Engineering Execution 13 min
Implementation Plans
Turn a ticket into a technical plan with files, risks, and tests.
Learning Objectives
- Extract implementation steps from a ticket.
- Identify risk and test coverage.
- Keep generated plans reviewable.
Plan before code
AI is useful before implementation when it helps identify files, dependencies, risks, and tests. It should not jump straight to code when the problem is still unclear.
Give the model the ticket, constraints, relevant code notes, and expected behavior. Ask for a plan that is small enough to review.
A useful engineering plan includes
- Files to inspect
- Proposed changes
- Edge cases
- Risks
- Tests
- Rollback plan
This structure makes AI output safer because it exposes assumptions before they become code.
Examples
Plan before code
Ask for files to inspect, proposed changes, risks, tests, and rollback before asking for implementation.
Practice Exercise
Plan a ticket
Paste a ticket and relevant code notes. Generate an implementation plan without code.
- Files to inspect are listed.
- Risks are concrete.
- Tests map to behavior.
Mini Prompt Templates
Implementation Planner
Ticket: [TICKET] Relevant code notes: [CODE_CONTEXT] Task: Create an implementation plan. Format: Files to inspect, Proposed changes, Risks, Tests, Rollback plan. Constraints: Do not write code yet.