Claude-Code-Game-Studios/.claude/skills/story-done/references/8-next-story.md

/story-done — Phase 8: Surface the Next Story

Part of /story-done. SKILL.md names when to read this file; the settings it resolved and the rules under its later headings still apply here.

Phase 8: Surface the Next Story

In this file:

• No sprint plan — the minimal path
• With a sprint plan

After completion, help the developer keep momentum. Which branch applies depends on whether there is a sprint at all.

No sprint plan — the minimal path

At workflow: minimal, or whenever production/sprints/ holds no sprint plan, there is no sprint to close out. The brief's build order is the plan and the story files carry it:

1. Run bash .claude/scripts/story-status.sh, from the project root — after Phase 7's story-file write, so this story's new status is in it. It prints every unfinished story under production/epics/, whatever Status form its file uses, already in the route's order — IN_REVIEW, then IN_PROGRESS, then TODO (a Ready or Not Started story) in build (file-name) order — then BLOCKED, OTHER, NO_STATUS and the COMPLETE count. It is the list /help and /sprint-status read, so the three name the same next story; do not re-read or re-rank the story files.

2. The first In Review story is next (recommend /story-done [path] for it — its work is written, and closing it first keeps finished work from piling up); else the first In Progress one; else the first Ready or Not Started one — the story on the script's first IN_REVIEW, IN_PROGRESS or TODO line. Name any Blocked story with its blocker and pass over it.

   ### Next Up
   **[Story NNN: title]** — [1-line description]
   Run `/story-done [path]` to close it (In Review) — else `/dev-story [path]` to implement it.
   

   At minimal recommend /dev-story directly (or /story-done for an In Review story) — /story-readiness is not on the minimal path (engine → brief → stories → code), and it checks fields the minimal story template does not carry. With no sprint plan at a higher tier, add the /story-readiness [path] line from the sprint branch below.

3. No unfinished story — only COMPLETE N of N → every story is built — at minimal, the brief's build order is done. Say so, and offer three ways on:

   • play the build and note what feels wrong
   • add the next stories from the brief with /create-stories
   • if the game has outgrown a one-page brief, /settings to raise modes.rigor

4. No IN_REVIEW, IN_PROGRESS or TODO line, but BLOCKED, OTHER or NO_STATUS lines remain — every unfinished story is Blocked, Draft, or has no status line. There is no Next Up, and the build order is not done — never say it is. Name each such story with its blocker (or Draft / no status), and suggest clearing the blocker first. For a Draft or unstatused story: at minimal, finish it and set its Status to Ready; at a higher tier, /story-readiness [path] shows what it still needs.

Never print the Sprint Close-Out Sequence on this branch (/smoke-check sprint, /team-qa sprint, /retrospective, /gate-check, /sprint-plan new) — it closes a sprint, and there is none. Each of those still runs if the user asks for it; do not present them as required.

With a sprint plan

1. Read the current sprint plan from production/sprints/.
2. Find stories that are:
   • Status: READY or NOT STARTED
   • Not blocked by other incomplete stories
   • In the Must Have or Should Have tier

Present:

### Next Up
The following stories are ready to pick up:
1. [Story name] — [1-line description] — Est: [X hrs]
2. [Story name] — [1-line description] — Est: [X hrs]

Run `/story-readiness [path]` to confirm a story is implementation-ready
before starting.

If no more Must Have stories remain in this sprint (all are Complete or Blocked):

### Sprint Close-Out Sequence

All Must Have stories are complete. QA sign-off is required before advancing.
Run these in order:

1. `/smoke-check sprint` — verify the critical path still works end-to-end
2. `/team-qa sprint` — full QA cycle: test case execution, bug triage, sign-off report
3. `/retrospective` — capture what went well, what didn't, and action items for the next sprint
4. `/gate-check` — advance to the next phase once QA approves (only if advancing a phase)
5. `/sprint-plan new` — plan the next sprint, incorporating velocity data and retrospective action items

Do not run `/gate-check` until `/team-qa` returns APPROVED or APPROVED WITH CONDITIONS.

If there are Should Have stories still unstarted, surface them alongside the close-out sequence so the user can choose: close the sprint now, or pull in more work first.

If no more stories are ready but Must Have stories are still In Progress (not Complete): "No more stories ready to start — [N] Must Have stories still in progress. Continue implementing those before sprint close-out."

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