Tutorial: End-to-End Solo Project Workflow

This guide walks you through the complete workflow for bootstrapping and managing a solo developer project using the Copilot-powered project management system. It is adapted from the internal runbook for end users.

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Overview: The Three Phases

Every project follows three phases, each with its own tools:

Phase 1: Pre-repo planning    → templates/
Phase 2: Repo setup           → copilot-packs/ + .github/prompts/new-project-setup-mh
Phase 3: Ongoing development  → skills (via Install-CopilotAssets) + templates/FEATURE-BRIEF.md

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Phase 1: Pre-Repo Planning

1. Capture the idea:
   • Copy IDEA-CAPTURE.md (from templates/) into your notes. Fill it in to clarify your pitch and gut check the idea.
2. Decide to proceed:
   • If the idea passes, copy PROJECT-KICKOFF-SPEC.md (from templates/) into your notes and complete all sections. This becomes the input for setup.

Tip: These are pre-repo artefacts. You don’t need to commit them, but you can for traceability.

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Phase 2: New Repo Setup

1. Install setup assets:
   • From a checkout of this toolkit repo, run the install script and point it at your new repo:

     ./scripts/Install-CopilotAssets.ps1 -TargetFolder <path-to-your-new-repo> -ConfigFile ./copilot-packs/solo-dev-project-setup.json
     

        - This copies the planning/setup skills and the `new-project-setup-mh` prompt into the target repo's `.github/` folder.
     

   • (Optional) Layer on a language/platform pack from ./copilot-packs/, for example csharp-dotnet-development.json for .NET projects.
2. Run the setup prompt:
   • Open the repo in VS Code and run /new-project-setup-mh in Copilot Chat.
   • Paste your completed kickoff spec when prompted.
   • The prompt generates all standing docs, ADRs, and initial issues for you.

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Phase 3: Ongoing Development

• Spec out features:
  • For each backlog item you are ready to work on, copy FEATURE-BRIEF.md (from templates/) into plan/specs/ and fill it in. This should take 5–10 minutes.
• Create issues from briefs:
  • Use the create-github-issue-feature-from-specification skill for simple features.
  • For complex features, use create-implementation-plan and then create-github-issues-feature-from-implementation-plan.
• Record architectural decisions:
  • Use the create-architectural-decision-record skill to document decisions and alternatives.
• Address PR review comments:
  • Use the /pr-address-coding-review-mh prompt to process and resolve all open PR review threads.

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Quick Reference Table

Task	Tool or File
Capture a new idea	IDEA-CAPTURE.md
Plan a new project	PROJECT-KICKOFF-SPEC.md
Bootstrap a new repo	Install-CopilotAssets.ps1 + solo-dev-project-setup.json
Generate standing docs	/new-project-setup-mh prompt
Spec out a feature	FEATURE-BRIEF.md
Turn a brief into an Issue	create-github-issue-feature-from-specification skill
Plan a complex feature	create-implementation-plan skill
Turn a plan into Issues	create-github-issues-feature-from-implementation-plan skill
Record an architectural decision	create-architectural-decision-record skill
Address PR review comments	/pr-address-coding-review-mh prompt

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Available Copilot Packs

Pack	Use for
solo-dev-project-setup.json	Language/platform-agnostic setup and planning
csharp-dotnet-development.json	C#/.NET development (layer on after setup)
blazor-fluentui-development.json	Blazor with Fluent UI
blazor-mudblazor-development.json	Blazor with MudBlazor

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For more details, see the Reference and How-to Guides.