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Create a new track with specification and phased implementation plan
New Track
Create a new track (feature, bug fix, chore, or refactor) with a detailed specification and phased implementation plan.
Use this skill when
Working on new track tasks or workflows
Needing guidance, best practices, or checklists for new track
Do not use this skill when
The task is unrelated to new track
You need a different domain or tool outside this scope
Instructions
Clarify goals, constraints, and required inputs.
Apply relevant best practices and validate outcomes.
Provide actionable steps and verification.
If detailed examples are required, open resources/implementation-playbook.md.
Pre-flight Checks
Verify Conductor is initialized:
Check conductor/product.md exists
Check conductor/tech-stack.md exists
Check conductor/workflow.md exists
If missing: Display error and suggest running /conductor:setup first
Load context files:
Read conductor/product.md for product context
Read conductor/tech-stack.md for technical context
Read conductor/workflow.md for TDD/commit preferences
Track Classification
Determine track type based on description or ask user:
What type of track is this?
1. Feature - New functionality
2. Bug - Fix for existing issue
3. Chore - Maintenance, dependencies, config
4. Refactor - Code improvement without behavior change
Interactive Specification Gathering
CRITICAL RULES:
Ask ONE question per turn
Wait for user response before proceeding
Tailor questions based on track type
Maximum 6 questions total
For Feature Tracks
Q1: Feature Summary
Describe the feature in 1-2 sentences.
[If argument provided, confirm: "You want to: {argument}. Is this correct?"]
Q2: User Story
Who benefits and how?
Format: As a [user type], I want to [action] so that [benefit].
Q3: Acceptance Criteria
What must be true for this feature to be complete?
List 3-5 acceptance criteria (one per line):
Q4: Dependencies
Does this depend on any existing code, APIs, or other tracks?
1. No dependencies
2. Depends on existing code (specify)
3. Depends on incomplete track (specify)
Q5: Scope Boundaries
What is explicitly OUT of scope for this track?
(Helps prevent scope creep)
Q6: Technical Considerations (optional)
Any specific technical approach or constraints?
(Press enter to skip)
For Bug Tracks
Q1: Bug Summary
What is broken?
[If argument provided, confirm]
Q2: Steps to Reproduce
How can this bug be reproduced?
List steps:
Q3: Expected vs Actual Behavior
What should happen vs what actually happens?
Q4: Affected Areas
What parts of the system are affected?
Q5: Root Cause Hypothesis (optional)
Any hypothesis about the cause?
(Press enter to skip)
For Chore/Refactor Tracks
Q1: Task Summary
What needs to be done?
[If argument provided, confirm]
Q2: Motivation
Why is this work needed?
Q3: Success Criteria
How will we know this is complete?
Q4: Risk Assessment
What could go wrong? Any risky changes?
Track ID Generation
Generate track ID in format: {shortname}_{YYYYMMDD}
Extract shortname from feature/bug summary (2-3 words, lowercase, hyphenated)
Use current date
Example: user-auth_20250115, nav-bug_20250115
Validate uniqueness:
Check conductor/tracks.md for existing IDs
If collision, append counter: user-auth_20250115_2
Specification Generation
Create conductor/tracks/{trackId}/spec.md:
# Specification: {Track Title}
**Track ID:** {trackId}
**Type:** {Feature|Bug|Chore|Refactor}
**Created:** {YYYY-MM-DD}
**Status:** Draft
## Summary
{1-2 sentence summary}
## Context
{Product context from product.md relevant to this track}
## User Story (for features)
As a {user}, I want to {action} so that {benefit}.
## Problem Description (for bugs)
{Bug description, steps to reproduce}
## Acceptance Criteria
- [ ] {Criterion 1}
- [ ] {Criterion 2}
- [ ] {Criterion 3}
## Dependencies
{List dependencies or "None"}
## Out of Scope
{Explicit exclusions}
## Technical Notes
{Technical considerations or "None specified"}
---
_Generated by Conductor. Review and edit as needed._
User Review of Spec
Display the generated spec and ask:
Here is the specification I've generated:
{spec content}
Is this specification correct?
1. Yes, proceed to plan generation
2. No, let me edit (opens for inline edits)
3. Start over with different inputs
Plan Generation
After spec approval, generate conductor/tracks/{trackId}/plan.md:
Plan Structure
# Implementation Plan: {Track Title}
**Track ID:** {trackId}
**Spec:** spec.md
**Created:** {YYYY-MM-DD}
**Status:** [ ] Not Started
## Overview
{Brief summary of implementation approach}
## Phase 1: {Phase Name}
{Phase description}
### Tasks
- [ ] Task 1.1: {Description}
- [ ] Task 1.2: {Description}
- [ ] Task 1.3: {Description}
### Verification
- [ ] {Verification step for phase 1}
## Phase 2: {Phase Name}
{Phase description}
### Tasks
- [ ] Task 2.1: {Description}
- [ ] Task 2.2: {Description}
### Verification
- [ ] {Verification step for phase 2}
## Phase 3: {Phase Name} (if needed)
...
## Final Verification
- [ ] All acceptance criteria met
- [ ] Tests passing
- [ ] Documentation updated (if applicable)
- [ ] Ready for review
---
_Generated by Conductor. Tasks will be marked [~] in progress and [x] complete._
Phase Guidelines
Group related tasks into logical phases
Each phase should be independently verifiable
Include verification task after each phase
TDD tracks: Include test writing tasks before implementation tasks
Typical structure:
Setup/Foundation - Initial scaffolding, interfaces
Core Implementation - Main functionality
Integration - Connect with existing system
Polish - Error handling, edge cases, docs
User Review of Plan
Display the generated plan and ask:
Here is the implementation plan:
{plan content}
Is this plan correct?
1. Yes, create the track
2. No, let me edit (opens for inline edits)
3. Add more phases/tasks
4. Start over
Track Creation
After plan approval:
Create directory structure:
conductor/tracks/{trackId}/
├── spec.md
├── plan.md
├── metadata.json
└── index.md
Create metadata.json:
{
"id": "{trackId}",
"title": "{Track Title}",
"type": "feature|bug|chore|refactor",
"status": "pending",
"created": "ISO_TIMESTAMP",
"updated": "ISO_TIMESTAMP",
"phases": {
"total": N,
"completed": 0
},
"tasks": {
"total": M,
"completed": 0
}
}
Create index.md:
# Track: {Track Title}
**ID:** {trackId}
**Status:** Pending
## Documents
- Specification
- Implementation Plan
## Progress
- Phases: 0/{N} complete
- Tasks: 0/{M} complete
## Quick Links
- Back to Tracks
- Product Context
Register in conductor/tracks.md:
Add row to tracks table
Format: | [ ] | {trackId} | {title} | {created} | {created} |
Update conductor/index.md:
Add track to "Active Tracks" section
Completion Message
Track created successfully!
Track ID: {trackId}
Location: conductor/tracks/{trackId}/
Files created:
- spec.md - Requirements specification
- plan.md - Phased implementation plan
- metadata.json - Track metadata
- index.md - Track navigation
Next steps:
1. Review spec.md and plan.md, make any edits
2. Run /conductor:implement {trackId} to start implementation
3. Run /conductor:status to see project progress
Error Handling
If directory creation fails: Halt and report, do not register in tracks.md
If any file write fails: Clean up partial track, report error
If tracks.md update fails: Warn user to manually register trackdon't have the plugin yet? install it then click "run inline in claude" again.