Planning & Requirements - The Foundation of Vibe Coding

The planning phase sets the foundation for successful vibe coding. This phase is where we transform abstract ideas into concrete, actionable development plans using AI-powered techniques.

Understanding the Planning Phase

In traditional SDLC, planning often involves lengthy documentation and rigid specifications. Vibe coding takes a more fluid, AI-assisted approach that maintains flexibility while ensuring clarity.

Key Principles of Vibe Planning

• Collaborative Intelligence: Combine human creativity with AI analytical power
• Iterative Refinement: Continuously improve requirements through AI feedback
• Visual Thinking: Use AI to generate diagrams and visual representations
• Stakeholder Alignment: Ensure all parties understand the vision

AI Prompts for Requirement Gathering

🎯 Project Vision Prompt

Act as a senior product manager. I have an idea for [PROJECT_DESCRIPTION].

Help me:
1. Refine this idea into a clear project vision
2. Identify the core problem we're solving
3. Define success metrics
4. List potential risks and mitigation strategies
5. Suggest a high-level timeline

Format the response as a structured project brief.

📋 Functional Requirements Generator

Based on this project vision: [PROJECT_VISION]

Generate comprehensive functional requirements including:
- User stories in the format "As a [user], I want [goal] so that [benefit]"
- Acceptance criteria for each story
- Priority levels (Must Have, Should Have, Could Have, Won't Have)
- Dependencies between requirements

Present in a table format for easy tracking.

🔧 Technical Requirements Analyzer

For the project: [PROJECT_NAME] with these functional requirements: [REQUIREMENTS_LIST]

Analyze and provide:
1. Technical architecture recommendations
2. Technology stack suggestions with pros/cons
3. Performance requirements and constraints
4. Security considerations
5. Scalability requirements
6. Integration requirements

Consider modern best practices and emerging technologies.

Practical Implementation Examples

Example 1: E-commerce Platform Planning

Initial Idea: “I want to build an online store for handmade crafts”

AI-Refined Vision:

## Project Vision: CraftHub Marketplace

### Core Problem
Independent artisans struggle to reach customers and manage online sales effectively.

### Solution
A specialized e-commerce platform designed for handmade craft sellers with built-in marketing tools.

### Success Metrics
- 100+ active sellers within 6 months
- $50K+ monthly transaction volume
- 4.5+ star average seller rating

### Key Features
- Seller onboarding and verification
- Product catalog management
- Integrated payment processing
- Marketing automation tools
- Analytics dashboard

Example 2: Team Collaboration Tool

User Story Generation:

| Priority | User Story | Acceptance Criteria |
|----------|------------|-------------------|
| Must Have | As a team member, I want to create tasks so that I can organize my work | - Task creation form with title, description, due date<br>- Task assignment to team members<br>- Status tracking (To Do, In Progress, Done) |
| Should Have | As a project manager, I want to view team progress so that I can track project status | - Dashboard with team member workload<br>- Progress visualization charts<br>- Deadline tracking and alerts |

Tools and Techniques

AI-Powered Planning Tools

1. Requirement Elicitation

   • Use ChatGPT/Claude for stakeholder interview preparation
   • Generate comprehensive questionnaires
   • Analyze and synthesize feedback

2. User Story Generation

   • Automated user story creation from project descriptions
   • Acceptance criteria generation
   • Priority scoring assistance

3. Risk Assessment

   • AI-powered risk identification
   • Mitigation strategy suggestions
   • Impact and probability analysis

Documentation Templates

Project Charter Template

# Project Charter: [PROJECT_NAME]

## Executive Summary
[AI-generated summary based on requirements]

## Objectives
- Primary: [Main goal]
- Secondary: [Supporting goals]

## Scope
### In Scope
- [Feature 1]
- [Feature 2]

### Out of Scope
- [Excluded features]

## Success Criteria
- [Measurable outcomes]

## Timeline
- Phase 1: [Duration and deliverables]
- Phase 2: [Duration and deliverables]

Advanced AI Prompts

🎨 User Experience Planning

As a UX designer, analyze this project: [PROJECT_DESCRIPTION]

Create a comprehensive UX strategy including:
1. User personas (3-5 detailed profiles)
2. User journey maps for key workflows
3. Information architecture suggestions
4. Wireframe descriptions for main screens
5. Accessibility considerations
6. Mobile-first design recommendations

Focus on creating intuitive, engaging user experiences.

📊 Data Architecture Planning

For this application: [APP_DESCRIPTION] with features: [FEATURE_LIST]

Design a data architecture including:
1. Entity relationship diagram description
2. Database schema recommendations
3. Data flow diagrams
4. API endpoint specifications
5. Data security and privacy considerations
6. Backup and recovery strategies

Consider scalability and performance optimization.

Best Practices for Vibe Planning

1. Start with Why

Always begin by understanding the fundamental problem you’re solving. Use AI to help articulate the “why” behind your project.

2. Embrace Uncertainty

Plan for change by creating flexible requirements that can evolve. AI can help identify areas of uncertainty and suggest contingency plans.

3. Validate Early

Use AI to generate validation strategies and test assumptions before heavy development begins.

4. Document Decisions

Keep a decision log with AI assistance to track why certain choices were made.

Common Pitfalls and Solutions

Action Items for Implementation

1. Set up your AI planning toolkit

   • Choose your preferred AI assistant
   • Create prompt templates for your organization
   • Establish documentation standards

2. Practice with a sample project

   • Take an existing project idea
   • Run it through the AI prompts provided
   • Refine the outputs based on your context

3. Create your planning workflow

   • Define steps from idea to development-ready requirements
   • Integrate AI assistance at each step
   • Test with stakeholders and gather feedback

Next Steps

With solid planning and requirements in place, you’re ready to move to the next phase: System Design & Architecture. The foundation you’ve built here will guide all subsequent development decisions.

Remember: Great vibe coding starts with great planning. The time invested in this phase pays dividends throughout the entire development lifecycle.

Ready to design your system architecture? Continue to the next part of the series to learn how AI can help you create scalable, maintainable system designs.