Skip to content

Phase 0: Planning & Alignment

Home > Document-Driven Development > Phases > Phase 0

Achieve shared understanding between human and AI before any work begins

Goal

Establish clear, shared understanding of what will be built before touching any files.

Why critical: Misaligned understanding is expensive. An hour in planning saves days of rework.

The Steps

Step 1: Problem Framing

Human presents:

  • High-level problem or requirement
  • Scope and constraints
  • Success criteria
  • Relevant context

Be explicit: Don't assume AI knows your context.

Step 2: Reconnaissance

AI performs reconnaissance:

  • "What's the current state of X in the codebase?"
  • "What files would be affected?"
  • "What patterns exist to follow?"

Use file crawling if large scope.

Step 3: Brainstorming & Proposals

AI generates 2-3 options:

  • Different approaches
  • Trade-offs for each
  • Complexity assessment
  • Philosophy alignment

Iterate together:

  • Human injects domain knowledge
  • AI identifies technical constraints
  • Discuss and refine

Step 4: Shared Understanding Check

Verification:

  • Ask AI to articulate the plan back
  • Does AI's explanation match your mental model?
  • Are there any gaps or misunderstandings?

Red flag: If explanation doesn't match expectations, keep iterating.

Step 5: Capture the Plan

For within-turn work:

  • AI uses TodoWrite to track steps
  • System enforces completion
  • AI can modify as discoveries made

For multi-turn work:

  • Create file in ai_working/ directory
  • Track phases and blockers
  • Update as work progresses
  • Clean up when done

Why: AI is "easily distracted and forgetful." External tracking keeps focus.

Output of Phase 0

When complete:

  • ✅ Shared mental model established
  • ✅ Plan captured (TodoWrite or ai_working/ file)
  • ✅ Reconnaissance complete
  • ✅ Trade-offs understood
  • ✅ Philosophy alignment verified
  • ✅ Human explicitly approves proceeding

Ready for: Phase 1: Documentation Retcon

Tips

For Humans:

  • Be patient - get this right before proceeding
  • Challenge AI's assumptions
  • Provide clear direction
  • Approve explicitly when aligned

For AI:

  • Show your reconnaissance findings
  • Present multiple options
  • Be honest about trade-offs
  • Ask clarifying questions
  • Don't proceed without alignment

Return to: Phases | Main Index

Next Phase: Phase 1: Documentation Retcon