For any non-trivial work, write a structured plan before making changes, then execute against it. The canonical machine copy of this standard is in the repository at hub/standards/planning.md.

Why

This is for execution reliability, not paperwork. Work runs far more dependably off a well-organized plan than off improvisation — the plan catches contradictions and missing pieces up front, keeps a long multi-file change coherent, and gives a clear thing to execute against. It is primarily a benefit to the executor.

What a plan is

A short, structured note written before the work: the decisions (with open questions surfaced, not guessed), a work breakdown by file or area, open items to confirm, and the release shape (branch and version level). Plans live in notes/plans/.

What’s exempt

Trivial, single-step changes — a typo, a one-line fix, an obvious rename — don’t need a written plan. The bar is “non-trivial”: multiple files, multiple steps, a real decision. The rule is applied with judgment, not as bureaucracy.