Jeremy Longshore

In Part 1, I walked through how messy the repo had become and how I normalized everything. But cleanup was just the start. The real milestone came when I took @ryancarson’s excellent template foundation and evolved it into a 22-document enterprise-grade library that any CTO would be happy to run their teams on.

From 4 to 22 Templates

The original templates from @ryancarson — PRD, ADR, Generate Tasks, and Process Task List — were already powerful. They provided a structured backbone for planning and communication that was miles ahead of most documentation practices I’d seen.

My job wasn’t to “fix” them — it was to expand and amplify their value. I wanted to grow the set into a complete library that covered every stage of software delivery: product vision, design, risk, QA, release, and beyond.

Enterprise-Grade Transformation

Here’s how I extended the original work:

1. Standardization

Every template now opens with a timestamp and an executive summary, so outputs are consistent and traceable. No more wondering “when was this written?” or “what’s the TLDR?”

2. Depth

Templates went from strong outlines to 400–1600 lines each — rich with frameworks, tables, checklists, and references. This isn’t padding; it’s the difference between a napkin sketch and a blueprint.

3. Cross-Linking

The library functions as a system: PRDs reference acceptance criteria, QA gates pull from test plans, release plans tie back to risk registers. It’s a living, breathing documentation ecosystem.

4. Visuals & Structure

I integrated Mermaid diagrams, decision matrices, and KPIs for a modern, professional feel. Because sometimes a picture really is worth 1,000 lines of YAML.

The New Template Library

professional-templates/
├── 01_prd.md                    # Product Requirements Document
├── 02_adr.md                    # Architecture Decision Record
├── 03_generate_tasks.md         # Task Generation Framework
├── 04_process_task_list.md      # Task Processing Pipeline
├── 05_market_research.md        # Market Analysis Framework
├── 06_architecture.md           # Technical Architecture Spec
├── 07_competitor_analysis.md    # Competitive Intelligence
├── 08_personas.md               # User Persona Definitions
├── 09_user_journeys.md          # User Journey Mapping
├── 10_user_stories.md           # User Story Templates
├── 11_acceptance_criteria.md    # Acceptance Testing Framework
├── 12_qa_gate.md                # Quality Gate Checklist
├── 13_risk_register.md          # Risk Management Matrix
├── 14_project_brief.md          # Executive Project Summary
├── 15_brainstorming.md          # Ideation Framework
├── 16_frontend_spec.md          # Frontend Technical Spec
├── 17_test_plan.md              # Comprehensive Test Strategy
├── 18_release_plan.md           # Release Management Process
├── 19_operational_readiness.md  # Production Readiness Check
├── 20_metrics_dashboard.md      # KPI & Metrics Framework
├── 21_postmortem.md             # Incident Analysis Template
└── 22_playtest_usability.md     # UX Testing Framework

The Numbers Tell the Story

Let’s talk scale:

These aren’t just templates. They’re battle-tested frameworks that have shipped real products.

Real-World Impact

Since deploying this library, I’ve:

Lessons Learned

Respect the Foundation

Great templates don’t need “fixing” — they need building upon. @ryancarson’s originals remain the core DNA of this library.

Consistency Scales

A standardized library is easier for both humans and AI agents to use. When every doc follows the same structure, context switching disappears.

Depth Drives Clarity

Expanding each doc forces better thinking, which produces better software. You can’t hand-wave your way through a 1,500-line risk register.

The Secret Sauce

What makes these templates special isn’t just their content — it’s their AI-readiness. Every template is structured to work perfectly with:

This isn’t accidental. It’s designed for the AI-first development era we’re entering.

What’s Next

In Part 3, I’ll share how this template system became the heart of a one-paste Claude pipeline and a Cursor IDE workflow, letting anyone go from project idea → enterprise docs in minutes.

The templates are powerful on their own. But when you combine them with AI workflows? That’s when the magic happens.

Stay tuned for Part 3: “From Templates to One-Paste Magic”

Series Navigation:

Credits: The foundation of this library comes from @ryancarson’s original templates. Standing on the shoulders of giants.

#AI Development #Documentation #Developer Tools #Claude #Cursor #Templates #Enterprise