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# Release Plan: Gearious (Web)

A working example of a release-plan steering file. Abridged for sharing.

The phased roadmap, condensed so a build session knows **what's in scope now** versus **what's deliberately later**. Web application only.

## The One Hypothesis to Validate

A rider drags items into bags and watches the left/right balance indicator respond in real time. **If real riders find that compelling, the rest of the product is worth building. If they don't, nothing else matters.** Get the balance engine right before anything else.

## Phasing Rule

- **Each phase must be stable before the next begins.** Don't start later-phase features while the current phase is still buggy or unvalidated.
- If a feature isn't on the current phase's list, it isn't built in that phase.
- Solo developer; finish one slice of value before opening the next.

## Phases

Named so a session can tell "now" from "later." The specifics of what ships in each phase live in the project, not in this public copy.

| Phase | Job |
| --- | --- |
| **Alpha** | The core loop. The developer can use it. The balance engine works and is useful. |
| **Beta** | A small group of real riders plan real trips and find it useful. |
| **v1.0** | Public, production-quality web app. |
| **Later** | Social features, a native companion, and anything that depends on a validated core. Demand-gated — don't build speculatively. |

## Key Decisions to Respect

- **Single-rider experience first** — validate the balance engine before any social complexity.
- **No monetization or tier enforcement until the core loop is proven** with real riders.
- **One platform at a time.** Native is later, and only after the web app is stable.
- **Reuse belongs in the product early enough to test retention** — a rider who can't save a setup will not come back.

## Risks to Keep in View

- **The engine has to feel instant.** Benchmark early. Don't bury a slow calculation behind other feature work.
- **Scope creep in Alpha** — if it isn't on the Alpha list, it isn't built in Alpha.
- **Riders don't find the balance useful** — that would invalidate the core hypothesis. Stop and re-evaluate rather than pushing forward.
- **Solo-developer burnout** — work in focused phases, finish one before starting the next.