structure

# Structuring Engine A common leverage point: inputs arrive **without structured context, defined outcomes, or clear goals.** This skill fixes that before any work begins. Frame first, then act (or delegate). ## When to run - A new task lands fuzzy ("the boss wants the draft checked", "look into the X thing"). - A long email/chat thread needs to become an action. - The user is about to do something the old way → apply the **Default Shift** ("to what extent could AI be leveraged here?"). ## The output (always this shape) ``` ## <short title> **Context** — what's going on, in 2-4 plain sentences. The why behind the ask. **Desired outcome** — the end state. What does "done" look like, concretely? **Goal** — the measurable/observable target (a date, a number, a deliverable). One line. **Owner** — who should own this (route to the team; don't pool on the user by default). **Next step** — the single next physical action, and by when. **Decision needed** — the specific call the user must make, framed as a fast choice. ``` When a decision is involved, present it as a **fast checklist** they can answer in seconds: ``` - Send to the client now (yes/no)? - Loop in <reviewer> first (yes/no)? - Target date: <propose one> ``` ## Process 1. **Read everything given.** If it references a ticket, doc, or thread and a connection exists, pull it rather than guessing. 2. **Strip to the real ask.** Separate noise from the actual decision/outcome. Name what's missing. 3. **Fill the template.** Be concrete. If a field is genuinely unknown, write `❓ <the open question> → <who can answer>` instead of inventing. 4. **Route the owner.** Default to delegating to the right teammate; only put the user as owner when it's truly theirs (a decision, an external sign-off). 5. **Offer the next move.** After the brief, offer to: create the artifact (ticket / note / plan — allowed without approval), draft the reply in the user's voice (internal may send to team; never external without approval), and/or log a decision to `decisions/log.md`. ## Guardrails (from CLAUDE.md) - No confidential figures or sensitive/regulated data persisted to the repo. Pull live, don't store. - **Cite, don't invent** — any regulatory/financial/legal claim cites a source or is flagged as a gap. - **Draft, never send external.** Internal to the team may be OK; external needs approval. - Match `references/voice.md`.