Should Be a Story If:

• Can be completed in one sprint
• Single developer can own it
• Clear, specific acceptance criteria
• One or two related tasks

Milestone Planning

Milestone 1: MVP (Minimum Viable Product)

• Core functionality only
• Simplest path to value
• No edge cases or polish
• Goal: Validate approach

Milestone 2: Feature Complete

• All planned functionality
• Edge cases handled
• Error handling
• Goal: Production-ready core

Milestone 3: Polish & Optimization

• Performance improvements
• UX enhancements
• Accessibility
• Goal: Delightful experience

Epic Size Guidelines

• Small Epic: 15-30 story points (1-2 sprints)
• Medium Epic: 30-60 story points (2-4 sprints)
• Large Epic: 60-100 story points (4-6 sprints)
• Initiative: >100 story points (multiple epics)

If epic exceeds 100 points, break into multiple epics.

Quality Checklist

Before creating epic:

• Problem statement is clear and specific
• Goals are measurable
• Success metrics defined
• At least 2 milestones planned
• Stories grouped logically
• Dependencies identified
• Risks acknowledged with mitigations
• Out-of-scope explicitly stated

Examples

See templates/epic-template.md for standard format.

Dependencies

Types of Dependencies:

• Technical: Infrastructure, APIs, services
• Team: Other teams' work
• External: Third-party integrations
• Sequential: Story X must complete before Story Y

Documenting Dependencies:

## Dependencies

- **EPIC-042 Authentication System**: Must complete before we can add user-specific features
- **Design Team**: Finalized mockups needed before Milestone 2
- **External API**: Stripe integration account setup required

Risk Management

Common Risks:

• Scope creep: Clearly define out-of-scope items
• Technical unknowns: Spike stories for research
• Resource constraints: Buffer time in estimates
• Dependency delays: Identify critical path early

Risk Format:

**Risks**:
- **Risk**: Integration with legacy system may be complex
  **Impact**: High (could delay Milestone 2 by 2 weeks)
  **Mitigation**: Allocate spike story to investigate (5 pts)
  **Owner**: Backend Lead

Integration with Other Skills

• agileflow-story-writer: Creates individual stories for the epic
• agileflow-sprint-planner: Assigns stories to sprints
• agileflow-adr: Links architectural decisions made during epic

Progress Tracking

Update epic as stories complete:

## Progress Tracking

**Overall Progress**: 8 / 12 stories completed (67%)
**Story Points**: 45 / 65 completed (69%)
**Last Updated**: 2025-01-20

**Milestone 1**: ✅ Complete (16 / 16 points)
**Milestone 2**: 🔄 In Progress (15 / 25 points)
**Milestone 3**: ⏳ Not Started (0 / 24 points)

**Burndown**:
- Sprint 1: 16 points (completed Milestone 1)
- Sprint 2: 14 points (partial Milestone 2)
- Sprint 3: 15 points (target: finish Milestone 2)

Notes

• Epics are living documents - update as you learn
• Don't over-plan - detail emerges during execution
• Review epic scope at sprint planning
• Celebrate milestone completions
• Link to ADRs for major technical decisions