scope-check skill

Scope Check

This skill is read-only — it reports findings but writes no files.

Compares original planned scope against current state to detect, quantify, and triage scope creep.

Argument: $ARGUMENTS[0] — feature name, sprint number, or milestone name.

Phase 1: Find the Original Plan

Locate the baseline scope document for the given argument:

• Feature name → read design/gdd/[feature].md or matching file in design/
• Sprint number (e.g., sprint-3) → read production/sprints/sprint-03.md or similar
• Milestone → read production/milestones/[name].md

If the document is not found, report the missing file and stop. Do not proceed without a baseline to compare against.

Phase 2: Read the Current State

Check what has actually been implemented or is in progress:

• Scan the codebase for files related to the feature/sprint
• Read git log for commits related to this work (git log --oneline --since=[start-date])
• Check for TODO/FIXME comments that indicate unfinished scope additions
• Check active sprint plan if the feature is mid-sprint

Phase 3: Compare Original vs Current Scope

Produce the comparison report:

## Scope Check: [Feature/Sprint Name]
Generated: [Date]

### Original Scope
[List of items from the original plan]

### Current Scope
[List of items currently implemented or in progress]

> **If Phase 4 will return NOT ASSESSED, do not render the numeric block below.**
> Replace the counts and the Bloat Score with
> `Baseline unusable — see verdict` and give the reason. A rendered
> `Original items: 0 / Net scope change: 0%` one section above a NOT ASSESSED
> verdict re-creates the exact "0% reads as on track" hazard Phase 4 exists to
> kill, one phase earlier — and readers trust a number over a caveat.

### Scope Additions (not in original plan)
| Addition | Source | When | Justified? | Effort |
|----------|--------|------|------------|--------|
| [item] | [commit/person] | [date] | [Yes/No/Unclear] | [S/M/L] |

### Scope Removals (in original but dropped)
| Removed Item | Reason | Impact |
|-------------|--------|--------|
| [item] | [why removed] | [what's affected] |

### Bloat Score
- Original items: [N]
- Current items: [N]
- Items added: [N] (+[X]%)
- Items removed: [N]
- Net scope change: [+/-N] ([X]%)

### Risk Assessment
- **Schedule Risk**: [Low/Medium/High] — [explanati

Phase 4: Verdict

Assign a canonical verdict based on net scope change:

Before applying that table, check that the percentage means something. Emit NOT ASSESSED instead — never a computed percentage — when any of:

placeholders, or [TO BE CONFIGURED]). Phase 1 stops when the file is absent; this is the case where it is present and empty, and it is the more dangerous one, because zero items yields a 0% net change that renders as PASS — On Track. Nothing was compared. Nothing was on track.

• The baseline document exists but enumerates no scope items (all headings,

in the window, nothing in progress to read. Comparing a real baseline against an unreadable present is not a 0% change.

• The current state cannot be determined — no related source files, no commits

no baseline items is not a small number; it is not a number.

• The denominator would be zero for any other reason. A percentage computed from

NOT ASSESSED outranks PASS (a comparison that never happened has not shown scope is on track) and ranks below CONCERNS and FAIL (measured creep is more actionable than an unmeasurable baseline).

Output the verdict prominently:

**Scope Verdict: [PASS / CONCERNS / NOT ASSESSED / FAIL]**
Net change: [+X%] — [On Track / Minor Creep / Significant Creep / Out of Control]
           [or: NOT ASSESSED — [which side could not be read, and why]]

Phase 5: Next Steps

After presenting the report, offer concrete follow-up:

the baseline document, or point the skill at where the work actually lives). Do not offer a re-run against the same inputs — it will produce the same non-answer.

• PASS → no action required. Suggest re-running before next milestone.
• NOT ASSESSED → say which side was unreadable and what would fix it (populate

• CONCERNS → offer to identify the 2–3 additions with best cut ratio. Reference /sprint-plan update to formally re-scope.
• FAIL → recommend escalating to producer. Reference /sprint-plan update for re-planning or /estimate to re-baseline timeline.

Always end with:

"Run /scope-check [name] again after cuts are made to verify the verdict improves."

Rules

• Scope creep is additions without corresponding cuts or timeline extensions
• Not all additions are bad — some are discovered requirements. But they must be acknowledged and accounted for
• When recommending cuts, prioritize preserving the core player experience over nice-to-haves
• Always quantify scope changes — "it feels bigger" is not actionable, "+35% items" is