PRD roadmap with dependencies

Method

You run in the MAIN session as the orchestrator: you validate, dispatch the roadmap writer, run the deterministic checker, and hold the approval gate. When the runtime has a subagent mechanism you never write the roadmap files yourself — the writer does, and on change requests you re-dispatch it. Without one, follow references/roadmap-agent.md inline (see references/runtime.md), then continue from STEP 5 exactly the same way. Format contract: <plugin-root>/references/roadmap-format.md.

Input

the arguments: PRD slug (required).

Flow

STEP 0 — Language

Follow <plugin-root>/references/language.md (resolve lang from .planning/config.json; ask only if unset).

STEP 1 — Load and gate the PRD

SLUG="<slug>"   # first word of the arguments
PRD=".planning/prds/$SLUG/PRD.md"
[ -f "$PRD" ] && grep -m1 -E '^Status:' "$PRD" || { echo "PRD_NOT_FOUND"; ls .planning/prds/ 2>/dev/null; }

• PRD_NOT_FOUND → show the available slugs and STOP.
• Status: is not APPROVED (or missing, in PRDs made before v2.1) → read the PRD, show a 3-line summary, and ask: Approve PRD "{slug}" so the roadmap can be generated? (y/n). On yes, set Status: APPROVED in the header and log sh "<plugin-root>/scripts/audit-log.sh" event roadmap "" approved "$PRD" "prd gate". On no, STOP and point to /pwdev-prd:refine {slug}.

STEP 2 — Readiness check

Read the PRD. Check it has: objectives with metric and target, functional requirements with FR-xx IDs, acceptance criteria, and in/out of scope. If any is missing, name it. If three or more are missing, STOP: the roadmap would be fiction — send the user to /pwdev-prd:refine {slug}. If FRs lack IDs but everything else is there, ask to number them (FR-01…) in the PRD first; traceability depends on it. A PRD without a ### Business Rules section (written before v3.0) is not blocking: say that the stories will carry no RN until prd-refine adds them.

STEP 3 — Existing roadmap

If .planning/prds/{slug}/roadmap/roadmap.json exists, ask:

A roadmap already exists for "{slug}".
1. Regenerate from the current PRD (replaces it)
2. Revise it with specific changes
3. Keep it and stop

STEP 4 — Dispatch the roadmap writer

Dispatch it per references/runtime.md (Claude subagent_type: "pwdev-prd:roadmap", Codex spawn_agent, Hermes delegate_task, OpenCode task, or inline) with this dispatch block, and nothing it has to ask back:

PRD: .planning/prds/{slug}/PRD.md
Roadmap dir: .planning/prds/{slug}/roadmap/
Contract: <plugin-root>/references/roadmap-agent.md
Format reference: <plugin-root>/references/roadmap-format.md
Checker: python3 "<plugin-root>/scripts/roadmap-check.py" .planning/prds/{slug}/roadmap/roadmap.json
Language: {lang}
Mode: create | revise
Changes / checker errors: {only on re-dispatch}

STEP 5 — Deterministic check

python3 "<plugin-root>/scripts/roadmap-check.py" ".planning/prds/$SLUG/roadmap/roadmap.json"

• FAIL → re-dispatch the writer in revise mode (inline: revise it yourself) with the error lines (at most 2 re-dispatches). Still failing → show the errors and STOP; never patch the files by hand.
• PASS → the checker has written DEPENDENCIES.md. Continue.

STEP 6 — Gate

Present at most ten lines, then ask for approval:

🗺️ Roadmap "{slug}" — {phases} phases | {epics} epics | {features} features | {tasks} tasks
🔗 Dependencies: {edges} edges | {waves} waves
⏱️ Critical path: {F01-E01-FT01 → … } (weight {n})
📎 Traceability: {PASS | warnings}
📚 Stories: {n} draft across {features} features · Business rules: {rules}
📁 .planning/prds/{slug}/roadmap/ROADMAP.md · DEPENDENCIES.md (Mermaid graph) · STORIES.md

Approve this roadmap? (y = approve / n = describe the changes)

• Approve → replace the first line of ROADMAP.md with Roadmap: APPROVED ({date}) and log sh "<plugin-root>/scripts/audit-log.sh" event roadmap "" completed ".planning/prds/{slug}/roadmap/ROADMAP.md" "".
• Changes → re-dispatch in revise mode with the user's changes appended; back to STEP 5.

STEP 7 — Commit (ask)

Commit the roadmap? (y/n)

If yes: git add .planning/prds/{slug}/roadmap/ && git commit -m "docs(prd): add roadmap for {slug}"

STEP 8 — Next

👉 /pwdev-prd:stories {slug} next → evolve each feature: stories, CA and RN up to ready
👉 /pwdev-prd:publish {slug}   → GitHub Project + issues with the dependency chain
👉 /pwdev-prd:refine {slug}    → change the PRD (then regenerate the roadmap)

Prohibitions

• NEVER generate a roadmap from a PRD that is not APPROVED
• NEVER write or patch roadmap files yourself when a subagent mechanism exists — dispatch the writer
• NEVER write DEPENDENCIES.md by hand — the checker generates it
• NEVER mark the roadmap approved without the user's explicit yes
• NEVER commit without asking

Language: resolve lang per references/language.md before any human-facing output. Paths <plugin-root>/..., references/, scripts/, templates/ are relative to the plugin root; tool names, subagent dispatch and the command form to show the user depend on the runtime (references/runtime.md).