name: consulting-project-planner
description: "Create comprehensive project plans for consulting and engineering engagements: define scope, WBS, timeline with dependencies, resource allocation, risk register, deliverables, and client-facing artifacts. Use when you need to create a new project plan, replan after changes, prepare kickoff materials, or produce a clear PROJECT_PLAN.md for stakeholders."

Consulting Project Planner

Purpose

Provide a concise, repeatable workflow to produce professional project plans for consulting and engineering engagements. Focus on clear scope definition, vertical-sliced work breakdown structures (WBS), dependency-aware timelines, resource allocation, and an auditable risk register.

When to use (examples included in description above)

• New project scoping and planning
• Replanning after delays or scope changes
• Preparing client kickoff materials and acceptance criteria
• Producing deliverables to hand to execution teams or clients

Quick triggers (natural language examples)

• "plan project [Project Name]"
• "create project plan for [Client]"
• "replan project [Project Name]"
• "quick project kickoff for [Idea]"
• "generate risk register for [Project]"

Core workflows

• Create New Project Plan
• Run the briefing template (references/briefing-template.md) with the client to collect objectives, constraints, stakeholders, and acceptance criteria.
• Write a one-liner (problem + target user + key outcome).
• Define V1 scope (max 5 core features/deliverables) and a "Not Yet" list.
• Build WBS: phases → epics → tasks (aim for 4–8 hour atomic tasks). Record owner and estimate for each task.
• Map dependencies and compute critical path; apply contingency (recommended 15–25%).
• Allocate resources by role and availability; note skill gaps.

• Produce PROJECT_PLAN.md (see assets/project-plan-template.md) and PIPELINE_STATUS.md.

• Update / Replan

• Compare actual progress vs planned (dates, completed tasks).
• Identify blockers and external dependencies.
• Recalculate dates and update dependencies.
• Update risk register and resource plan.

• Communicate changes and publish revised PROJECT_PLAN.md.

• Quick Kickoff (MVP/POC)

• One-liner and 3–5 core features.
• Select stack and minimal architecture assumptions.
• Create a 2-week sprint plan with daily checkpoints.
• Produce minimal project artifacts: PROJECT_PLAN.md (trimmed), PIPELINE_STATUS.md.

Outputs

• PROJECT_PLAN.md — canonical project plan for stakeholders (use assets/project-plan-template.md)
• PIPELINE_STATUS.md — current stage and checkpoint status
• RISK_REGISTER.md — structured list of risks with probability, impact, and mitigation
• GANTT.csv or simple timeline table (optional export by tooling)

References and templates

• references/briefing-template.md — client briefing form (use at discovery)
• references/estimation-guidelines.md — estimation factors and size categories
• references/checklists.md — kickoff, QA, and handover checklists
• assets/project-plan-template.md — PROJECT_PLAN.md skeleton to copy into project root

Best practices (short)

• Enforce a scope fence: always record what is out of V1.
• Use vertical slicing: deliver end-to-end increments instead of layered work.
• Plan for ~70% effective capacity per person to allow for meetings and context switching.
• Update the plan weekly and track assumptions explicitly.

Integration notes

This skill contains templates and references only. For automation or exports (Excel, PPTX, issue creation) attach separate tooling or scripts; keep outputs simple and human-readable by default.

See the references/ and assets/ folders for templates to use while running the workflows.