Get Shit Done (GSD) - Project Management System
A comprehensive project management system designed for solo developers working with Claude AI agents. GSD provides structured workflows for project initialization, planning, execution, verification, and debugging.
Overview
GSD is a modular agent-based system that transforms project ideas into shipped software through:
- Deep questioning - Extract user vision and requirements
- Domain research - Discover standard stacks and patterns
- Roadmap creation - Break requirements into phases
- Phase planning - Create executable plans with verification
- Execution - Implement plans with atomic commits
- Verification - Ensure goals are achieved, not just tasks done
- Debugging - Systematic investigation of issues
Core Philosophy
- Solo Developer + Claude Workflow - No teams, no stakeholders, no ceremonies
- Plans are Prompts - PLAN.md files ARE the execution prompts, not documents
- Goal-Backward Planning - Start from what must be TRUE, derive what to build
- Atomic Commits - Each task commits independently for clean history
- Quality Over Speed - Stop before context degrades (~50% usage)
- Ship Fast - Plan → Execute → Ship → Learn → Repeat
When to Use GSD
Use GSD when you need to:
- Initialize a new software project
- Plan and execute development phases
- Map an existing codebase
- Debug issues systematically
- Verify phase completion
- Track project progress and state
Quick Start Commands
New Project
/gsd:new-project
Initializes a new project with questioning → research → requirements → roadmap flow.
Plan a Phase
/gsd:plan-phase [phase-number]
Creates detailed execution plans with research and verification.
Execute a Phase
/gsd:execute-phase [phase-number]
Executes all plans in a phase with parallel execution support.
Map Codebase
/gsd:map-codebase [optional-focus-area]
Analyzes existing codebase with parallel mapper agents.
Debug Issues
/gsd:debug [issue-description]
Systematic debugging using scientific method and hypothesis testing.
Verify Phase
/gsd:verify-work [phase-number]
Goal-backward verification of phase completion.
Check Progress
/gsd:progress
Shows current project position, completed phases, and next steps.
Agent Skills
GSD includes specialized agents for different tasks:
- gsd-codebase-mapper - Explores and documents codebase structure
- gsd-planner - Creates executable phase plans
- gsd-executor - Executes plans with atomic commits
- gsd-debugger - Investigates bugs systematically
- gsd-verifier - Verifies goal achievement
- gsd-research-synthesizer - Synthesizes research outputs
- gsd-roadmapper - Creates project roadmaps
- gsd-phase-researcher - Researches phase implementation
- gsd-project-researcher - Researches domain ecosystem
- gsd-integration-checker - Verifies integrations work
- gsd-plan-checker - Validates plan quality
Command Skills
GSD provides commands for orchestrating the entire project lifecycle:
- gsd:new-project - Initialize new project
- gsd:map-codebase - Map existing codebase
- gsd:plan-phase - Plan a phase
- gsd:execute-phase - Execute a phase
- gsd:verify-work - Verify phase completion
- gsd:debug - Debug issues
- gsd:discuss-phase - Gather phase context
- gsd:research-phase - Research phase implementation
- gsd:complete-milestone - Complete milestone
- gsd:audit-milestone - Audit milestone
- gsd:add-phase - Add new phase
- gsd:insert-phase - Insert phase
- gsd:remove-phase - Remove phase
- gsd:add-todo - Add todo item
- gsd:check-todos - Check todos
- gsd:plan-milestone-gaps - Plan milestone gaps
- gsd:pause-work - Pause work
- gsd:resume-work - Resume work
- gsd:update - Update project state
- gsd:whats-new - Show what's new
Workflow Skills
Detailed workflow definitions for complex operations:
- discovery-phase - Phase discovery workflow
- execute-phase - Phase execution workflow
- diagnose-issues - Parallel UAT diagnosis
- map-codebase - Codebase mapping workflow
- discuss-phase - Phase discussion workflow
- verify-phase - Phase verification workflow
- verify-work - Work verification workflow
- transition - Phase transition workflow
- resume-project - Project resumption workflow
Reference Skills
Reference documents for best practices and guidelines:
- questioning - Deep questioning techniques
- tdd - Test-driven development patterns
- ui-brand - UI/UX guidelines
- verification-patterns - Verification methodologies
- git-integration - Git workflow patterns
- checkpoints - Checkpoint handling
- continuation-format - Continuation format specification
Project Structure
GSD creates a .planning/ directory with:
.planning/
├── PROJECT.md # Project context and vision
├── config.json # Workflow preferences
├── REQUIREMENTS.md # Scoped requirements
├── ROADMAP.md # Phase structure
├── STATE.md # Project memory and state
├── research/ # Domain research outputs
├── phases/ # Phase-specific artifacts
│ ├── XX-name/
│ │ ├── XX-PLAN.md
│ │ ├── XX-SUMMARY.md
│ │ ├── XX-CONTEXT.md
│ │ ├── XX-RESEARCH.md
│ │ ├── XX-VERIFICATION.md
│ │ └── XX-UAT.md
└── codebase/ # Codebase analysis
├── STACK.md
├── ARCHITECTURE.md
├── STRUCTURE.md
├── CONVENTIONS.md
├── TESTING.md
├── INTEGRATIONS.md
└── CONCERNS.md
Key Concepts
Goal-Backward Planning
Instead of asking "what should we build?", ask "what must be TRUE for the goal to be achieved?"
Forward: "Build authentication system" → task list
Goal-Backward: "Users can securely access accounts" → derive what must exist
Atomic Commits
Each task commits independently with descriptive messages:
feat(01-01): implement user login
fix(01-02): fix password validation
test(01-03): add login tests
Context Budgeting
Plans complete within ~50% context usage to maintain quality:
- 0-30%: PEAK quality
- 30-50%: GOOD quality
- 50-70%: DEGRADING quality
- 70%+: POOR quality (avoid)
Wave-Based Execution
Plans are grouped into waves for parallel execution:
- Wave 1: Independent plans (no dependencies)
- Wave 2: Plans depending only on Wave 1
- Wave 3: Plans depending on Wave 2, etc.
Anti-Patterns to Avoid
- Enterprise PM Theater - No RACI matrices, sprint ceremonies, stakeholder management
- Horizontal Layers - Don't group by "all models, then all APIs" - group by features
- Vague Success Criteria - "Authentication works" → "User can log in with email/password"
- Time Estimates - Never estimate in hours/days/weeks
- Task Completion ≠ Goal Achievement - Verify outcomes, not just task completion
Getting Help
Each agent, command, and workflow has its own SKILL.md with detailed instructions. Use:
@skills/gsd/agents/ for agent-specific help@skills/gsd/commands/ for command-specific help@skills/gsd/workflows/ for workflow-specific help@skills/gsd/references/ for reference documentation
Version
GSD Version: 1.0.0
Last Updated: 2026-01-19
