/kw-plan

name: kw:plan
description: Research past work and structure a knowledge work plan. Use when starting strategy docs, campaign plans, content briefs, research synthesis, or operational playbooks.
argument-hint: "[what to plan]"

<plan_request> #$ARGUMENTS </plan_request>

Plan

Research what you already know, then structure a plan grounded in data and past learnings. Lead with the answer.

When to Use

• After brainstorming, when you're ready to commit to a direction

• Starting a new strategy doc, campaign plan, or brief

• "Plan the March campaign", "I need a brief for X", "Let's structure this"

• Any non-trivial knowledge work that benefits from past context

Process

Step 1: Classify the work type (auto-detect, don't ask)

Determine the work type from the user's description:

| Type | Signals | | --------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Strategy** | Roadmap, architecture, long-term, layers, phases | | **Campaign** | Launch, promotion, timeline, channels, audience | | **Brief** | Directive for someone else, scope, deliverables | | **Research** | Investigation, competitive, analysis, synthesis | | **Operations** | Playbook, runbook, SOP, recurring process |

Pick the best fit and proceed. Do not ask the user to classify.

Also determine the **detail tier** from scope signals:

| Tier | Signals | Output | |------|---------|--------| | **Quick** | "should we?", "gut check", single question, <30 min scope | Title, recommendation, 2-3 bullets of reasoning, one success metric | | **Standard** | Default — most plans | Full template for the work type | | **Deep** | "restructure", "strategy", "multi-quarter", "fundamental" | Full template + research appendix, competitive analysis, risk matrix, phased timeline |

Pick the best fit. Default to Standard if unclear.

Step 2: Research (parallel agents + inline)

Launch research agents in parallel. Each returns structured findings — they do NOT write files.

<parallel_tasks>

**2a. Past work** — Launch Task agent: `compound-knowledge:research:past-work-researcher`

• Pass: the plan request description + work type from Step 1
• Returns: related plans, prior decisions, origin brainstorm documents

**2b. Knowledge base** — Launch Task agent: `compound-knowledge:research:knowledge-base-researcher`

• Pass: the plan request description + keywords
• Returns: saved learnings from docs/knowledge/ (insights, corrections, playbooks, patterns)

**2c. External research** (inline, not an agent) — If the topic would benefit from outside context:

• Search the web for frameworks, best practices, competitive examples
• Only run if the topic is outward-facing or novel — skip for internal operations

</parallel_tasks>

**2d. Live data** — Pull current metrics if the plan involves data. Follow whatever data hierarchy exists in the project's CLAUDE.md. If none exists, ask the user where to find relevant data.

**2e. Origin document check** — Search for `plans/brainstorm-*.md` files matching this topic. If found, this brainstorm is the origin document — reference it throughout the plan as `(see origin: plans/brainstorm-{name}.md)` and cross-check that the plan addresses tensions and load-bearing questions from the brainstorm.

Wait for all parallel tasks to complete before proceeding.

Step 3: Surface what you already know

Before writing anything, present a context brief:

## What I Found

**Related plans:**
- [plan name] — [one-line summary of what's relevant]

**Past learnings:**
- [learning title] — [the insight]

**Current data:**
- [metric]: [value] ([source, date])

**External research:**
- [finding] — [source]

**No prior context found** (if searches returned nothing)

Wait for the user to react. They may refine direction, add context, or say "looks good, go."

Step 4: Structure the plan

Use the template that matches the work type from Step 1. Each type has a different lead section — use the right one. Fill sections based on research findings. Skip sections that aren't relevant.

**All templates share these common sections** (include at the bottom of every plan):

## Success Metrics

| Metric | Current Baseline | Target | Source |
|--------|-----------------|--------|--------|
| [Primary metric] | [value] | [goal] | [where to measure] |

## Open Questions

- [What we don't know yet]
- [Decisions that need to be made]

## References

- [Related plans, knowledge entries, data sources used]

***

**Strategy** — Pyramid Principle. Lead with the recommendation.

# [Plan Title]

**Type:** Strategy
**Status:** Draft
**Created:** [today's date]

---

## Recommendation

[One paragraph: what we should do and why. Lead with the answer.]

## Current State

[What's true right now. Data from Step 2d. Source and date for every number.]

## Proposed Approach

[How to get from current state to the desired outcome. Layers or phases.]

***

**Campaign** — Timeline-first. Lead with what launches when.

# [Plan Title]

**Type:** Campaign
**Status:** Draft
**Created:** [today's date]

---

## Timeline

| Date/Week | Action | Channel | Owner |
|-----------|--------|---------|-------|
| [date] | [what launches] | [where] | [who] |

## Goal

[One paragraph: what this campaign achieves and how we'll know it worked.]

## Audience

[Who this targets. Segment, persona, or behavioral description.]

## Assets Needed

- [Copy, creative, landing pages, emails — what needs to be produced]

## Current State

[Relevant baselines. What are the numbers before we start?]

***

**Brief** — Directive-first. Lead with the recommendation, then scope.

# [Plan Title]

**Type:** Brief
**Status:** Draft
**Created:** [today's date]

---

## Recommendation

[One paragraph: what we should do and why. Lead