AI-Native Project Management

This skill runs automatically. Update TASKS.md whenever:

• Starting work on a task
• Completing a task or subtask
• Getting blocked
• Planning new work
• Making commits

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Task Board Location

Look for

TASKS.md

in the project root. If it doesn't exist and you're doing significant work, create it.

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When to Update (Automatic Triggers)

Event	Action
Starting a feature/fix	Move task to "In Progress" or create one
Committing code	Update progress notes on current task
Creating a PR	Move task to "Review"
Getting blocked	Move to "Blocked" with clear question
Completing work	Move to "Done" with date and PR link
User describes new work	Add to Backlog with estimate
Session ending	Ensure all in-progress work is captured

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How to Update TASKS.md

Moving a Task to In Progress

## In Progress

- [ ] **TASK-XXX** [Title] `@ai`
  - Branch: `feature/xxx`
  - Progress: [Current status]
  - Next: [What's being done next]

Moving to Review

## Review

- [ ] **TASK-XXX** [Title] `@human`
  - PR: #[number]
  - Changes: [Brief summary]
  - Review focus: [What human should check]

Moving to Blocked

## Blocked

- [ ] **TASK-XXX** [Title]
  - Blocker: [What's blocking]
  - Question: [Specific question for human]
  - Options: A) ... B) ... C) ...

Moving to Done

## Done

- [x] **TASK-XXX** [Title] — PR #[N] — YYYY-MM-DD

Adding New Task

## Backlog

### P1 - Current Priority
1. [ ] **TASK-XXX** [Title]
   - Why: [Customer need / problem]
   - Scope: [What's included]
   - Estimate: X AI-hours

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Effort Estimation

Estimate in AI-hours (not human hours). Use this guide:

Task Type	AI-Hours	Example
Trivial	0.25	Fix typo, update config
Small	0.5-1	Bug fix, add field, small UI tweak
Medium	1-2	New component, API endpoint, feature flag
Large	2-4	Full feature, integration, refactor
XL	4-8	Cross-cutting feature, new system

Factors that increase estimate:

• Unfamiliar codebase (+50%)
• No existing patterns to follow (+25%)
• Requires human decisions mid-task (+1-2h for wait time)
• Complex testing requirements (+25%)

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Prioritization Rules

When adding to backlog, assign priority:

Priority	Criteria
P1	Blocking other work, customer-facing bug, current sprint
P2	Important but not urgent, next sprint
P3	Nice to have, future consideration

Within each priority, order by:

1. Dependencies (unblock others first)
2. Customer impact
3. Effort (quick wins before large tasks when equal value)

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Task ID Convention

Format:

[PROJECT]-[NUMBER]

Examples:

• ACCT-001

  for accounting demo

• PROD-001

  for main product

• SITE-001

  for website

Auto-increment by finding highest existing number.

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Proactive Behaviors

At session start:

• Read TASKS.md to understand current state
• Note any stale "In Progress" items (might need status update)

During development:

• When user says "let's work on X" → Create/move task to In Progress
• When committing → Update progress notes
• When hitting a blocker → Move to Blocked immediately
• When PR is ready → Move to Review

At session end:

• Ensure TASKS.md reflects current state
• Update "Last Updated" timestamp
• Note any handoff items for next session

When user describes new work:

• Immediately add to appropriate priority in Backlog
• Include estimate
• Ask clarifying questions if scope is unclear

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Board Health Checks

Periodically verify:

• No tasks stuck in "In Progress" for multiple sessions
• "Blocked" items have clear questions
• Backlog is prioritized (P1 before P2)
• Done items have dates and PR links
• Estimates exist for P1 items

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Integration with Development

This skill works alongside normal development:

1. Don't ask permission to update TASKS.md - just do it
2. Update incrementally - small updates as you go, not big batch at end
3. Keep it current - the board should reflect reality at all times
4. Surface blockers immediately - don't wait to move things to Blocked

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Template: New TASKS.md

When creating for a new project:

# Tasks

**Project**: [Name]
**Last Updated**: [Today's date]

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## In Progress

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## Review

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## Blocked

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## Backlog

### P1 - Current Priority

### P2 - Next Up

### P3 - Later

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## Done

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