Project Management

Overview

This is a meta-skill that orchestrates the complete project management workflow by coordinating other specialized skills.

Announce at start: "I'm using the project-management skill to guide this workflow."

The Complete Workflow

code

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 1. BRAINSTORMING (Optional)                                 │
│    Skill: brainstorming                                     │
│    → Explore requirements, clarify scope                    │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                            ↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 2. PLANNING                                                 │
│    Skill: writing-plans                                     │
│    → Create: project/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-feature.md           │
│    → Detailed task-by-task implementation plan              │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                            ↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 3. EXECUTION                                                │
│    Skill: executing-plans                                   │
│    → Execute tasks in batches with checkpoints              │
│    → Validate with: core-project-rules                      │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                            ↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 4. STATE TRACKING                                           │
│    Skill: project-orientation                               │
│    → Update: project/STATE.md                               │
│    → Document decisions, completions, next steps            │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

When to Use This Skill

Use this meta-skill when:

•Starting a new feature or major task
•User says "help me implement X"
•You need to guide the user through the full workflow
•The task requires multiple steps and coordination

The Process

Step 1: Assess Scope

Ask the user:

•Do you have clear requirements? (If no → use brainstorming)
•Is this a multi-step task? (If yes → continue)
•Do you have an existing plan? (If yes → skip to Step 3)

Step 2: Create Plan

REQUIRED SUB-SKILL: Use writing-plans

•Creates detailed plan in project/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-feature.md
•Includes exact files, code, commands, verification steps
•Follows TDD, DRY, YAGNI principles
•Gets user approval before execution

Step 3: Execute Plan

REQUIRED SUB-SKILL: Use executing-plans

•Executes tasks in batches (default: 3 tasks)
•Reports after each batch for review
•Validates with core-project-rules
•Stops if errors occur

Step 4: Update State

REQUIRED SUB-SKILL: Use project-orientation --update

•
Updates project/STATE.md with:
- •What was completed
- •Decisions made
- •Next steps
- •Blockers (if any)

Quick Reference

Task	Use This Skill
"Help me implement X"	`project-management` (this skill)
"Create a plan for X"	`writing-plans`
"Execute this plan"	`executing-plans`
"Where are we?"	`project-orientation`
Quality validation	`core-project-rules` (automatic)

File Structure

All project management files live in /project:

code

project/
├── README.md                    # Overview of project management
├── ROADMAP.md                   # Strategic roadmap
├── STATE.md                     # Current state (updated by project-orientation)
└── plans/                       # Tactical execution plans
    ├── 2026-02-06-frontend-implementation.md
    └── 2026-02-07-backend-foundation-ddd.md

Integration with Other Skills

This skill coordinates with:

•brainstorming - Clarify requirements before planning
•writing-plans - Create detailed implementation plans
•executing-plans - Execute plans with checkpoints
•project-orientation - Track state and enable agent handoffs
•core-project-rules - Enforce quality standards
•using-git-worktrees - Isolate work in separate worktrees
•finishing-a-development-branch - Complete and merge work

Example Usage

Scenario 1: New Feature Request

code

User: "I need to add user authentication"

Agent: I'm using the project-management skill to guide this workflow.

Step 1: Assess Scope
- Requirements clear? Let me ask some questions...
- Multi-step task? Yes (auth is complex)
- Existing plan? No

Step 2: Create Plan
[Invokes writing-plans skill]
→ Creates: project/plans/2026-02-08-user-authentication.md

Step 3: Execute Plan
[Invokes executing-plans skill]
→ Executes tasks in batches
→ Reports progress after each batch

Step 4: Update State
[Invokes project-orientation --update]
→ Updates: project/STATE.md

Scenario 2: Continue Existing Work

code

User: "Continue where we left off"

Agent: I'm using the project-management skill to guide this workflow.

Step 1: Check State
[Invokes project-orientation]
→ Reads: project/STATE.md
→ Shows: Current focus, next steps

Step 2: Resume Execution
[Invokes executing-plans with existing plan]
→ Continues from last checkpoint

Decision Tree

code

User Request
    │
    ├─ "Help me implement X"
    │   └─> Use project-management (this skill)
    │
    ├─ "Create a plan for X"
    │   └─> Use writing-plans directly
    │
    ├─ "Execute this plan"
    │   └─> Use executing-plans directly
    │
    ├─ "Where are we?"
    │   └─> Use project-orientation directly
    │
    └─ "I have a bug"
        └─> Use systematic-debugging or test-driven-development

Quality Gates (from core-project-rules)

Every execution must follow:

•✅ Planning and Approval - Get approval before coding
•✅ Task Granularity - Break down if >3 files affected
•✅ Post-Implementation Analysis - List what could break
•✅ Bug Fixing (TDD-Lite) - Write test first, then fix
•✅ Iterative Rule Improvement - Update rules when corrected

Remember

•Each sub-skill has a specific purpose - don't skip steps
•Always validate with core-project-rules
•Update state after completion
•Keep plans in project/plans/, not scattered
•Get user approval at key checkpoints
•Stop and ask if uncertain about direction