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Project Plan Management Rules
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Guidelines for maintaining and working with project plans.

File: `project-plan-management-rules.mdc`

Purpose
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The Project Plan Management Rules establish a framework for creating, maintaining, and reporting on project plans. These rules ensure that project plans accurately reflect work to be done, guide development activities, and provide transparency for stakeholders.

Key Principles
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* **Living Document**: Project plans evolve with the project
* **Single Source of Truth**: Authoritative reference for project status
* **Breakdown Structure**: Hierarchical organization of tasks
* **Realistic Scheduling**: Tasks have accurate time estimates
* **Clear Dependencies**: Task relationships are explicitly defined
* **Resource Allocation**: Appropriate assignment of responsibilities
* **Progress Tracking**: Regular status updates and metrics

Detailed Contents
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Plan Structure
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Guidelines for organizing project plans:

* Required sections and components
* Task breakdown hierarchy (epics, stories, tasks)
* Standardized task categorization
* Milestone definition approach
* Supporting documentation requirements
* Version control for plan changes

Task Definition
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Standards for documenting tasks:

* Required task attributes (ID, title, description)
* Task estimation techniques
* Definition of done criteria
* Acceptance criteria format
* Priority and severity classification
* Risk and dependency identification

Timeline Management
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Guidelines for scheduling:

* Baseline schedule development
* Schedule update frequency
* Critical path identification
* Buffer allocation strategy
* Deadline management approach
* Release planning considerations

Resource Management
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Standards for resource allocation:

* Role assignment guidelines
* Workload balancing requirements
* Skills matching considerations
* Cross-team coordination approach
* Resource conflict resolution
* Capacity planning methods

Progress Tracking
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Requirements for status reporting:

* Task status update frequency
* Progress metrics collection
* Status reporting format
* Burndown/burnup chart usage
* Velocity tracking approach
* Status meeting structure

Risk Management
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Guidelines for handling risks:

* Risk identification methods
* Risk assessment framework
* Risk mitigation planning
* Risk monitoring frequency
* Contingency planning approach
* Escalation procedures

Dependency Management
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Standards for handling dependencies:

* Internal dependency documentation
* External dependency identification
* Dependency visualization methods
* Dependency tracking approach
* Blockage resolution procedures
* Dependency communication requirements

Change Management
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Guidelines for plan modifications:

* Change request process
* Impact assessment requirements
* Change approval workflow
* Communication of changes
* Version control for changes
* Baseline management approach

GitHub Integration
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Requirements for GitHub connection:

* Linking project plan to GitHub issues
* Issue reference format requirements
* Status synchronization approach
* Branch naming related to plan items
* Commit message reference format
* Automated status updates from GitHub

Reporting
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Standards for project reporting:

* Required regular reports
* Executive summary format
* Detailed progress reports
* Variance analysis approach
* Forecast reporting methods
* Stakeholder-specific reporting

Collaboration Rules
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Guidelines for team collaboration:

* Plan access permissions
* Update responsibility assignments
* Review and approval workflows
* Collaborative planning sessions
* Cross-team coordination requirements
* Stakeholder involvement approach

Tools and Templates
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Standards for planning tools:

* Approved project planning tools
* Required document templates
* Tool usage guidelines
* Data exchange formats
* Backup and archiving requirements
* Tool integration standards

Rationale
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The Project Plan Management Rules provide several key benefits:

1. **Visibility**: Creates transparency into project progress and status
2. **Predictability**: Enables more accurate forecasting and planning
3. **Coordination**: Facilitates effective team coordination
4. **Accountability**: Establishes clear ownership and responsibilities
5. **Adaptability**: Provides framework for managed change