gen specs as issues

Author's original introduction

This workflow guides you through a systematic approach to identify missing features, prioritize them, and create detailed specifications for implementation.

SkillPi interpretation

Tasks

gen specs as issues

Audience

Use the scenarios stated in the author's introduction.

Inputs and outputs

See the complete author document; outputs have not been runtime verified by SkillPi.

Software, accounts and paid services

Check required software, accounts, costs and permissions in the full document; confirm and authorize actual file access and external services in your host. Domains referenced in the documents (not a runtime allowlist): No HTTP(S) domain stated.

Limits and differences

Functionality, version status and outcome statements in the introduction are author claims. Only pinned source and static attachment evidence were checked; runtime behavior, external services and compatibility are not guaranteed.

Testing

Not tested

Security rating and access scope

caution · Static evidence review; not a runtime safety guarantee.

Check required software, accounts, costs and permissions in the full document; confirm and authorize actual file access and external services in your host. Domains referenced in the documents (not a runtime allowlist): No HTTP(S) domain stated.

Before use, confirm and authorize actual file access, external services and network destinations in your host. This review grants no runtime permissions.

Original SKILL.md

---
name: gen-specs-as-issues
description: 'This workflow guides you through a systematic approach to identify missing features, prioritize them, and create detailed specifications for implementation.'
---

# Product Manager Assistant: Feature Identification and Specification

This workflow guides you through a systematic approach to identify missing features, prioritize them, and create detailed specifications for implementation.

## 1. Project Understanding Phase

- Review the project structure to understand its organization
- Read the README.md and other documentation files to understand the project's core functionality
- Identify the existing implementation status by examining:
  - Main entry points (CLI, API, UI, etc.)
  - Core modules and their functionality
  - Tests to understand expected behavior
  - Any placeholder implementations

**Guiding Questions:**
- What is the primary purpose of this project?
- What user problems does it solve?
- What patterns exist in the current implementation?
- Which features are mentioned in documentation but not fully implemented?

## 2. Gap Analysis Phase

- Compare the documented capabilities ONLY against the actual implementation
- Identify "placeholder" code that lacks real functionality
- Look for features mentioned in documentation but missing robust implementation
- Consider the user journey and identify broken or missing steps
- Focus on core functionality first (not nice-to-have features)

**Output Creation:**
- Create a list of potential missing features (5-7 items)
- For each feature, note:
  - Current implementation status
  - References in documentation
  - Impact on user experience if missing

## 3. Prioritization Phase

- Apply a score to each identified gap:

**Scoring Matrix (1-5 scale):**
- User Impact: How many users benefit?
- Strategic Alignment: Fits core mission?
- Implementation Feasibility: Technical complexity?
- Resource Requirements: Development effort needed?
- Risk Level: Potential negative impacts?

**Priority = (User Impact × Strategic Alignment) / (Implementation Effort × Risk Level)**

**Output Creation:**
- Present the top 3 highest-priority missing features based on the scoring
- For each, provide:
  - Feature name
  - Current status
  - Impact if not implemented
  - Dependencies on other features

## 4. Specification Development Phase

- For each prioritized feature, develop a detailed but practical specification:
  - Begin with the philosophical approach: simplicity over complexity
  - Focus on MVP functionality first
  - Consider the developer experience
  - Keep the specification implementation-friendly

**For Each Feature Specification:**
1. **Overview & Scope**
   - What problem does it solve?
   - What's included and what's explicitly excluded?

2. **Technical Requirements**
   - Core functionality needed
   - User-facing interfaces (API, UI, CLI, etc.)
   - Integration points with existing code

3. **Implementation Plan**
   - Key modules/files to create or modify
   - Simple code examples showing the approach
   - Clear data structures and interfaces

4. **Acceptance Criteria**
   - How will we know when it's done?
   - What specific functionality must work?
   - What tests should pass?

## 5. GitHub Issue Creation Phase

- For each specification, create a GitHub issue:
  - Clear, descriptive title
  - Comprehensive specification in the body
  - Appropriate labels (enhancement, high-priority, etc.)
  - Explicitly mention MVP philosophy where relevant

**Issue Template Structure:**

# [Feature Name]

## Overview
[Brief description of the feature and its purpose]

## Scope
[What's included and what's explicitly excluded]

## Technical Requirements
[Specific technical needs and constraints]

## Implementation Plan
[Step-by-step approach with simple code examples]

## Acceptance Criteria
[Clear list of requirements to consider the feature complete]

## Priority
[Justification for prioritization]

## Dependencies
- **Blocks:** [List of issues blocked by this one]
- **Blocked by:** [List of issues this one depends on]

## Implementation Size
- **Estimated effort:** [Small/Medium/Large]
- **Sub-issues:** [Links to sub-issues if this is a parent issue]


## 5.5 Work Distribution Optimization

- **Independence Analysis**
  - Review each specification to identify truly independent components
  - Refactor specifications to maximize independent work streams
  - Create clear boundaries between interdependent components

- **Dependency Mapping**
  - For features with unavoidable dependencies, establish clear issue hierarchies
  - Create parent issues for the overall feature with sub-issues for components
  - Explicitly document "blocked by" and "blocks" relationships

- **Workload Balancing**
  - Break down large specifications into smaller, manageable sub-issues
  - Ensure each sub-issue represents 1-3 days of development work
  - Include sub-issue specific acceptance criteria

**Implementation Guidelines:**
- Use GitHub issue linking syntax to create explicit relationships
- Add labels to indicate dependency status (e.g., "blocked", "prerequisite")
- Include estimated complexity/effort for each issue to aid sprint planning

## 6. Final Review Phase

- Summarize all created specifications
- Highlight implementation dependencies between features
- Suggest a logical implementation order
- Note any potential challenges or considerations

Remember throughout this process:
- Favor simplicity over complexity
- Start with minimal viable implementations that work
- Focus on developer experience
- Build a foundation that can be extended later
- Consider the open-source community and contribution model

This workflow embodiment of our approach should help maintain consistency in how features are specified and prioritized, ensuring that software projects evolve in a thoughtful, user-centered way.

Copyright and license notice

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