DevFlow: Epic Planning Flow

Create epic issues for major development initiatives that span multiple phases and require multiple related issues.

When to Use

Use this flow when you need to:

• Plan a major feature initiative
• Break down large work into manageable pieces
• Create a roadmap with phases
• Coordinate multiple related features
• Track progress across multiple issues

Flow Diagram

flowchart TD
    A([BEGIN]) --> B[Request epic description from user]
    B --> C[Load project templates and conventions]
    C --> D[Analyze codebase for scope]
    D --> E[Auto-determine phases and breakdown]
    E --> F{Need critical clarifications?}
    F -->|Yes| G[Ask timeline/resource questions]
    G --> E
    F -->|No| H[Generate epic specification]
    H --> I{User approves plan?}
    I -->|No| J[Revise based on feedback]
    J --> I
    I -->|Yes| K[Verify GitHub connectivity]
    K --> L[Create epic branch]
    L --> M[Verify and create labels]
    M --> N[Create main epic issue]
    N --> O[Create sub-issues for each component]
    O --> P[Link sub-issues to epic]
    P --> Q[Update epic with all issue links]
    Q --> R([END: Guide to /flow:devflow-dev for first issue])

Node Details

1. Epic Understanding

Ask user for:

• High-level description
• Problem being solved
• Main capabilities needed
• Constraints and requirements

2. Intelligent Analysis

Automatically determine:

• Scope: Affected codebase areas
• Phases: Logical breakdown (Foundation → Core → Integration → Polish)
• Dependencies: Technical and organizational
• Timeline: Rough estimation
• Risks: Potential challenges

3. Epic Structure

Epic Overview:

• Clear description and motivation
• Business value and impact
• Success criteria
• Target timeframe

Phase Breakdown:

• Phase 1: Foundation work
• Phase 2: Core implementation
• Phase 3: Integration and polish
• Phase 4: Testing and documentation

Related Issues: Each issue should be:

• Independently deliverable
• 1-5 days of work
• Clear acceptance criteria
• Logical dependency order

4. Branch Strategy

Create dedicated epic branch:

epic/<epic-name>

All feature PRs target this branch:

feat/issue-<n>-<name> → epic/<epic-name>

Final PR merges to main:

epic/<epic-name> → main

5. Issue Creation

Create:

1. Epic issue: Main tracking issue with [EPIC] prefix
2. Sub-issues: Individual features/tasks linked to epic
3. Labels: epic, phase:N, priority, component labels

Parameters

• <epic-name>: Required - name of the epic
• --priority=low|medium|high|critical: Priority level
• --target-version=X.Y.Z: Target release version

Example Usage

/flow:devflow-epic "microservices migration"
/flow:devflow-epic "oauth integration" --priority=high
/flow:devflow-epic "api v2" --target-version=2.0.0

Output

After completion:

• Epic issue created with complete plan
• Epic branch created and pushed
• Multiple sub-issues created and linked
• Clear development path forward

✅ EPIC CREATED SUCCESSFULLY

🎯 Epic Issue: #100
🌿 Development Branch: epic/microservices-migration
📋 Related Issues Created: #101, #102, #103, #104, #105

🚀 Next: /flow:devflow-dev issue#101