Mirror the ce-brainstorm requirements-capture.md legibility convention:
horizontal rules (---) between top-level sections in Standard and Deep
plans. Improves scannability of dense plans where many H2 sections sit
close together. Omit for Lightweight plans.
Adds the convention to Phase 4.3 Planning Rules and inserts separators
throughout the core template and the optional Deep-extension template.
Refs PR #629 (originated the convention in the brainstorm template).
Close the execution side of the brainstorm-plan-work traceability loop:
- Track Progress guidance now recognizes U-IDs alongside R/A/F/AE in
blockers, deferred-work notes, task summaries, and final verification.
U-IDs anchor units across plan edits; R/A/F/AE anchor product intent
across the brainstorm-plan handoff. The 'use IDs the plan supplies,
don't invent ones it doesn't' rule prevents synthetic ID creation.
- Create Todo List step now includes U-ID prefix preservation: when the
plan defines U-IDs, the unit's U-ID becomes the task subject prefix
(e.g., 'U3: Add parser coverage'). This anchors blockers and
summaries to the same identifier the plan uses, so a 'U3 blocked'
status update unambiguously matches the source unit even after the
plan has been edited or reordered.
Propagated to beta — shared traceability contract. The U-ID recognition
guidance applies equally to both execution modes; nothing about delegate
mode (the experimental beta-only behavior) interacts with ID semantics.
Refs PR #629.
Update the confidence-check machinery so the new traceability contract
is enforced where plans are actually strengthened:
- Requirements Trace checklist gains an origin A/F/AE preservation
check — flags inconsistent or dropped references across trace, units,
and test scenarios when origin supplied them.
- Implementation Units checklist gains two new bullets: existing U-IDs
were renumbered after reorder/split/delete, and units realizing a
flow or enforcing an AE do not cite the corresponding F-ID/AE-ID.
- Step 5.3.7 Allowed-changes pairs the existing 'reorder or split
implementation units' permission with an explicit no-renumber rule
and stated rationale (breaks ce-work blocker references).
- Step 5.3.7 Do-not list forbids renumbering as part of tidying.
Deepening is the most likely accidental-renumber vector, so the rule
appears in both Allowed (positive framing) and Do-not (prohibition).
Refs PR #629.
Three small workflow rules that round out the plan-side traceability
contract:
- Phase 3.5 Test scenarios description gains an AE-link convention:
prefix test scenarios that directly enforce an origin Acceptance
Example with 'Covers AE<N>.'. Sparse-by-design — most test scenarios
are finer-grained than AEs and do not link. The rule is the mechanism
by which AE's disambiguation propagates into enforcement.
- Phase 4.1b Alternative Approaches Considered gains the planning
mirror rule: alternatives differ on *how* the work is built
(architecture, sequencing, integration pattern, rollout strategy).
Tiny implementation variants belong in Key Technical Decisions.
Product-shape alternatives belong upstream in ce-brainstorm — surface
them back rather than re-litigating product questions during planning.
- Phase 5.1 finalization checklist gains three new bullets: U-ID
stability check, origin R/F/AE preservation check (judgment-call
phrasing — 'that affects implementation', not mechanical 'every ID
appears'), and Deep-product Scope split check. All origin-related
bullets guarded so the no-origin path skips them naturally.
Refs PR #629.
Three template changes that close the brainstorm-side traceability work
on the plan-side artifact:
- Requirements Trace gains optional 'Origin actors / flows / acceptance
examples' sub-blocks. Included only when the upstream brainstorm
supplies them; omitted cleanly when no origin doc exists.
- Scope Boundaries supports a conditional three-way split for
Deep-product origins: 'Deferred for later' (carried, product
sequencing) + 'Outside this product's identity' (carried, positioning)
+ 'Deferred to Follow-Up Work' (plan-local, implementation split).
Default single-list structure unchanged for non-product-tier origins
and no-origin plans.
- Rename 'Deferred to Separate Tasks' → 'Deferred to Follow-Up Work'
throughout the file. 'Task' overlapped with TaskCreate/TaskList
tooling and the contents are PRs/issues/repos.
The conditionality design rule is applied throughout: every origin-
derived structure has a stated trigger, a no-origin fallback, and
HTML-comment guidance so the template doesn't render broken sections in
the no-origin path.
Refs PR #629.
Plan-local U-IDs (U1, U2, ...) for Implementation Units, with explicit
stability rule: never renumber existing IDs, gaps are fine, new units
take next unused. Restated at Phase 3.3, Phase 3.5, and as a visible
HTML comment in the Phase 4.2 template — deepening (Phase 5.3) is the
most likely accidental-renumber vector, so the rule needs to be visible
at every entry point.
Closes the execution-side ambiguity: ce-work can now reference 'U3' in
blockers and verification with stable meaning across plan edits.
Refs PR #629 (originating brainstorm-side traceability work).
Trevin Chow