Breakdown Plan
Convert PRD, UX, technical, and test artifacts into a GitHub backlog with Epic→Feature→Story hierarchy, dependencies, and Kanban-ready issues.
Overview
Breakdown Plan is an agent skill most often used in Build (also Validate, Ship) that turns PRD, UX, technical, and test artifacts into a GitHub-oriented Epic→Story plan with dependencies and priorities.
Install
npx skills add https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot --skill breakdown-planWhat is this skill?
- Epic → Feature → Story/Enabler → Test → Task hierarchy aligned to GitHub issues and project boards
- Applies INVEST, Definition of Ready, and Definition of Done before work starts
- Dependency linking and priority assignment for Kanban-style tracking
- Senior PM/DevOps framing for automated issue creation from feature artifacts
- Consumes PRD, UX design, technical breakdown, and testing plan as inputs
- Five-level work hierarchy: Epic, Feature, Story, Enabler, Test, plus Task breakdown
Adoption & trust: 8.9k installs on skills.sh; 34.6k GitHub stars; 2/3 security scanners passed (skills.sh audits).
What problem does it solve?
You have PRD, design, and technical notes but no leveled backlog, dependency map, or GitHub issues your agent can execute in order.
Who is it for?
Indie teams or solo builders who document features formally and want GitHub-native planning without hiring a PM.
Skip if: Throwaway spikes with no PRD, or repos that do not use GitHub issues and projects for delivery.
When should I use this skill?
You have PRD, UX design, technical breakdown, and testing plan artifacts and need a comprehensive GitHub project plan.
What do I get? / Deliverables
You get an INVEST-aware Epic→Feature→Story/Enabler/Test hierarchy with priorities and dependency links ready to paste into GitHub Projects and break into implementation tasks.
- Epic→Feature→Story/Enabler/Test hierarchy
- Dependency and priority map
- GitHub-oriented issue descriptions with ready/done criteria
Recommended Skills
Journey fit
Spans multiple journey phases - primary shelf plus alternate fits below.
Canonical shelf is Build/PM because the skill’s primary output is a structured delivery backlog and GitHub project automation after specs exist. Subphase pm matches issue planning, priority assignment, and Agile work-item breakdown rather than coding or shipping gates.
Where it fits
Slice an MVP PRD into epics and features before you commit to a two-week build.
Generate stories, enablers, and test items with blocking links for your GitHub Project board.
Align testing-plan sections to explicit Test work items with acceptance criteria.
Sequence launch tasks and quality gates as prioritized issues ahead of release week.
How it compares
Use instead of ad-hoc bullet lists in chat when you need Agile hierarchy and dependency language tied to GitHub work items.
Common Questions / FAQ
Who is breakdown-plan for?
Solo and indie builders using Claude Code, Cursor, or Codex who already produced PRD, UX, technical, and test artifacts and want a structured GitHub backlog.
When should I use breakdown-plan?
During Validate/scope when locking delivery slices, in Build/pm when sprint planning, or before Ship/launch when you need enablers, tests, and dependencies explicit on a Kanban board.
Is breakdown-plan safe to install?
It is planning prose in a skill package—review the Security Audits panel on this page and avoid pasting secrets into generated issue templates.
SKILL.md
READMESKILL.md - Breakdown Plan
# GitHub Issue Planning & Project Automation Prompt ## Goal Act as a senior Project Manager and DevOps specialist with expertise in Agile methodology and GitHub project management. Your task is to take the complete set of feature artifacts (PRD, UX design, technical breakdown, testing plan) and generate a comprehensive GitHub project plan with automated issue creation, dependency linking, priority assignment, and Kanban-style tracking. ## GitHub Project Management Best Practices ### Agile Work Item Hierarchy - **Epic**: Large business capability spanning multiple features (milestone level) - **Feature**: Deliverable user-facing functionality within an epic - **Story**: User-focused requirement that delivers value independently - **Enabler**: Technical infrastructure or architectural work supporting stories - **Test**: Quality assurance work for validating stories and enablers - **Task**: Implementation-level work breakdown for stories/enablers ### Project Management Principles - **INVEST Criteria**: Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimable, Small, Testable - **Definition of Ready**: Clear acceptance criteria before work begins - **Definition of Done**: Quality gates and completion criteria - **Dependency Management**: Clear blocking relationships and critical path identification - **Value-Based Prioritization**: Business value vs. effort matrix for decision making ## Input Requirements Before using this prompt, ensure you have the complete testing workflow artifacts: ### Core Feature Documents 1. **Feature PRD**: `/docs/ways-of-work/plan/{epic-name}/{feature-name}.md` 2. **Technical Breakdown**: `/docs/ways-of-work/plan/{epic-name}/{feature-name}/technical-breakdown.md` 3. **Implementation Plan**: `/docs/ways-of-work/plan/{epic-name}/{feature-name}/implementation-plan.md` ### Related Planning Prompts - **Test Planning**: Use `plan-test` prompt for comprehensive test strategy, quality assurance planning, and test issue creation - **Architecture Planning**: Use `plan-epic-arch` prompt for system architecture and technical design - **Feature Planning**: Use `plan-feature-prd` prompt for detailed feature requirements and specifications ## Output Format Create two primary deliverables: 1. **Project Plan**: `/docs/ways-of-work/plan/{epic-name}/{feature-name}/project-plan.md` 2. **Issue Creation Checklist**: `/docs/ways-of-work/plan/{epic-name}/{feature-name}/issues-checklist.md` ### Project Plan Structure #### 1. Project Overview - **Feature Summary**: Brief description and business value - **Success Criteria**: Measurable outcomes and KPIs - **Key Milestones**: Breakdown of major deliverables without timelines - **Risk Assessment**: Potential blockers and mitigation strategies #### 2. Work Item Hierarchy ```mermaid graph TD A[Epic: {Epic Name}] --> B[Feature: {Feature Name}] B --> C[Story 1: {User Story}] B --> D[Story 2: {User Story}] B --> E[Enabler 1: {Technical Work}] B --> F[Enabler 2: {Infrastructure}] C --> G[Task: Frontend Implementation] C --> H[Task: API Integration] C --> I[Test: E2E Scenarios] D --> J[Task: Component Development] D --> K[Task: State Management] D --> L[Test: Unit Tests] E --> M[Task: Database Schema] E --> N[Task: Migration Scripts] F --> O[Task: CI/CD Pipeline] F --> P[Task: Monitoring Setup] ``` #### 3. GitHub Issues Breakdown ##### Epic Issue Template ```markdown # Epic: {Epic Name} ## Epic Description {Epic summary from PRD} ## Business Value - **Primary Goal**: {Main business objective} - **Success Metrics**: {KPIs and measurable outcomes} - **User Impact**: {How users will benefit} ## Epic Acceptance Criteria - [ ] {High-level requirement 1} - [ ] {High-level requirement 2} -