change-request

<!-- story: e45s29 --> <!-- story: e20s01 -->

Change Request

HARD GATE — specs/release-plan.yaml must exist before running either mode. If it doesn't, run plan-release first.

→ verify: test -f specs/release-plan.yaml

Two modes. State which one you want or the skill will ask.

Mode A — Add

Intake a new requirement mid-flight without disrupting work in progress.

1. Capture: What is the change? What problem does it solve?
2. Locate: Which existing stories in specs/epics/ does it affect or replace?
3. Draft: Add story + tasks[] with Gherkin-style AC in epic YAML (each task has verify). Tag requirement deltas: ADDED / MODIFIED / REMOVED / RENAMED with before/after for non-ADDED changes (e45s29).
4. Place: Append story under existing epic capsule, or create specs/epics/eNN-slug.yaml and register in release-plan.yaml epics[].
5. Score: Compute WSJF; note if it outranks in-progress work.

→ verify: grep -c 'stories:' specs/epics/*/epic.yaml

Mode B — Reorder

Value-engineering pass over the full release using WSJF.

See REFERENCE.md for the full WSJF scoring rubric.

1. Score each epic/story: BV + TC + RR / Job Size.
2. Re-sort release-plan.yaml epics[] and per-epic wsjf fields.
3. Flag cut candidates: WSJF < 1.5.
4. Update specs/release-plan.yaml and epic wsjf keys with rationale.
5. Report the delta.

→ verify: grep -c 'wsjf' specs/release-plan.yaml specs/epics/*/epic.yaml

Conversational Mode

If the user's request is in natural language and does not match the structured format of Mode A or Mode B, enter Conversational Mode to extract the change parameters through interactive dialogue.

5-Step Flow

1. Capture: Parse the natural-language request for what, why, and where. Ask at most 3 clarifying questions before drafting.
2. Locate: Identify which epic or capability in specs/epics/ the request affects or replaces.
3. Draft: Present a structured draft of the proposed story and tasks for user confirmation.
4. Score: Estimate the WSJF score and explain the calculation so the user understands the priority.
5. Place: Confirm the final epic placement with the user before writing files.

After either mode

Run bash scripts/sync-status-from-epics.sh. Suggest plan-work or build-epic for the top-ranked unstarted story.

---

WSJF Scoring Reference

Weighted Shortest Job First: WSJF = (Business Value + Time Criticality + Risk Reduction) / Job Size

All dimensions scored 1–10 using a Fibonacci-like scale: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 10.

Business Value

Score	Meaning
10	Core revenue path, legal requirement, blocking launch
8	Significant user value, major pain point removed
5	Notable improvement, medium user segment affected
3	Nice-to-have, minor convenience
1	Cosmetic or speculative

Time Criticality

Score	Meaning
10	Hard deadline (regulatory, contract, launch date)
8	Competitive window closing, partner dependency
5	Would delay next milestone if deferred
3	Flexible, can slip one sprint
1	No urgency

Risk Reduction (or Opportunity Enablement)

Score	Meaning
10	Eliminates critical architectural risk or enables a new capability
8	Reduces a known failure mode or unblocks high-value work
5	Moderate risk mitigation or enablement
3	Low risk reduction
1	No risk relevance

Job Size (effort denominator — larger = lower WSJF)

Score	Meaning
1	Hours
2	1 day
3	2–3 days
5	1 week
8	2 weeks
10	1 month+

Cut threshold

Stories with WSJF < 1.5 are cut candidates: high effort, low combined value.

Example

Story: "Add OAuth login"

• Business Value: 8 (removes major sign-up friction)
• Time Criticality: 5 (Q3 launch nice, not hard)
• Risk Reduction: 3 (minor security improvement)
• Job Size: 5 (one week)

WSJF = (8 + 5 + 3) / 5 = 3.2 — healthy, implement early.