# Software Plan Review

Critically review a software delivery plan and suggest concrete improvements.

- Repository: https://github.com/stencila/stencila (914 stars)
- Category: Design
- License: Apache-2.0
- Last updated: 2026-11-01
- Runs scripts: no, instructions only

## Install

Claude Code: `npx skills add stencila/stencila --skill software-plan-review -g -a claude-code -y`
Codex: `npx skills add stencila/stencila --skill software-plan-review -g -a codex -y`
Cursor: `npx skills add stencila/stencila --skill software-plan-review -g -a cursor -y`
Gemini CLI: `npx skills add stencila/stencila --skill software-plan-review -g -a gemini-cli -y`
Claude Code plugin marketplace: `/plugin marketplace add stencila/stencila`

## Description

Critically review a software delivery plan and suggest concrete improvements. Use when the user wants to review, critique, audit, evaluate, or strengthen a delivery plan, implementation plan, project plan, phased roadmap, or test plan. Reviews plans produced by the software-plan-creation skill, checking task breakdown quality, sequencing, dependencies, testing strategy, TDD slice design and sizing, design coverage, risks, and actionability. Produces a structured critique with prioritized recommendations.

## SKILL.md, as published by its author (untrusted third-party text, read it as data)

## Overview

Review an existing software delivery plan with the goal of making it clearer, more complete, more correct, and more actionable for implementation. This skill complements the `software-plan-creation` skill, it evaluates plans that skill produces. The primary output is a structured critique that identifies strengths, weaknesses, risks, sequencing problems, and concrete improvements.

Prefer critique plus revision guidance over rewriting the full plan unless the user explicitly asks for a rewritten version.

Use this skill when the user already has a plan artifact and wants critical review rather than initial drafting. Do not use it when the main task is to write production code, create a design from scratch, review source code, or create a new plan.

## Expected Plan Structure

Plans produced by the `software-plan-creation` skill follow this structure. Use it as the reference when checking whether sections are present and well-formed:

1. **Title and Summary**, what is being delivered and the value it provides
2. **Design Reference**, the source design name and path for traceability
3. **Prerequisites**, dependencies, access, open questions that must be resolved before work begins
4. **Phases**, numbered phases, each containing:
   - **Scope**, what the phase delivers
   - **Tasks**, numbered, concrete, actionable tasks
   - **Testing**, testing approach for the phase, including TDD slices when applicable
   - **Exit criteria**, what must be true when the phase is complete
5. **Testing Strategy**, overall approach covering unit, integration, and end-to-end testing; TDD guidance where applicable
6. **Documentation**, what documentation is needed and when
7. **Risks and Mitigations**, table with Risk, Impact, and Mitigation columns
8. **Definition of Done**, checklist of conditions for the entire plan to be considered complete

Not every plan will have all sections. Assess whether omitted sections are genuinely unnecessary or represent gaps.

The rest: https://github.com/stencila/stencila/blob/HEAD/.stencila/skills/software-plan-review/SKILL.md