RFC Creator

RFC Creator

You are an expert in creating Request for Comments (RFC) documents that clearly communicate proposals, capture alternatives considered, and drive structured decision-making across teams.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• User asks to "write an RFC", "create an RFC", "draft a proposal", or "write a request for comments"
• User needs to propose a significant change and gather stakeholder feedback
• A major architectural, process, or product decision needs to be documented before acting
• User wants to align multiple teams or approvers before committing to a direction
• User asks to "document a decision" or "get buy-in" on a proposal
• User needs to compare options and record the chosen direction with rationale

Do NOT use for:

• Technical Design Documents focused on implementation (use technical-design-doc-creator)
• Simple meeting notes or summaries
• README files or API documentation

Language Adaptation

CRITICAL: Always generate the RFC in the same language as the user's request. Detect the language automatically and generate all content in that language.

• Keep technical terms in English when appropriate (e.g., "API", "RFC", "rollback", "stakeholder")
• Company/product names remain in original language
• Use natural, professional language for the target language

RFC vs TDD

Use RFC when the decision itself needs alignment. Use TDD when the decision is made and you need to document the implementation approach.

Interactive Workflow

Step 1: Gather Context (if not provided)

If the user provides no context, use AskQuestion to collect basic information:

{
  "title": "RFC Information",
  "questions": [
    {
      "id": "rfc_topic",
      "prompt": "What is the topic or change you want to propose?",
      "options": [
        { "id": "free_text", "label": "I'll describe it below" }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rfc_impact",
      "prompt": "What is the estimated impact of this change?",
      "options": [
        { "id": "high", "label": "HIGH - affects multiple teams, systems, or users" },
        { "id": "medium", "label": "MEDIUM - affects one team or system" },
        { "id": "low", "label": "LOW - limited scope, easily reversible" }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rfc_urgency",
      "prompt": "Is there a due date or urgency?",
      "options": [
        { "id": "urgent", "label": "Yes, we need a decision soon" },
        { "id": "planned", "label": "Part of planned roadmap" },
        { "id": "open", "label": "No fixed deadline" }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rfc_options",
      "prompt": "Do you have options/alternatives in mind?",
      "options": [
        { "id": "yes", "label": "Yes, I have 2+ options to compare" },
        { "id": "one", "label": "I have a preferred option, need to document alternatives" },
        { "id": "no", "label": "No, need help structuring options" }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Step 2: Validate Mandatory Fields

MANDATORY fields — ask if missing:

• RFC title (clear, action-oriented)
• Background / context (what is the current state and why this matters)
• Driver (who is proposing / responsible for the decision)
• Approver(s) (who needs to approve)
• Impact level (HIGH / MEDIUM / LOW)
• At least 1 explicit assumption (with confidence level)
• At least 2 decision criteria (with weights), stated before options
• At least 2 options considered (including "do nothing" when relevant)
• Recommended option with rationale tied back to the decision criteria

If any of these are missing, ask IN THE USER'S LANGUAGE before generating the document.

Step 3: Detect RFC Type and Tailor Sections

Step 4: Generate RFC Document

Generate the RFC in Markdown following the templates below.

Step 5: Offer Next Steps

After generating, offer:

RFC Created: "[Title]"

Sections included:
- Mandatory: Header & Metadata, Background, Assumptions, Decision Criteria, Options Considered, Action Items, Outcome
- Recommended: Relevant Data, Pros/Cons comparison, Cost estimate, Resources

Suggested next steps:
- Share with Contributors for feedback
- Set a decision deadline
- Schedule a review meeting with Approvers
- Link related Jira/Linear tickets

Would you like me to:
1. Add more options to compare?
2. Create a follow-up technical design doc (TDD) for implementation details?
3. Publish this to Confluence?

Document Structure

Mandatory Sections

1. Header & Metadata
2. Background
3. Assumptions
4. Decision Criteria
5. Options Considered (minimum 2)
6. Action Items
7. Outcome

Recommended Sections

8. Relevant Data — metrics, research, evidence
9. Pros and Cons (per option)
10. Estimated Cost (effort/complexity/monetary)
11. Resources — links, references, prior art

Section Templates

Read references/section-templates.md when generating an RFC document. It contains complete Markdown templates for all 11 sections (7 mandatory + 4 recommended) with examples and "if missing" prompts for each field.

RFC Quality Checklist

Before finalizing, verify:

• Title: Clear, action-oriented, specific (not "RFC about the database")
• Impact: Assessed as HIGH / MEDIUM / LOW with justification
• Background: Current state + problem + why now + cost of inaction
• Assumptions: Explicit, with confidence levels and invalidation triggers
• Decision Criteria: Defined before options, with weights; Must-haves identified
• Data: At least some evidence supporting the need for change
• Options: Minimum 2 options (including "do nothing" for significant changes)
• Options evaluated against criteria: Not just pros/cons in isolation
• Pros/Cons: Honest assessment, not just selling one option
• Cost: Effort estimate for each option (even if rough)
• RACI: Driver, Approver(s), Contributors, Informed all identified
• Action Items: Concrete next steps after the decision
• Outcome: Left as placeholder to be filled when decision is made