Get Shit Done (GSD) - A comprehensive project management system for solo developers using Claude agents

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 Initializes a new project with questioning → research → requirements → roadmap flow. Plan a Phase Creates detailed execution plans with research and verification. Execute a Phase Executes all plans in a phase with parallel execution support. Map Codebase Analyzes existing codebase with parallel mapper agents. Debug Issues Systematic debugging using scientific method and hypothesis testing. Verify Phase Goal backward verification of phase completion. Check 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: 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: 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