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:

1. Deep questioning - Extract user vision and requirements
2. Domain research - Discover standard stacks and patterns
3. Roadmap creation - Break requirements into phases
4. Phase planning - Create executable plans with verification
5. Execution - Implement plans with atomic commits
6. Verification - Ensure goals are achieved, not just tasks done
7. 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