deciding-what-to-work-on

name	Deciding What to Work On
description	This skill should be used when the user asks 'what should I work on', 'what's next', 'pick a task', or when needing to select between multiple available tasks. Provides guidance for prioritizing and selecting tasks.

Deciding What to Work On

Quick Start

If you just need something to work on:

claude-reliability work next

This picks a random work item from the highest-priority unblocked items.

Decision Framework

1. Check for Blockers First

Before picking new work, check if anything is blocked on you:

claude-reliability work list --status open --ready-only

Look for items you previously started that might be waiting.

2. Priority Order

Work in priority order:

• P0 (Critical): Stop everything else, fix this now
• P1 (High): Should be done soon, before starting new features
• P2 (Medium): Normal work, the bulk of items
• P3 (Low): Nice to have, do when higher priorities clear
• P4 (Backlog): Future work, not urgent

claude-reliability work list --max-priority 1 --ready-only  # Show P0 and P1 only

3. Check for Questions

Items might be blocked on user questions:

claude-reliability work blocked

If you can answer any of these yourself now (with context you've gained), do so with question answer.

4. Consider Dependencies

Some items unblock others. Prioritize items that are blocking other work:

claude-reliability work get <id>  # Check what items this one blocks

Work Autonomously

You do not need user guidance on priorities. The priority system (P0-P4) tells you what to work on. Use work next and follow its suggestion.

Large backlogs are normal. Having many open tasks doesn't mean anything is wrong. Just work through them one at a time. Don't ask which subset to focus on - the priority system handles this.

Report genuine blockers. Use question create only for things that actually block progress:

• Missing information needed to proceed
• Conflicting requirements that need clarification
• Decisions only the user can make

Don't use emergency-stop for "too much work". Emergency stop is for genuine blockers that prevent ANY progress. A large backlog is not a blocker.

Workflow

1. claude-reliability work list --status open --ready-only - See what's available
2. Pick highest priority unblocked item
3. claude-reliability work on <id> - Mark as in-progress
4. claude-reliability work get <id> - Read full description and notes
5. Do the work
6. claude-reliability work add-note <id> -c "..." - Record progress/findings
7. claude-reliability work update <id> --status complete - Mark done
8. Repeat

When Stuck

If you're stuck on an item:

1. Create a question: claude-reliability question create -t "How should I handle X?"
2. Link it: claude-reliability question link <work-id> --question-id <q-id>
3. Move on: The item is now blocked, pick another

Don't spin on problems that need user input.

When There's No Work

If work list --ready-only shows nothing:

1. Check work blocked - maybe you can answer some questions
2. Look at backlog: claude-reliability work list --priority 4
3. Ask the user if there's something they want done
4. Stop if genuinely nothing to do - it's okay to stop when work is done