Even a well-defined project can feel overwhelming. The solution: break it into phases where each phase delivers something usable. You're not building the whole thing at once—you're building it in layers.
🎯 The Phasing Principle
Each phase should:
- Work on its own — Even if incomplete, it does something useful
- Be testable — You can verify it works before moving on
- Build toward the goal — It's a step toward the full vision
- Be completable in 1-3 sessions — Small enough to finish
Phase Planning Worksheet
A structured template for breaking projects into buildable phases
📄 Preview PDF
🤔 How to Decide Phase 1
The hardest decision: what goes in Phase 1 (your MVP)? Use this framework:
Phase 1 Decision Framework
📋 Example: Reading Companion Phases
Taking the Reading Companion spec from before:
Create the HTML/CSS shell. A page that looks like the app, even if it doesn't do anything yet. Success: Opens in browser, looks reasonable.
Form to add a book (title, author). Display added books in a list. Data lives in memory only. Success: Can add books and see them listed.
Save books to localStorage. Load them when page opens. Success: Books survive a page refresh.
Add reading status and progress to each book. Update progress from the list. Success: Can mark books as reading/finished, track pages.
Add notes to individual books. View notes when clicking a book. Success: Can save and view notes per book.
📚 More Phasing Examples
See how different projects get broken down:
Phase 1: Start/stop timer, display elapsed time → Success: Can time one task
Phase 2: Name the current task, see list of today's tasks with times → Success: Can track multiple tasks today
Phase 3: Visual breakdown (pie chart or bar graph) → Success: Can see where time went at a glance
Phase 1: Add feedback items with text → Success: Can log all feedback in one place
Phase 2: Add source (who said it) and date → Success: Can remember where feedback came from
Phase 3: Tag by course section, filter by section → Success: Can see all Module 3 feedback
Phase 4: Mark items as addressed, filter by status → Success: Can see what's still open
⚡ Pro Tip: Stop at Phase 2 or 3
You don't have to build all planned phases immediately. Build Phase 1, use it for a week, then decide if Phase 2 is still needed. Sometimes Phase 1 is enough!
✏️ Plan Your Phases
Now break YOUR project into phases:
🎯 Your Phase Plan
Look at your spec. What's the ONE thing that delivers the core value? What could you build in a single focused session that would be useful even if you stopped there?
Describe Phase 1 in 1-2 sentences. Include: what you'll build + how you'll know it works.
Phase 1 works, but what's missing that would make it significantly more useful?
Describe Phase 2. What gets added? What's the new success criteria?
This is the "nice to have" phase. Only plan this if Phases 1-2 feel solid.
Describe Phase 3, or write "TBD - will decide after Phase 2"
Ask yourself these questions:
• Can I build this in 1-3 sessions?
• Will it actually work on its own?
• Would I use this incomplete version?
• Is it testing one thing, not five?
If any answer is "no," make Phase 1 smaller.
✅ Success Check
You'll know your phases are good when: Phase 1 is so simple you're almost embarrassed, but you'd actually use it.
🔄 Getting Claude to Help Phase
Share your spec with Claude and ask:
✨ The MVP Mindset
Phase 1 is your MVP (Minimum Viable Product). It's the smallest thing that could possibly work. Everything else is enhancement. This mindset keeps you shipping instead of endlessly building.
⚠️ Common Phasing Mistakes
❌ Phases Too Big
"Phase 1: Build the whole frontend" — Too much. Break it down further.
❌ Phases Too Abstract
"Phase 1: Set up the project" — What does "set up" mean? Be specific about what you'll have at the end.
❌ No Clear "Done"
"Phase 1: Work on the UI" — When is it done? Define success criteria for each phase.
✅ Good Phase Checklist
For each phase, ask:
- What will I have at the end that I can show someone?
- How will I know it's working?
- Can I complete this in 1-3 focused sessions?
- Does it move me toward the final goal?
📚 Resources & Further Reading
- Making the Rabbit (Basecamp) How to find the core of what you're building
- MVP is a Process (Y Combinator) Understanding what "minimum viable" really means
💭 Pause & Reflect
Before moving on, take a moment to consider:
- Is your Phase 1 small enough that you could finish it this week?
- Would you actually use Phase 1 even if you never built Phase 2?
- What's making you want to add more to Phase 1? (Hint: resist that urge!)
🎯 Phasing Skills Acquired
You can break big projects into small steps. Next: actually shipping that first phase.
Topic 4.2 Complete • Up Next: 4.3 – Shipping an MVP