Initiatives

Initiatives are multi-phase projects that coordinate multiple Work Units (WUs) across lanes. This page covers the Software Delivery pack view: when to create one and how the commands relate to the rest of the pack.

Note

Running an initiative end-to-end — control-plane lifecycle, state machine, artifact bundle, capacity + integrity, SDK contract — lives in its own top-level section: Orchestration. This page stays focused on “do I need an initiative for this?” and “how do I create one?”.

When to use an initiative

Create one when all of these are true:

• The feature spans multiple WUs (≥ 3–4).
• Work crosses multiple lanes (Framework + UI + Ops, etc.).
• There are dependencies between WUs.
• You need phased rollout (e.g. backend → frontend → launch).

If a task fits in a single WU, don’t create an initiative. The orchestration layer is coordination overhead you only want when coordination is the problem.

Creating an initiative

pnpm initiative:create \
  --slug user-authentication \
  --title "User Authentication System" \
  --priority P1 \
  --owner "Team Alpha" \
  --target-date 2026-02-01

This writes docs/operations/tasks/initiatives/INIT-001.yaml. Commands that operate on initiatives (initiative:edit, initiative:add-wu, initiative:status, orchestrate:initiative, orchestrate:init-status) are documented in the CLI reference.

Running one

Once WUs exist under the initiative, orchestration is the feature area that carries you the rest of the way:

Orchestration overview The evidence-based control plane — plan, handoff, execution, reconciliation, finish, status.

Orchestration lifecycle The six phases ADR-010 separates, with the evidence each phase consumes and emits.

State machine The 13-value orchestration state vocabulary and next-safe-action priorities.

Artifact bundle plan.json / launch.json / status.json / per-WU handoffs, plus logical_wave vs launch_attempt.

Capacity + integrity --max-active-workers, contamination detection, stalled worktrees, and how reconciliation refuses to advance unsafely.

Control-plane SDK @lumenflow/control-plane-sdk — the shared contract powering local, cloud, and MCP surfaces.