--- name: weekly-plan description: Set next week's priorities disable-model-invocation: false --- ## Purpose Plan your week forward with clear priorities tied to quarterly goals. Sets the foundation for effective daily planning and ensures strategic alignment. ## Usage - `/weekly-plan` - Plan upcoming week (or current week if Monday) - `/weekly-plan next` - Plan next week (when running on Friday) --- ## Context Routing **Check these files first:** 1. `thoughts/shared/pm/frameworks/` - Quarter OKRs, North Star, strategic pillars 2. `thoughts/shared/pm/reports/` - Last week's review (if exists) 3. `thoughts/shared/pm/prds/` - Active PRDs and their stages 4. `thoughts/shared/pm/launches/` - Upcoming launches 5. `thoughts/shared/pm/reports/` - Previous weekly plans (for pattern analysis) **MCP Queries (if available):** - **Calendar MCP** - Next week's meetings - **Linear MCP** - Backlog and upcoming tasks - **Analytics MCP** - Metrics trends (inform priorities) **Fallback:** File-based planning using strategy docs and PRD pipeline. --- ## Workflow ### Step 1: Determine Target Week 1. **Calculate target week:** - Default: Upcoming week (Monday-Friday) - If run on Monday: Current week - If user specified "next": Next week 2. **Check if week already planned:** - Look for `thoughts/shared/pm/reports/YYYY-WXX-weekly-plan.md` - If exists: Ask "Week already planned. Update it or create new version?" --- ### Step 2: Review Last Week (If Available) Check for `thoughts/shared/pm/reports/[last-week]-weekly-review.md`: If exists, extract: - **Carried over items** - What didn't get done? - **Learnings** - What worked/didn't work? - **Momentum** - Which initiatives are advancing? - **Stalled items** - What needs unblocking? If doesn't exist: - Note: "Last week wasn't reviewed. Proceeding with forward planning only." - Suggest: "After this week, run `/weekly-review` to build the habit." --- ### Step 3: Strategic Context Gathering **A. Quarter Goals & North Star:** Read `thoughts/shared/pm/frameworks/`: - Current quarter OKRs - North Star metric and target - Strategic pillars (usually 3-4 themes) Extract: - Which goals are on track / behind / ahead? - Which pillar needs more attention this week? - Any upcoming deadlines (end of quarter, board meeting, etc.)? --- **B. Active PRD Pipeline:** Scan `thoughts/shared/pm/prds/`: For each active PRD: - Current stage - Next milestone - Blockers (if any) - Stakeholders involved Group PRDs by stage: - **Team Kickoff** - Need to plan/scope - **Planning Review** - Need to prioritize - **XFN Kickoff** - Need alignment - **Solution Review** - Need detailed design - **Launch Readiness** - Need to ship - **Impact Review** - Need to analyze results Identify: Which PRDs need to advance this week? --- **C. Upcoming Launches:** Check `thoughts/shared/pm/launches/`: - Features launching this week - Pre-launch checklists due - Post-launch monitoring needed --- **D. Calendar Preview (If MCP Available):** Query Calendar MCP for next week: ``` Get all events for [week start] to [week end] ``` Extract: - Key meetings (stakeholder syncs, reviews, planning sessions) - All-hands/team meetings (fixed commitments) - Open time blocks (capacity for deep work) Calculate: - Meeting load (hours in meetings) - Deep work capacity (hours available for focused work) - Context switch frequency If heavy meeting week (20+ hours): - Limit priorities to 2 instead of 3 - Flag: "Light on execution capacity this week" --- ### Step 4: Priority Setting **Framework: Top 3 Priorities** Use this prioritization logic: 1. **Priority 1 (Most Important):** - Directly advances a quarter goal that's behind - OR: Critical blocker removal - OR: Upcoming launch with deadline 2. **Priority 2 (High Impact):** - Advances quarter goal that's on track - OR: Strategic initiative that supports North Star - OR: Stakeholder commitment with firm deadline 3. **Priority 3 (Meaningful Progress):** - Supports strategic pillar - OR: Advances PRD through pipeline - OR: Foundation for future work **Constraints:** - Each priority should take 6-10 hours of work - Priorities should span different strategic pillars (balance) - At least one priority should be proactive (not reactive) **Validation Questions:** - If I only do these 3 things this week, will it be a successful week? - Do these priorities advance our quarter goals? - Am I over-committed given meeting load? --- ### Step 5: Task Breakdown (Optional) For each priority, identify 2-4 key tasks: **Priority 1: [Title]** - [ ] Task 1 (Est: X hours) - [ ] Task 2 (Est: Y hours) - [ ] Task 3 (Est: Z hours) Total estimate: Should match priority weight (6-10 hours) This helps with: - Reality check on scope - Daily planning (break priorities into daily chunks) - Progress tracking --- ### Step 6: Generate Weekly Plan Create file: `thoughts/shared/pm/reports/YYYY-WXX-weekly-plan.md` **Template:** ```markdown --- week: YYYY-WXX week_start: YYYY-MM-DD week_end: YYYY-MM-DD quarter: Q[X] YYYY --- # Weekly Plan - Week of [Month] [DD], [YYYY] ## TL;DR - **Top 3:** [One-line summary of each priority] - **Meeting load:** [X] hours ([Light/Medium/Heavy]) - **Key milestone:** [Most important thing to ship/decide/align this week] --- ## Strategic Context **Quarter Goal:** [Primary goal for this quarter] **North Star Progress:** [Current value] / [Target] ([%] to goal) **This Week's Focus:** [1-2 sentences explaining why these priorities matter now] --- ## Top 3 Priorities ### Priority 1: [Title] ⭐ Most Important **Why this matters:** - Advances: [Quarter Goal / Strategic Pillar] - Impact: [What changes if we complete this] - Risk if not done: [Consequence of deferring] **Success looks like:** - [Specific, measurable outcome] **Key tasks:** - [ ] [Task 1] (Est: X hours) - [Why/who] - [ ] [Task 2] (Est: Y hours) - [Why/who] - [ ] [Task 3] (Est: Z hours) - [Why/who] **Dependencies:** - Needs from: [Person/team] - [What] - Blocks: [What this unblocks] **Linked to:** - PRD: [Link if applicable] - Decision doc: [Link if applicable] --- ### Priority 2: [Title] **Why this matters:** - Advances: [Quarter Goal / Strategic Pillar] - Impact: [What changes] **Success looks like:** - [Specific outcome] **Key tasks:** - [ ] [Task 1] - [ ] [Task 2] - [ ] [Task 3] **Dependencies:** - [List] **Linked to:** - [Relevant docs] --- ### Priority 3: [Title] **Why this matters:** - Advances: [Quarter Goal / Strategic Pillar] - Impact: [What changes] **Success looks like:** - [Specific outcome] **Key tasks:** - [ ] [Task 1] - [ ] [Task 2] **Dependencies:** - [List] **Linked to:** - [Relevant docs] --- ## PRD Pipeline This Week | PRD | Current Stage | Target Stage by Friday | Action Needed | | ------ | --------------- | ---------------------- | ------------------------------- | | [Name] | Team Kickoff | Planning Review | Complete scoping, get estimates | | [Name] | Solution Review | Launch Readiness | Final stakeholder sign-off | --- ## Key Meetings | Day | Meeting | Purpose | Prep Needed | | --- | ------- | ----------- | ------------------------ | | Mon | [Title] | [Objective] | [Y/N - Link to prep doc] | | Tue | [Title] | [Objective] | [Y/N] | | Wed | [Title] | [Objective] | [Y/N] | | Thu | [Title] | [Objective] | [Y/N] | | Fri | [Title] | [Objective] | [Y/N] | **Meeting load:** [X] hours / ~40 hour week = [Y%] **Deep work capacity:** [Z] hours available --- ## Strategic Pillar Balance [If your strategy has defined pillars, show allocation] | Pillar | This Week's Time | Last Week | Trend | | ---------- | ---------------- | --------- | ------------ | | [Pillar 1] | 40% | 30% | ↑ Increasing | | [Pillar 2] | 30% | 40% | ↓ Decreasing | | [Pillar 3] | 30% | 30% | → Steady | **Balance check:** - [Commentary on whether allocation matches strategy] --- ## Risks & Mitigations **Potential blockers:** - **Risk:** [Dependency on X person who's on vacation] - **Mitigation:** [Async update or defer to next week] - **Risk:** [Heavy meeting load limits execution time] - **Mitigation:** [Decline non-essential meetings or defer Priority 3] **Capacity concerns:** - [If overcommitted, note which priority to defer] --- ## Carry-Over from Last Week [If last week's review exists] **Incomplete items:** - [ ] [Item from last week] - [Why it carried over] **Learnings applied:** - [Pattern from last week] → [How we're adjusting this week] --- ## Success Metrics **How we'll know this week was successful:** 1. [Measurable outcome for Priority 1] 2. [Measurable outcome for Priority 2] 3. [Measurable outcome for Priority 3] **Leading indicators to track:** - [Metric to check mid-week] - [Stakeholder feedback to gather] --- _Generated: [Timestamp]_ _Next: Run `/daily-plan` each morning to execute against this plan_ ``` --- ### Step 7: Output & Next Actions 1. **Save weekly plan file** 2. **Create/update task backlog (if Linear MCP available):** - Offer: "Want me to create Linear tasks for each key task?" - If yes: Use `/create-tickets` to convert tasks 3. **Display summary:** - "Week planned! Top 3: [P1], [P2], [P3]" - If heavy meetings: "Heads up: [X] hours of meetings. I've kept priorities light." - If carries over from last week: "[Y] items carried over - addressed in Priority [Z]" 4. **Offer next steps:** - "Ready to start the week? Run `/daily-plan` tomorrow morning." - "Want to share this plan with your team? I can format it for Slack." - If no stakeholder profiles: "For richer context, add stakeholder profiles." --- ## MCP Graceful Degradation **If Calendar MCP not connected:** - Ask: "What key meetings do you have next week?" - Note: "I can give better planning with calendar access. Run `/connect-mcps connect to google-calendar`" **If Linear MCP not connected:** - Manual task entry: "What key tasks need to happen for each priority?" - Offer to create tasks later once MCP connected **If strategy docs don't exist:** - Ask: "What are your top quarterly goals?" - Suggest: "Fill out `thoughts/shared/pm/frameworks/OKRs.md` for better alignment" --- ## Tips for Best Results **When to run:** - **Best time:** Friday afternoon (plan while week is fresh) - **Alternative:** Monday morning (start week with clarity) - **Avoid:** Mid-week (loses strategic perspective) **What makes a good priority:** - ✅ Specific (not "work on X" but "complete Y for X") - ✅ Measurable (you'll know when it's done) - ✅ High-impact (moves a key metric or goal) - ✅ Achievable (realistic given meeting load) - ❌ Too vague ("improve product" → What exactly?) - ❌ Too many (more than 3 = lack of focus) **Common mistakes:** - Setting 5-6 priorities (you'll get overwhelmed) - All reactive priorities (no proactive strategy work) - Ignoring meeting load (planning 30 hours of work with 25 hours of meetings) - No connection to quarter goals (busy but not impactful) --- ## Integration with Other Skills **Before `/weekly-plan`:** - `/weekly-review` - Review last week first (if Friday planning) - `/quarter-plan` - (If exists) Ensure week aligns with quarter **After `/weekly-plan`:** - `/daily-plan` - Break week down into daily execution - `/create-tickets` - Convert tasks to Linear - `/slack-message` - Share plan with team **Parallel use:** - `/prd-draft` - Priorities might include PRD work - `/impact-sizing` - Validate priorities are high-impact --- ## Related Skills **Before this:** - `/weekly-review` - Reflect on last week - `/mcp` - Connect to Calendar, Linear for richer planning **After this:** - `/daily-plan` - Execute the weekly plan day by day - `/create-tickets` - Track priorities in Linear - `/weekly-review` - Close the loop at end of week **Complements:** - `/prd-draft` - Weekly priorities often include PRD milestones - `/stakeholder-update` - Share weekly plan with leadership --- ## Output Quality Self-Check Before presenting output to the PM, verify: - [ ] **Context was checked:** Reviewed `thoughts/shared/pm/frameworks/` for quarter OKRs, `thoughts/shared/pm/prds/` for active PRDs, and `thoughts/shared/product/meeting-notes/` for upcoming commitments - [ ] **Priorities aligned with strategic goals:** Each of the top 3 priorities explicitly references which quarter goal, OKR, or strategic pillar it advances - [ ] **LNO classification applied:** Key tasks are tagged as Leverage, Neutral, or Overhead to ensure the week is weighted toward high-leverage work - [ ] **Dependencies and blockers identified:** Each priority lists what it depends on (people, decisions, deliverables) and any known blockers with mitigation plans - [ ] **Carry-over items from last week addressed:** If `thoughts/shared/pm/reports/` contains incomplete items from last week, they are explicitly acknowledged as carried over, deferred, or dropped with reasoning