> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.cloudthinker.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Plan

> Plan infrastructure changes and automation with CloudThinker.

Plan is the central workspace for managing findings (recommendations) across CloudThinker. Items generated by [CloudKeepers](/guide/infrastructure/cloudkeepers), Assessments, and the `#recommended` tool in conversations start as drafts—you must manually save them for them to appear in Plan. From there, propose actions, estimate impact, capture [approvals](/guide/approval), and schedule rollouts across environments.

***

## The Problem

Cloud optimization recommendations are worthless if they don't get implemented. Most teams generate findings from tools like AWS Trusted Advisor, Wiz, or Cost Explorer — and those findings sit in a report until the next audit. There's no workflow connecting *finding* to *approval* to *execution* to *verification*.

Without a structured implementation workflow:

* Recommendations get lost in email threads or Slack messages
* No audit trail of what was approved by whom and when
* No way to track whether implemented changes actually delivered the expected savings
* FinOps and security teams have no shared view of what's being worked on

***

## How Existing Tools Compare

| Tool                     | What It Does                            | What's Missing                                                     |
| ------------------------ | --------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Jira / Linear**        | Task tracking and workflow management   | Not connected to live infrastructure data or AI recommendations    |
| **AWS Trusted Advisor**  | Generates best-practice recommendations | No workflow management, no approval process, no execution tracking |
| **CloudHealth / Apptio** | FinOps recommendations and reporting    | Recommendations only, no integrated execution or approval workflow |
| **ServiceNow**           | ITSM workflow and change management     | Complex, heavyweight, not connected to cloud infrastructure        |

Plan bridges the gap: AI-generated findings from [CloudKeepers](/guide/infrastructure/cloudkeepers) and Assessments flow directly into an [approval](/guide/approval) and execution workflow — giving FinOps, security, and engineering teams a single shared source of truth.

***

## Workflow

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Plan">
    Go to **Plan** to see all saved recommendations ready for execution.

    <Frame>
      <img src="https://mintcdn.com/cloudthinker/9iwDeaqZV0tEjZUF/images/infrastructure/plan/1-plan-overview.jpg?fit=max&auto=format&n=9iwDeaqZV0tEjZUF&q=85&s=edcb53d1ac19b181b41668b3aee8cc92" alt="Plan overview with recommendations list" width="3586" height="2002" data-path="images/infrastructure/plan/1-plan-overview.jpg" />
    </Frame>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save findings to Plan">
    Open any draft finding from [CloudKeepers](/guide/infrastructure/cloudkeepers), Assessments, or `#recommended` conversation results and choose **Save to Plan**. Saved items become available for approvals, scheduling, and execution. Unsaved drafts remain in their source views and will not show in Plan.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Filter recommendations (optional)">
    Use **More Filters** to scope by resource name, pillar, service, assessment, or source. This helps focus the rollout before approvals and scheduling.

    <Frame>
      <img src="https://mintcdn.com/cloudthinker/9iwDeaqZV0tEjZUF/images/infrastructure/plan/2-plan-filters.jpg?fit=max&auto=format&n=9iwDeaqZV0tEjZUF&q=85&s=8c7cdedca099aa54508afea13fd1e939" alt="Plan filters for scoping recommendations" width="3586" height="2002" data-path="images/infrastructure/plan/2-plan-filters.jpg" />
    </Frame>
  </Step>

  <Step title="View recommendation details">
    Open a recommendation to review impact analysis, savings, risk notes, and implementation guidance before deciding what to run.

    <Frame>
      <img src="https://mintcdn.com/cloudthinker/9iwDeaqZV0tEjZUF/images/infrastructure/shared/9-assessment-recommendation-detail.jpg?fit=max&auto=format&n=9iwDeaqZV0tEjZUF&q=85&s=e9e8250af608bba471283c8f946f85c1" alt="Recommendation detail with impact analysis and implementation guidance" width="3586" height="2002" data-path="images/infrastructure/shared/9-assessment-recommendation-detail.jpg" />
    </Frame>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Take action">
    Choose how to proceed: run impact analytics, generate guidelines, ask a custom prompt, request [approvals](/guide/approval), or implement directly.

    <Frame>
      <img src="https://mintcdn.com/cloudthinker/9iwDeaqZV0tEjZUF/images/infrastructure/shared/10-assessment-action-modal.jpg?fit=max&auto=format&n=9iwDeaqZV0tEjZUF&q=85&s=69a59b3c1a3f11ca50929e767a03f16b" alt="Action modal to choose analytics, guidelines, prompts, or implementation" width="3586" height="2002" data-path="images/infrastructure/shared/10-assessment-action-modal.jpg" />
    </Frame>
  </Step>
</Steps>