git:20260913.4b89109 to git:20260921.783382a

---

name: dough-slice-plan-refinement

description: >-

Refines an existing executable plan in place into smaller, proof-owned

Behavior/Structure slices. Use after dough-slice-planning when slices are

complex, cumulative design accumulates special cases, sizing confidence is low,

or execution overruns. Creates no new plan and does not change the selected

story outcome or bounded retrospective correction outcome.

---

# Slice-plan refinement

Refine an existing executable plan in place. Do not create another plan,

implement product code, or change its selected story or bounded correction

outcome.

## Require a refinable plan

Require an existing executable plan and this project's context required by

[dough-slice-planning](../dough-slice-planning/SKILL.md), especially any supplied

target, hard limit, exceptions, overrun policy, and the plan lifecycle.

Identify whether the plan's source is a selected feature story or a bounded

retrospective correction under

[planning scope and lifecycle](../dough-story-refinement/references/planning.md#choose-the-planning-level).

For a complete correction, use the plan's outcome, findings, scope, proof,

decisions, and slices directly; do not require or create a seed. Name whichever

required correction field is missing and stop. A complete plan permits

refinement, not execution; preserve the invoking instruction's authorization

boundary. Before choosing further subdivision, apply the shared

[reassessment decision](../dough-execute-plan/references/execution-decisions.md#reassess-before-extending-work).

- If no plan exists, use `dough-slice-planning`.

- If a plan is marked as awaiting story refinement after resplitting, use

[dough-story-refinement](../dough-story-refinement/SKILL.md) on its mapped

story and realign the plan before treating it as refinable or executable.

- If the selected story's goal, scope, or examples must change, use

[dough-story-refinement](../dough-story-refinement/SKILL.md).

- If a correction's beneficiary, bounded outcome, scope, or proof must change,

stop through the shared execution-decision handoff; do not turn it into a

feature story. A disputed product constraint uses the plan-conflict handoff

below and remains human-owned.

- If the parent problem, candidate selection, or sibling ordering must change,

use [dough-story-decomposition](../dough-story-decomposition/SKILL.md).

- After the assessment below, if the cumulative design is supported and all

remaining slices are cohesive and single-proof-loop, meet any supplied target,

and have no unexplained path beyond a supplied hard limit,

report `ready for direct execution`; no further refinement is required.

Execution still requires separate authorization from the invoking workflow.

## Refine the plan

- [slice decomposition](../dough-story-decomposition/references/problem-decomposition.md#decompose-slices),

including its cumulative design assessment, sizing, and escalation rules; and

- [active-plan refinement](../dough-story-refinement/references/planning.md#refine-the-active-plan),

including executable proof ownership.

When refinement reconsiders the plan's selected existing solution or the

architectural direction supporting it, reapply

[architectural thinking](../dough-slice-planning/references/architectural-thinking.md),

including its authoritative PFE handoff. Otherwise carry the decision forward;

do not repeat PFE or create a new direction topic merely because slices are

being refined.

Preserve completed slices, applicable evidence, and the selected story's goal

and scope or the correction plan's bounded outcome and scope.

Assess the cumulative design, including how remaining examples build on

completed slices, then classify each remaining slice:

| Result | Decision |

| --- | --- |

| **Ready** | One Behavior/Structure gate, one proof loop, a cohesive path consistent with the cumulative model, and a plausible hypothesis under any supplied target |

| **Refine** | Same story or bounded correction, but the slice has multiple beats, unsupported special-case design, low confidence, or a supplied target or hard-limit concern |

| **Escalate** | Learning requires review of the source outcome, selected story, or parent problem |

A suspected accidental contractual restriction uses the shared

[plan-conflict handoff](../dough-execute-plan/references/execution-decisions.md#resolve-a-disputed-plan-restriction)

before a conflicting plan edit; classify it as Escalate, not an automatically

correctable special case. Route other Escalate findings through the input gate.

Refine every remaining Refine slice.

After an overrun, confirm attempt-owned work is safely parked or reverted before

editing the plan. Stop for human judgment when ownership is unclear. Do not

commit, push, implement, or verify product behavior unless the invoking workflow

separately authorizes it.

Count the resulting plan's slices, including completed slices but excluding

obsolete replaced slices. If the count is greater than 15, report

`story resplit recommended: <count> slices; use dough-resplit-story` and link to

[dough-resplit-story](../dough-resplit-story/SKILL.md). This is a recommendation,

not an automatic invocation or a new execution-readiness gate. Do not resplit

the story or change its backlog placement during slice-plan refinement.

Report the plan path, replaced slices, resulting slice count, sizing exceptions,

`## SLICE PLAN REFINED`