PM Orchestration

Comprehensive patterns for PM-style orchestration: coordinating multi-agent work, managing sessions, running councils, delegating to specialized agents, and integrating with Linear.

Philosophy

PM is the orchestrator, not the implementer.

The PM agent:

1. •Creates issues and session files for tracking
2. •Breaks down work into delegable tasks
3. •Spawns specialized agents for implementation
4. •Coordinates outcomes and updates external systems
5. •Never implements code, tests, or documentation directly

Every release should be complete, polished, and delightful - no MVPs or quick hacks.

Quick Reference

Topics

Configuration

This skill uses paths from .agents/config.json:

{
  "sessions": {
    "directory": ".agents/sessions",
    "councils_directory": ".agents/councils"
  },
  "linear": {
    "workspace": "your-workspace-slug",
    "project": { "id": "...", "name": "..." },
    "default_team": "Platform"
  }
}

Available Scripts

Three-Phase Workflow

BEFORE (Planning)

• •Create/check external issue (Linear, GitHub)
• •Create session file for internal coordination
• •Break down into tasks
• •Identify which agents to spawn
• •Get user approval before spawning

DURING (Execution)

• •Spawn specialized agents (never implement directly)
• •Track progress in session file
• •Post progress to external issue
• •Convene councils for uncertain decisions

AFTER (Completion)

• •Run code review with backend/frontend devs (if significant changes)
• •Run QA testing and security checks
• •Update external issue to Done
• •Ensure knowledge captured in permanent locations
• •Archive session file (set status, archived_at, archived_by, move to .agents/sessions/archive/, update .agents/ links)

When to Use PM Orchestration

Use for:

• •Feature implementation
• •Non-trivial bug fixes
• •Refactoring
• •Infrastructure changes
• •Multi-agent coordination

Skip for:

• •Typo fixes
• •Direct questions
• •Quick clarifications
• •Single-file trivial changes

Critical Rules

Sessions

• •Filename: YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS-description.md
• •Required fields: title, status, created, last_updated, current_task
• •Archive fields: archived_at, archived_by (required when archived)
• •Required sections: Context, Current State, Next Steps
• •Archive when complete (set status, archived_at, archived_by, move to .agents/sessions/archive/, update .agents/ links)

Context Preservation (PreCompact)

• •PreCompact hook identifies sessions modified in last 60 minutes
• •Spawn context-archiver agent when prompted by hook
• •Agent generates ## Resumption Prompt section for seamless continuation
• •After compaction, read session's Resumption Prompt to pick up where you left off

Transcript Archival (Post-Compaction)

• •Claude Code provides transcript path after /compact or /clear
• •Copy transcript to .agents/transcripts/ (create directory if needed)
• •Add filename to session's transcripts: array in frontmatter
• •Preserves full audit trail for context recovery

Councils

• •Always odd number: 5 or 7 agents
• •Councils advise, users decide
• •PM coordinates but doesn't vote
• •Spawn all agents in parallel
• •Document decision after user approval

Linear

• •Checkboxes only (- [x]), no emoji
• •Outcome-focused, self-contained
• •No local file references
• •Use issue ID only (Linear auto-expands)
• •Magic words in commit body, not subject

Planning (Shape Up)

• •Appetite over estimates (decide time, flex scope)
• •Shape before building (boundaries, not tasks)
• •Circuit breakers at 50% to reassess
• •Now/Next/Later buckets, no version numbers
• •Clear acceptance criteria (Given/When/Then)
• •No backlogs - bet or let go