What it does
Project Planner takes a high-level project description and turns it into a complete execution plan. It identifies phases, decomposes each phase into concrete tasks (sized to 1–3 day chunks for individual work), flags dependencies between tasks, and estimates effort using three-point estimation (best/most-likely/worst). The output includes a critical path analysis highlighting which tasks will delay the project if they slip.
The planner adapts to your team size and methodology. For solo developers, it generates a flat Markdown checklist. For teams using Agile, it structures work into sprints with acceptance criteria for each task. For executives, it produces a visual roadmap timeline in ASCII or Mermaid.js format. You can iterate on the plan interactively — "push the API integration to phase 2" or "what if we cut the mobile version?".
How to install
npx skills add user/project-planner
The command fetches the skill definition, validates the schema, and registers it with your Claude Code environment. No global npm packages are installed. The skill is stored in your project's .claude/skills/ directory and can be committed alongside your code.
How to use
Describe your project, team size, and deadline, then ask Claude to build the plan:
Plan this project: [describe the project, team size, and deadline]
Claude will analyze the description and return a fully structured plan. A typical output looks like this:
## Phase 1: Foundation (Week 1–2) - [ ] Set up repo and CI pipeline — 2d — @dev1 - [ ] Design database schema — 1d — @dev2 - [ ] Scaffold API routes — 2d — @dev1 (depends: schema) ## Phase 2: Core Features (Week 3–5) - [ ] Implement auth flow — 3d — @dev1 - [ ] Build dashboard UI — 3d — @dev2 Critical path: schema → API routes → auth → dashboard Risk: third-party payment API integration (no sandbox docs)
Configuration
You can refine or extend the plan with follow-up prompts after the initial output:
# Restructure into sprints Restructure this into 2-week sprints # Add risk mitigations Add risk mitigations for each milestone # Export as Gantt chart Generate a Mermaid Gantt chart for this plan
Tip: Paste the plan into your CLAUDE.md under a "Project Roadmap" section. Claude will reference it throughout the project, keeping every task suggestion aligned with the agreed plan and timeline.
Related skills
Pair Project Planner with Meeting Summarizer to automatically update the plan after standups. Use Standup Writer to generate daily progress updates that map directly to the plan's milestones. Add Task Prioritizer when the backlog grows and you need to decide what to tackle next.