Plan-Validate-Execute Template

Purpose

This template demonstrates the Plan → Validate → Execute → Verify workflow for operations requiring approval gates and validation.

Use this template when:

• Changes are irreversible or high-risk
• User approval needed before execution
• Validation required before and after changes
• Rollback procedures necessary

Workflow

Phase 1: Plan

1. Analyze current state 2. Define desired end state 3. Break down into atomic steps 4. Identify risks and dependencies 5. Create rollback plan 6. Present plan for approval

Phase 2: Validate Plan

1. Check preconditions 2. Verify dependencies exist 3. Test transformations on sample data 4. Confirm rollback procedure works 5. Get explicit user approval before proceeding

Phase 3: Execute

1. Create backup/checkpoint 2. Execute steps sequentially 3. Log each operation 4. Stop on first error 5. Provide progress updates

Phase 4: Verify

1. Confirm all changes applied 2. Run validation tests 3. Check data integrity 4. Verify system functionality 5. Document completion Run the following validation script: `/scripts/validate-skill-output.sh {arguments}`

Progressive Disclosure

Core workflow (this file):

• Plan → Validate → Execute → Verify phases
• Approval gates and checkpoints

Detailed guidance (references/):

• references/migration-example.md - Complete database migration
• Rollback procedures and error handling

Example Usage

<plan>
Migration Plan: Users table normalization
1. Create new addresses table
2. Migrate address data
3. Add foreign keys
4. Drop old columns
Estimated time: 5 minutes
Risk: Medium (data transformation)
Rollback: Restore from backup
</plan>

<validate-plan>
✓ Sample data transformation verified
✓ Foreign key constraints tested
✓ Rollback procedure confirmed
⚠️ Awaiting user approval to proceed
</validate-plan>

<execute>
[Step 1/4] Creating addresses table... ✓
[Step 2/4] Migrating 1,245 records... ✓
[Step 3/4] Adding foreign keys... ✓
[Step 4/4] Dropping old columns... ✓
</execute>

<verify>
✓ All 1,245 records migrated successfully
✓ Foreign key constraints valid
✓ No orphaned records
✓ Application tests passing
Migration complete!
</verify>

See Also

• @references/migration-example.md - Full migration workflow