Epic/Stage Setup - Bootstrapping Guide

This skill handles the CREATION of epic/stage/phase workflow structure. For WORKING ON existing epics and stages, see the epic-stage-workflow skill.

When to Use

• Starting a new project that will benefit from phased development with quality gates
• Converting an existing project to use epic/stage tracking
• User explicitly requests "epic workflow", "stage tracking", or "phased development"
• Creating a NEW epic or stage within an existing project
• User asks to "create an epic" or "add a stage"

When NOT to Use

• Single-file scripts or throwaway prototypes
• Projects with fewer than 3 distinct features
• Projects where user explicitly wants ad-hoc development without tracking
• Projects already using a different structured workflow (e.g., GitHub Projects, Jira)
• WORKING ON existing stages - use epic-stage-workflow skill instead

---

Workflow Structure Overview

Epic (Feature)
  └── Stage (Component/Interaction)
        └── Phase: Design → Build → Refinement → Finalize

Hierarchy

• Epic = Feature (Dashboard, Map, Timeline, etc.)
• Stage = Single component or interaction within that feature
• Phase = Design | Build | Refinement | Finalize

---

What This Skill Sets Up

When invoked for a new project:

1. Creates epics/ directory for epic/stage tracking documents
2. Creates per-epic regression.md files for responsive testing checklists
3. Adds workflow documentation to project CLAUDE.md (from templates below)
4. Creates changelog/ directory with consolidation script

Directory Structure

epics/
├── EPIC-001-feature-name/
│   ├── EPIC-001.md
│   ├── STAGE-001-001.md
│   ├── STAGE-001-002.md
│   └── regression.md        # Per-epic regression checklist
├── EPIC-002-another-feature/
│   ├── EPIC-002.md
│   └── regression.md
└── ...

changelog/
├── create_changelog.sh     # Script to consolidate entries
└── .gitkeep               # Keeps directory in git

---

After Setup

Tell user:

• Use /next_task to check current work
• Use /epic-stats to see overall progress
• Create first epic: epics/EPIC-001-name/EPIC-001.md

---

Creating Epics/Stages

All templates are embedded below in this skill file.

Key Rules

• Use 3-digit padding: EPIC-001, STAGE-001-001
• Status values: "Not Started", "Design", "Build", "Refinement", "Finalize", "Complete", "Skipped"
• All four phase sections required in every stage file
• Epic directory name format: epics/EPIC-XXX-kebab-case-name/

Sequential Dependency Ordering (CRITICAL)

Core Rule: Dependencies flow upward numerically. If work X depends on work Y, then Y must have a lower number than X.

STAGE-001 → STAGE-002 → STAGE-003
   ↑            ↑
   │            └── Can depend on 001
   └── No dependencies (first)

EPIC-001 → EPIC-002 → EPIC-003
   ↑           ↑
   │           └── Can depend on EPIC-001 work
   └── No cross-epic dependencies

Before creating ANY stage, verify:

1. Dependency check: Does this stage depend on work that doesn't exist yet?

   • If YES: Create the dependency FIRST (lower number) or assign to earlier epic
   • If NO: Proceed with current numbering

2. Cross-epic check: Does this stage depend on work in a LATER epic?

   • If YES: STOP - This violates sequential ordering
   • Either move the stage to that later epic, or move the dependency to an earlier epic

3. Insertion check: Are you inserting a stage mid-sequence (e.g., STAGE-005-003A)?

   • Never insert a stage that depends on later-numbered work
   • Insertions must only depend on EARLIER stages in the sequence

Red Flags - STOP Before Creating Stage:

Symptom	Problem	Solution
"This stage needs EPIC-018's backend work" but you're in EPIC-016	Cross-epic forward dependency	Move stage to EPIC-018 or later
"This stage needs STAGE-005" but you're creating STAGE-003	Backward dependency	Renumber or reorder stages
"Let's add STAGE-004A to keep the feature together" but 004A needs EPIC-020 work	Feature grouping overriding dependencies	Dependency ordering > feature grouping
User wants feature "done first" but it needs later API work	User priority ≠ technical feasibility	Explain dependency reality, adjust epic order

Common Rationalizations (REJECT ALL):

Excuse	Reality
"Keep frontend features together in one epic"	Architectural layers > feature grouping when dependencies conflict
"We'll just mark it blocked until the dependency is ready"	Blocked stages within an epic halt sequential progress
"The dependency is small, we can inline it"	If it's a real dependency, it needs proper sequencing
"User wants this epic number, so keep it"	Epic numbers reflect execution order, not user preference
"User insists on this ordering"	Explain dependency reality, document objection, still fix ordering
"We can do them in parallel"	Parallel execution doesn't fix dependency ordering - dependency must be numbered lower
"Just this once for the deadline"	Deadline pressure doesn't change technical dependencies

Edge Cases:

Circular Dependencies: If EPIC-A needs EPIC-B work AND EPIC-B needs EPIC-A work:

1. This indicates architectural coupling that should be resolved
2. Extract the shared work into an earlier EPIC-C that both depend on
3. Never create circular epic dependencies - one must come first

STAGE-XXX-XXXA Notation: Inserting stages mid-sequence (e.g., 002A between 002 and 003) is ONLY valid when:

• The inserted stage depends on EARLIER stages only (001, 002)
• The inserted stage does NOT depend on later stages (003, 004) or later epics
• Using 002A is preferable to renumbering all subsequent stages

When User Insists After Explanation:

1. Document in stage file: "Dependency ordering override requested by user - [stage] depends on [future work]"
2. Proceed as directed (user has project authority)
3. Flag in lessons-learned: "Sequential dependency violation - user override"
4. The work may block or fail; user accepts that risk

---

Epic File Template (EPIC-XXX.md)

# EPIC-XXX: [Name]

## Status: Not Started

## Overview

[Description of the feature/capability this epic delivers]

## Stages

| Stage         | Name                | Status      |
| ------------- | ------------------- | ----------- |
| STAGE-XXX-001 | [First stage name]  | Not Started |
| STAGE-XXX-002 | [Second stage name] | Not Started |

## Current Stage: STAGE-XXX-001

## Notes

- [Any relevant notes]

---

Stage File Template (STAGE-XXX-YYY.md)

# STAGE-XXX-YYY: [Name]

## Status: Not Started

## Overview

[What this stage implements]

## Stage Flags

- Has Input Forms: [ ] Yes

## Design Phase

- **UI Options Presented**:
- **User Choice**:
- **Seed Data Agreed**:
- **Session Notes**:

**Status**: [ ] Complete

## Build Phase

- **Components Created**:
- **API Endpoints Added**:
- **Placeholders Added**:
- **Session Notes**:

**Status**: [ ] Complete

## Refinement Phase

- [ ] Desktop Approved
- [ ] Mobile Approved
- [ ] Regression Items Added

- **Feedback Round 1**:
- **Feedback Round 2**:

**Status**: [ ] Complete

## Finalize Phase

- [ ] Code Review (pre-tests)
- [ ] Tests Written (unit, integration, e2e)
- [ ] Code Review (post-tests)
- [ ] Documentation Updated
- [ ] Committed

**Commit Hash**:
**CHANGELOG Entry**: [ ] Added

**Status**: [ ] Complete

---

CLAUDE.md Sections Template

Add these sections to a project's CLAUDE.md when bootstrapping:

Development Workflow Section

## Development Workflow

### Hierarchy

- **Epic** = Feature (Dashboard, Map, Timeline, etc.)
- **Stage** = Single component or interaction within that feature
- **Phase** = Design | Build | Refinement | Finalize

### Phase Cycle Per Stage

Each stage goes through 4 phases, typically each in a separate session:

1. DESIGN PHASE - Present options, user picks, confirm seed data
2. BUILD PHASE - Implement, add seed data, add placeholders
3. REFINEMENT PHASE - Dual sign-off (Desktop AND Mobile approval)
4. FINALIZE PHASE - Tests, review, docs, commit (all via subagents)

Commands Section

## Commands

| Command       | Purpose                                         |
| ------------- | ----------------------------------------------- |
| `/next_task`  | Find next work by scanning epic/stage hierarchy |
| `/epic-stats` | Calculate progress across epics                 |

Stage Tracking Section

## Stage Tracking Documents

### Location

epics/EPIC-XXX-name/STAGE-XXX-YYY.md

### Status Values

- `Not Started` - Work not yet begun
- `Design` - In design phase
- `Build` - In build phase
- `Refinement` - In refinement phase
- `Finalize` - In finalize phase
- `Complete` - All phases done
- `Skipped` - Intentionally skipped

---

Regression Checklist Template

Create per-epic regression files at epics/EPIC-XXX-name/regression.md:

# Regression Checklist - EPIC-XXX: [Name]

Items to verify after each deployment. Format: `[D]` = desktop, `[M]` = mobile, `[D][M]` = both.

## STAGE-XXX-001: [Stage Name]

- [ ] [D][M] Description of item to check

## STAGE-XXX-002: [Stage Name]

- [ ] [D][M] Description of item to check

---

Changelog Pattern

Agents write entries to date-based files in changelog/ directory:

CRITICAL: Getting the date - NEVER estimate or hardcode dates:

# Get today's date for the changelog filename
TODAY=$(date +%Y-%m-%d)
# Example output: 2026-01-14

File pattern: changelog/$TODAY.changelog.md

Entry format:

## [STAGE-XXX-YYY] Stage Name

- Description of what was done
- Commit: `<hash>`

Rules:

• Multiple entries on same day - PREPEND to same file (newest at top)
• Always include commit hash after committing
• User runs ./changelog/create_changelog.sh to consolidate into CHANGELOG.md

create_changelog.sh Template

#!/bin/bash
# Consolidates changelog entries into CHANGELOG.md
# Run from project root: ./changelog/create_changelog.sh

set -e

CHANGELOG_DIR="changelog"
OUTPUT_FILE="CHANGELOG.md"

# Create or clear the output file with header
cat > "$OUTPUT_FILE" << 'EOF'
# Changelog

All notable changes to this project are documented here.

EOF

# Process changelog files in reverse chronological order
for file in $(ls -r "$CHANGELOG_DIR"/*.changelog.md 2>/dev/null); do
    if [ -f "$file" ]; then
        date=$(basename "$file" .changelog.md)
        echo "## $date" >> "$OUTPUT_FILE"
        echo "" >> "$OUTPUT_FILE"
        cat "$file" >> "$OUTPUT_FILE"
        echo "" >> "$OUTPUT_FILE"
    fi
done

echo "CHANGELOG.md updated from $CHANGELOG_DIR entries"

---