🟡 Golden Planning Stack for Cursor Projects

Cursor doesn’t just accelerate coding — it compresses thinking loops. Without a planning stack, speed turns into chaos: more experiments, more refactors, more context switching… and less clarity.

This post introduces the 🟡 Golden Planning Stack: a lightweight, AI-first planning system designed for Cursor-style development that keeps direction, intent, and architecture intact while throughput increases.

This is not Agile theory, Scrum mechanics, or Jira process. It’s a pragmatic layering of intent + constraints so AI speed doesn’t become entropy.

Why planning breaks down in Cursor projects

Cursor fundamentally changes how software gets built:

• Idea → working code in minutes
• Refactors feel “free”
• Experiments multiply rapidly
• Context switches happen constantly

Without guardrails, that turns into:

• Exploding TODO lists
• Architecture drift
• Half-formed ideas solidifying into “production”
• Loss of the original why

Traditional planning systems (task lists, sprint boards, PRDs) can’t keep up with AI velocity. What you need instead is a stack — layers of intent and constraint that absorb speed without collapsing.

The Golden Planning Stack (Top → Bottom)

Think of this stack as gravity:

• Higher layers define direction
• Lower layers enable speed
• Everything stays aligned

flowchart TB
  NorthStarOutcome --> IntentBrief --> DesignMap --> ExecutionBoard --> CursorSessionPlan --> TodoScratchpad

1️⃣ North Star Outcome (WHY)

Question: What meaningful outcome are we trying to change?

This is not a feature. It’s a measurable change in the world.

Good examples

• “Help users decide what to watch in under 30 seconds”
• “Reduce manual operations effort by 60%”
• “Make model fine-tuning reproducible in under one hour”

Bad examples

• “Build a dashboard”
• “Add filters”
• “Implement embeddings”

Rule: If Cursor generates hundreds of lines of code that don’t move this outcome, the code is noise.

2️⃣ Intent Brief (WHAT & BOUNDARIES)

A 1–2 page living document, not a heavy PRD. It defines:

• User/system context
• What success looks like
• Explicit non-goals
• Constraints (time, tech, cost, ethics)

Why this matters with AI: Cursor is powerful, but unopinionated. The Intent Brief gives it opinions. Paste it into prompts repeatedly to anchor decisions.

3️⃣ Design Map (SHAPE)

Not full architecture — directional clarity. Include:

• Core modules
• Data flow
• External dependencies
• Where complexity is allowed vs forbidden

Best formats:

• Markdown bullets
• Mermaid diagrams
• Simple flow sketches

Rule: If you can’t explain the design in five minutes, Cursor will invent one for you.

4️⃣ Execution Board (NOW)

This is where most projects start — and why they fail.

Use a Now / Next / Later structure:

• Now → 1–3 active items Cursor is helping you build
• Next → clearly defined, not started
• Later → parking lot for AI-generated ideas

Each “Now” item must be:

• Small
• Testable
• Explicitly linked to the outcome

Golden rule: Cursor writes code. You decide what exists.

5️⃣ Cursor Session Plan (MICRO-LOOPS)

This layer is unique to AI-assisted development.

Before each focused Cursor session, define:

• What am I building right now?
• Which files are in scope?
• What must not change?
• What does “done” look like?

This prevents:

• Scope creep
• Accidental rewrites
• “While we’re here…” disasters

Think of this as prompt hygiene for humans.

6️⃣ TODO & Scratchpad (EXHAUST PORT)

This is where ideas go so they don’t distract you. Capture:

• Raw TODOs
• Cursor suggestions
• “We should also…”
• Half-baked improvements

Most of this should never reach the Execution Board.

Rule: A good planning system absorbs ideas without obeying them.

The Golden Loop

flowchart TD
  Outcome --> IntentBrief
  IntentBrief --> DesignMap
  DesignMap --> ExecutionBoard
  ExecutionBoard --> CursorSession
  CursorSession --> TodoScratchpad
  TodoScratchpad --> Outcome

↺ Weekly reflection back to Outcome.

Minimal practical setup

You don’t need complex tools. A simple repo structure works:

/docs/intent.md
/docs/design.md
/docs/decisions.md
/docs/scratchpad.md

Execution board options:

• GitHub Issues
• GitHub Projects
• Todoist (Now / Next / Later)

Cursor lives inside this system, not above it.

Common failure modes (and fixes)

• “Cursor will figure it out” → write a clearer Intent Brief
• Too many TODOs → promote fewer items into “Now”
• Over-engineering early → Design Map, not full architecture
• Lost context after time away → refresh Intent Brief + Decision Log

Final thought

Cursor gives you near-infinite acceleration. The Golden Planning Stack gives you direction. Without both, you’re just moving very fast — in random directions.

If you want next steps, this framework can be extended into:

• A reusable repo template
• A Cursor prompt pack per layer
• Variants for solo dev, startups, or enterprise teams

Happy to build those out next.