implementation-approach_skill

Overview

This skill is an implementation strategy selection framework that guides teams through a meta-cognitive decision process, risk control, constraint verification, and integration-point definition. It helps choose between vertical, horizontal, hybrid, and legacy migration approaches while documenting rationale and verification priorities. Use it to convert analysis into a concrete, auditable implementation plan.

How this skill works

The skill inspects the current implementation state, identifies responsibilities and technical debt, and surfaces implicit preconditions. It then explores candidate strategies (legacy handling, feature-first, foundation-first, hybrid), applies a risk matrix and constraint checklist, and assigns verification levels (L1–L3) and integration points. Finally, it produces a recorded decision rationale and verification criteria for each chosen phase.

When to use it

• Planning a rewrite, migration, or major new feature where architectural choices matter
• Selecting an incremental migration strategy for legacy systems
• Defining verification and acceptance criteria for phased releases
• Aligning team, schedule, and technical constraints before execution
• When multiple strategy patterns could apply and a documented rationale is required

Best practices

• Start with a thorough Phase 1 current-state analysis; do not skip it
• Combine known patterns creatively; avoid pattern fixation
• Use the risk analysis matrix to design preventive and incident controls
• Map constraints (technical, temporal, resource, business) before deciding approach
• Document decision rationale and verification levels in the design doc

Example use cases

• Migrating a monolith to microservices using a strangler and feature-driven slices
• Building a stable platform layer first (foundation-driven) before multiple downstream features
• Rapid prototyping with vertical slices, then transitioning to hybrid foundation work
• Integrating third-party systems with adapters/proxies while preserving service continuity
• Prioritizing work by risk for safety-critical or high-availability systems