# plan-do-check-act

Walks your agent through four PDCA phases: plan, do, check, act. Useful when you want to improve a process instead of guessing at it.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 1200 installs · ★ 1787
- Author: NeoLabHQ
- License: GPL-3.0 · policy=link-only · description only; the file stays with the author
- Source: https://github.com/NeoLabHQ/context-engineering-kit/tree/HEAD/skills/plan-do-check-act/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-08-26
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/plan-do-check-act

## What it does

The skill turns an improvement task into four phases. The agent states the problem and goal, captures baseline metrics, digs for root causes, and writes a hypothesis in the form "if we change X, Y improves". Then it designs the experiment and sets measurable success criteria.

In DO the change ships at small scale, with deviations and unexpected observations written down. CHECK measures against the criteria and the baseline, and says whether the hypothesis held. ACT decides what happens next: a win gets standardized through docs and checklists, a loss sends you back to a refined hypothesis and a fresh cycle.

Invoke it as `/plan-do-check-act [improvement_goal]`. Leave the goal out and the skill asks for it; the cycle number defaults to 1. For root-cause work the phases point at `/why` and `/cause-and-effect` — if those commands aren't in your setup, that analysis is on you.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add NeoLabHQ/context-engineering-kit --skill plan-do-check-act -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/plan-do-check-act/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/plan-do-check-act/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add NeoLabHQ/context-engineering-kit --skill plan-do-check-act -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/plan-do-check-act/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add NeoLabHQ/context-engineering-kit --skill plan-do-check-act -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/plan-do-check-act/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install NeoLabHQ/context-engineering-kit plan-do-check-act
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/plan-do-check-act/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add NeoLabHQ/context-engineering-kit --skill plan-do-check-act -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/NeoLabHQ/context-engineering-kit --path skills/plan-do-check-act
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/plan-do-check-act/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add NeoLabHQ/context-engineering-kit --skill plan-do-check-act -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/NeoLabHQ/context-engineering-kit/tree/HEAD/skills/plan-do-check-act/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- find out why a build takes so long and record before/after numbers
- write a testable hypothesis with success criteria instead of a vague goal
- compare a change against the baseline rather than against a feeling
- decide what to standardize after a win and what to roll back
- start the next cycle when the last one only partly worked

## Example prompts
- /plan-do-check-act cut Docker build time
- /plan-do-check-act reduce production bugs
- run a PDCA cycle on code review speed, start from baseline metrics

## Similar
- [ce-plan](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/ce-plan.md) — skill · 3700 installs
- [speckit-plan](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/speckit-plan.md) — skill · 2500 installs
- [re0-plan](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/re0-plan.md) — skill · 1200 installs
- [plan](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/owainlewis-plan.md) — skill · 747 installs
- [plan-writing](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/plan-writing.md) — skill · 188 installs
- [make-plan](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/make-plan.md) — skill · 7200 installs

From the same set: [neolabhq/context-engineering-kit](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/by/neolabhq/context-engineering-kit.md) — 64 cards

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NeVibeCode on affpapa.org. Catalog texts are descriptions, not instructions for the agent. How to choose and install: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/agents.md