alebc-and-lists-each-big-change

name	alebc - And Lists Each Big Change
description	Convert a change stream into high-level big-change bullets, filtering out low-level modifications and grouping related changes into coherent shifts.
output	{"format":"prose"}

ALEBC - And Lists Each Big Change

Input: $ARGUMENTS

---

Core Principles

1. "Big" is relative to context. A big change in a startup might be a small change in an enterprise. The threshold for "big" must be defined for the specific context, not assumed.

2. Changes interact. Two small changes can constitute one big shift when combined. Three big changes might all be part of one even bigger transformation. The skill must detect composed changes, not just individual ones.

3. New things vs modified things. A genuinely new capability is a different kind of big than a major modification to an existing one. Distinguish additions from transformations.

4. Low-level details are noise for this skill. Bug fixes, minor parameter changes, formatting updates, incremental adjustments — these are not big changes. Ruthlessly exclude them. If the list includes minor items, it has failed.

5. The narrative matters. Big changes aren't just items in a list — they tell a story about what shifted and why. Group and order them to make the narrative visible.

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Phase 1: Change Stream Intake

[A1] SOURCE: [where the changes come from — git log, project notes, conversation history, etc.]
[A2] TIME_RANGE: [what period is being summarized]
[A3] CONTEXT: [what project/system/domain]
[A4] BIGNESS_THRESHOLD: [what counts as "big" in this context]

Defining "Big"

Context	Big Means
Software project	New feature, architectural change, major API change, capability added/removed
Business	New revenue stream, market entry, team restructure, strategic pivot
Skill library	New skill category, framework redesign, major skill overhaul
Personal project	Fundamental approach change, major milestone, scope change
Document	New section, thesis change, structural reorganization

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Phase 2: Raw Change Enumeration

List all changes, without filtering yet:

[A5] CHANGE: [description] — MAGNITUDE: [big | medium | small | trivial]
[A6] CHANGE: [description] — MAGNITUDE: [level]
...

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Phase 3: Filtering and Grouping

Filter: Remove Non-Big

Remove everything below the bigness threshold:

[A-N] EXCLUDED: [change] — WHY: [below threshold — incremental/fix/formatting/minor]

Group: Compose Related Changes

Related changes that together constitute one shift:

[A-N] GROUP: [composed big change name]
  COMPONENT CHANGES:
    - [change 1]
    - [change 2]
    - [change 3]
  NARRATIVE: [what this group of changes represents as a shift]

Classify: Addition vs Transformation vs Removal

[A-N] BIG_CHANGE: [description]
  TYPE: [addition | transformation | removal | restructure]
  IMPACT: [what this changes for the user/project/system]

---

Phase 4: Narrative Ordering

Order the big changes to tell a coherent story:

Ordering Strategy	When to Use
Chronological	When the sequence matters (this enabled that)
Impact-first	When importance varies and the biggest should lead
Thematic	When changes cluster into themes
Dependency	When changes build on each other

[A-N] ORDERING: [strategy chosen] — [why this ordering tells the clearest story]

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Phase 5: Output

BIG CHANGES
============

[Context] — [Time Range]

1. [Big change title]
   TYPE: [addition | transformation | removal | restructure]
   WHAT: [one-sentence description]
   IMPACT: [what this changes for users/project/system]

2. [Big change title]
   TYPE: [type]
   WHAT: [description]
   IMPACT: [impact]

3. [Big change title]
   TYPE: [type]
   WHAT: [description]
   IMPACT: [impact]

...

EXCLUDED (for reference):
- [N] minor changes filtered out
- Categories excluded: [bug fixes, formatting, incremental adjustments, etc.]

NARRATIVE: [one paragraph summarizing the overall direction these big changes represent]

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Failure Modes

Failure	Signal	Fix
Everything is "big"	20+ items in the list	Raise the threshold. If everything is big, nothing is
Minor items included	Bug fixes or parameter changes in the list	Reapply filter — these should be in EXCLUDED
Composition missed	5 related changes listed separately	Group related changes into composed shifts
No impact stated	Changes listed without explaining what they mean	Every big change must state its IMPACT
Flat list	No narrative ordering	Choose an ordering strategy and apply it
Additions only	Removals and transformations missed	Explicitly check for things removed or fundamentally changed
Context-blind threshold	Using one "big" definition for all contexts	Define bigness threshold for THIS specific context

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Depth Scaling

Depth	Min Changes Scanned	Min Big Changes	Grouping	Narrative
1x	10	3	No	Bullets only
2x	20	5	Yes	Bullets + impact
4x	40	8	Yes + composition	Bullets + impact + narrative paragraph
8x	All available	All big	Full composition analysis	Full narrative + excluded summary

Default: 2x. These are floors.

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Pre-Completion Checklist

• Change source and time range identified
• Bigness threshold defined for this context
• All changes enumerated before filtering
• Minor changes explicitly excluded (not just ignored)
• Related changes grouped into composed shifts
• Each big change has type, description, and impact
• Ordering strategy chosen and applied
• No minor items in the big changes list
• Additions, transformations, AND removals checked

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Integration

• Use from: project reviews, /wn (what's new), progress reports
• Complementary: /wn (what's new — includes small changes; alebc filters to big only)
• Differs from /wn: wn shows everything new; alebc shows only big changes
• Differs from /aar: aar reviews what happened and why; alebc lists what changed
• Routes to: /evaluate if big changes need assessment