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Overview

The /arckit.plan command generates comprehensive project plans with visual timelines and gate-driven governance for UK Government projects following GDS Agile Delivery methodology.

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When to Use

  • Phase: Phase 0 - Project Planning
  • Timing: At project initiation, before Discovery phase begins
  • Purpose: Visualize entire project delivery with phases, gates, milestones, and ArcKit command integration

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Command Usage

/arckit.plan <project ID or initiative>

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Examples

# Create plan for existing project
/arckit.plan 001

# Create plan for Alpha phase
/arckit.plan Alpha phase

# Create plan for specific initiative
/arckit.plan cloud-migration programme

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What It Creates

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GDS Agile Delivery Phases

The plan structures your project around the UK Government Digital Service standard delivery phases:
  • Discovery (2-12 weeks): Validate problem and approach
  • Alpha (8-16 weeks): Detailed requirements, vendor procurement, HLD
  • Beta (12-52 weeks): Implementation sprints, testing, UAT
  • Live: Production deployment, hypercare, benefits realization

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Visual Timeline (Gantt Chart)

Mermaid Gantt chart showing:
  • All activities with dependencies
  • Duration estimates tailored to project complexity
  • Milestones and gates
  • Critical path visualization
Example:

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Workflow & Gates Diagram

Flowchart showing:
  • Decision points at each gate
  • Approval paths (✅ Approved) and rejection paths (❌ Rejected)
  • Feedback loops for refinement
  • Complete project lifecycle from initiation to BAU

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Phase Details Tables

For each phase, detailed tables showing:
  • Week number and activity timeline
  • Activity description with outcomes
  • ArcKit command to run
  • Deliverable produced
  • Gate approval criteria with checklist
  • Approvers and possible outcomes

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Project Complexity Tiers

The command automatically determines timeline based on project characteristics:

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Small Projects (3-6 months)

  • < 30 total requirements
  • 1-2 external integrations
  • Standard technology stack
  • Basic security compliance

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Medium Projects (6-12 months)

  • 30-100 total requirements
  • 3-5 external integrations
  • Some custom development
  • PCI-DSS, GDPR, or moderate compliance

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Large Projects (12-24 months)

  • 100+ total requirements
  • 5+ external integrations
  • Significant custom development
  • Multiple compliance regimes
  • Data migration required

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Interactive Configuration

The command asks you:
  1. Delivery Approach:
    • Agile GDS (Recommended): Discovery → Alpha → Beta → Live with iterative sprints
    • Waterfall: Sequential phases with formal stage gates
    • Hybrid: Agile delivery within waterfall governance gates
  2. Project Complexity:
    • Small (3-6 months)
    • Medium (6-12 months)
    • Large (12-24+ months)

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ArcKit Commands Integration

The plan maps all relevant ArcKit commands to the project timeline:

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Discovery Phase

  • Week 1-2: /arckit.stakeholders - Stakeholder analysis
  • Week 5-6: /arckit.requirements - Business Requirements
  • Week 7: /arckit.principles - Architecture principles
  • Week 8: /arckit.sobc - Initial business case
  • Week 8: /arckit.risk - Initial risk register

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Alpha Phase

  • Week 9-11: /arckit.requirements - Detailed requirements
  • Week 12-15: /arckit.diagram - Architecture diagrams
  • Week 11-12: /arckit.sow - Generate SOW/RFP
  • Week 18: /arckit.hld-review - HLD approval gate

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Beta Phase

  • Week 25: /arckit.dld-review - DLD approval gate
  • Week 29-31: /arckit.analyze - Quality analysis
  • Week 32-33: /arckit.traceability - Verify design → code → tests

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Governance Gates

Each phase ends with a governance gate with clear approval criteria:

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Discovery Assessment (Week 8)

  • Problem clearly defined and validated
  • User needs documented
  • Business Requirements defined (15-25 BRs)
  • Architecture principles agreed
  • Business case shows positive ROI
  • No critical risks without mitigation
Approvers: SRO, Architecture Board
Outcomes: ✅ Go to Alpha | 🔄 Pivot | ❌ Stop

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HLD Review (Alpha)

  • Architecture aligns with principles
  • All requirements addressed
  • Security and compliance validated
  • Vendor selected (if procurement needed)
  • Updated business case approved

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Beta Assessment (Go/No-Go)

  • UAT passed
  • Security testing complete
  • Performance targets met
  • Operational readiness confirmed
  • Service Standard assessment passed (UK Gov)

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Output File

Creates: projects/{project}/ARC-{PROJECT_ID}-PLAN-v1.0.md Contains:
  • Executive Summary (duration, budget, team, success criteria)
  • Gantt Timeline (Mermaid)
  • Workflow & Gates Diagram (Mermaid)
  • Phase Details (Discovery, Alpha, Beta, Live)
  • ArcKit Commands Integration
  • Timeline Estimates with assumptions
  • Risk & Assumptions section

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Dependencies

The plan is informed by existing artifacts:
ArtifactUsed For
STKE (Stakeholders)Number of stakeholders → complexity assessment
REQ (Requirements)Requirement count → Alpha phase duration
PRIN (Principles)Compliance constraints → additional time for threat modeling
SOBC (Business Case)Budget constraints → team size and timeline
RISK (Risk Register)High risks → extra procurement/mitigation time

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Timeline Adjustments

Timeline automatically adjusts for:
  • Vendor Procurement: +6-8 weeks to Alpha (SOW + evaluation + selection)
  • Security Heavy: +4-8 weeks to Beta (STRIDE, pen testing, SAST/DAST)
  • Data Migration: +4-12 weeks to Beta (migration strategy, testing, rollback)
  • AI Systems: +2-4 weeks to Alpha/Beta (AI Playbook, ATRS, fairness testing)
  • Multiple Integrations: +1-2 weeks per complex integration

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Quality Checks

Before delivery, the command verifies:
  • Gantt chart uses valid Mermaid syntax
  • All gates have approval criteria
  • All phases have activity tables
  • ArcKit commands mapped to timeline
  • Timeline is realistic for project complexity
  • Dependencies are correct (no backwards arrows)
  • Milestones have 0d duration
  • Executive summary includes success criteria

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Next Steps

After creating the plan:
  1. Review plan with SRO and stakeholders
  2. Confirm budget and resources
  3. Start Discovery: Run /arckit.stakeholders
  4. Update plan as project progresses

Stakeholders

First Discovery activity after plan approval

Roadmap

Multi-year strategic roadmap for programmes

Strategy

Executive-level architecture strategy synthesis

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Example Outputs

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