project-manager

name	project-manager
description	Manage project tasks using markdown-based Kanban board (BACKLOG.md) and milestone log (LOG.md). Use when adding tasks, moving tasks between columns, completing tasks, logging milestones, or viewing project status. Works with docs/BACKLOG.md and docs/LOG.md files. Uses markdown-edit skill scripts for safe file manipulation with automatic .archive backups.
allowed-tools	Read, Edit, Bash
version	1.1.0

Project Manager Skill

Manages EFR32MG24 HAL development tasks using markdown-based Kanban board (docs/BACKLOG.md) and milestone achievement log (docs/LOG.md).

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:

• Add new tasks to the backlog
• Move tasks between Kanban columns (Ready → In Progress → Done)
• Complete tasks and archive to Done column
• Log milestones after significant achievements
• View project status (current sprint, progress)
• Update task metadata (@priority, @phase, @started, @done)
• Archive completed tasks from Done → LOG.md (monthly)

Do NOT Use This Skill For

• Editing PLAN.md (use markdown-edit skill instead)
• Editing STATUS.md (use markdown-edit skill instead)
• Creating new documentation files
• Code reviews or implementation work

File Structure

This skill manages two key files:

docs/
├── BACKLOG.md    # Kanban task board (daily updates)
└── LOG.md        # Milestone achievement log (append-only)

Kanban Columns in BACKLOG.md

1. Ready (Prioritized): Tasks ready to start, sorted by priority
2. In Progress: Currently being worked on (limit to 1-2 tasks)
3. Review: Waiting for validation or testing
4. Blocked: Cannot proceed until blocker resolved
5. Done (Recent): Completed in last 30 days
6. Ideas (Unprioritized): Future work, not prioritized yet

Task Metadata Tags

Tasks use GFM (GitHub Flavored Markdown) checkboxes with metadata:

- [ ] **TIMER**: Implement TIMER0 basic functionality @priority(high) @phase(B)
- [x] **GPIO**: Hardware register access @done(2025-12-04) @phase(A)

Metadata tags:

• @priority(high|medium|low) - Task priority
• @phase(A|B|C|...) - Development phase
• @started(YYYY-MM-DD) - Start date
• @done(YYYY-MM-DD) - Completion date
• @blocked(reason) - Blocking reason
• @review(status) - Review status
• @assignee(name) - Task owner (usually "orchestrator")

Core Operations

IMPORTANT: All modifications to docs/BACKLOG.md and docs/LOG.md MUST use markdown-edit skill scripts for automatic .archive backups and safe manipulation.

1. Add Task to BACKLOG.md

When: User requests "add task: implement TIMER peripheral"

Steps:

1. Read docs/BACKLOG.md
2. Determine appropriate column (usually "Ready")
3. Determine priority based on current sprint goals
4. Prepare task content with metadata tags
5. Use markdown-edit scripts to insert task:

   # Use append-section.sh or replace-section.sh from markdown-edit
   bash .claude/skills/markdown-edit/scripts/append-section.sh \
     docs/BACKLOG.md "Ready (Prioritized)" "- [ ] **TIMER**: Description @priority(high) @phase(B)"
   

6. Verify with git diff

Example:

## Ready (Prioritized for Phase B)

### High Priority
- [ ] **TIMER**: Implement TIMER0 basic functionality @priority(high) @phase(B)
  - Register access (CTRL, CMD, CNT, TOP)
  - Counter modes (up, down, up-down)
  - Clock prescaler configuration

2. Move Task Between Columns

When: User says "start working on TIMER task" or "TIMER implementation complete"

Steps:

1. Read docs/BACKLOG.md
2. Find the task by keyword search
3. Prepare updated task content with new metadata:
   • Add @started(YYYY-MM-DD) when moving to "In Progress"
   • Add @done(YYYY-MM-DD) when moving to "Done"
   • Change checkbox - [ ] to - [x] when done
4. Use markdown-edit smart-replace.sh to move task atomically:

   # Use smart-replace.sh for atomic find-and-replace
   bash .claude/skills/markdown-edit/scripts/smart-replace.sh \
     docs/BACKLOG.md \
     "OLD_TASK_LINE_WITH_CONTEXT" \
     "NEW_TASK_LINE_IN_NEW_SECTION"
   

5. Verify with git diff

Common transitions:

• Ready → In Progress: Add @started
• In Progress → Done: Mark [x], add @done
• In Progress → Blocked: Add @blocked(reason)
• Blocked → Ready: Remove @blocked

3. Complete Task

When: Task finished, need to mark as done

Steps:

1. Move task from "In Progress" to "Done (Recent)"
2. Mark checkbox as completed: - [x]
3. Add @done(YYYY-MM-DD) metadata
4. Keep task in Done column for 30 days
5. After 30 days, archive to LOG.md

Example completion:

## Done (Recent - Last 30 Days)

### Week of December 13-19, 2025

- [x] **TIMER**: Implement TIMER0 basic functionality @done(2025-12-15) @phase(B)
  - Register access complete
  - Counter modes working
  - 245 lines of code

4. Log Milestone to LOG.md

When: Significant achievement completed (phase done, major feature shipped)

Steps:

1. Read docs/LOG.md
2. Create new milestone entry content (most recent first)
3. Include:
   • Date (YYYY-MM-DD)
   • Milestone title
   • Achievements list
   • Impact description
   • Metrics (LOC, time, examples, etc.)
   • Technical highlights (optional)
4. Use markdown-edit prepend-to-file.sh to add at top:

   # Prepend new milestone entry to LOG.md
   bash .claude/skills/markdown-edit/scripts/prepend-to-file.sh \
     docs/LOG.md \
     "NEW_MILESTONE_ENTRY_CONTENT"
   

5. Verify with git diff

Milestone entry template:

## YYYY-MM-DD: Milestone Title

**Milestone**: Brief description

**Achievements**:
- Implemented feature X
- Added Y capability
- Created Z examples

**Impact**:
- How this advances the project
- What's now possible

**Metrics**:
- Lines of code: X
- Build time: Y minutes
- Examples: Z total

**Technical Highlights** (optional):
- Key technical decisions
- Interesting implementation details

5. View Project Status

When: User asks "what's the current status?" or "show backlog"

Steps:

1. Read docs/BACKLOG.md
2. Summarize:
   • Current sprint (from header)
   • Tasks in "In Progress"
   • Count of Ready tasks
   • Count of Blocked tasks
   • Recent completions
   • Project metrics section
3. Present formatted summary

Example output:

Current Sprint: Phase B - Communication Peripherals (70% complete)

In Progress:
- None (ready to start new task)

Ready (High Priority):
- TIMER: Implement TIMER0 basic functionality
- PWM: Add PWM generation support
- Examples: Create 06_timer.rs example

Blocked:
- Phase C: Embassy async support (waiting for Phase B completion)

Recent Completions (last 7 days):
- Documentation: Phase terminology update
- I2C: Master mode implementation

Metrics:
- Phase B Progress: 70% (3 of 5 peripherals done)
- Total LOC: ~1,931 lines
- Examples: 5 working examples

Best Practices

Task Management

1. Limit WIP: Keep 1-2 tasks in "In Progress" maximum
2. Prioritize Ready: Sort Ready column by priority (high → medium → low)
3. Update metadata: Always add @started, @done dates
4. Archive monthly: Move Done tasks older than 30 days to LOG.md
5. Keep Ideas separate: Don't prioritize Ideas until ready

Milestone Logging

1. Log after completion: Don't log until work is done
2. Include metrics: LOC, time, examples count
3. Document decisions: Why certain choices were made
4. Add retrospectives: What went well, challenges, lessons
5. Never edit history: LOG.md is append-only, prepend new entries

Integration with Other Files

• PLAN.md: Strategic roadmap (phases, milestones) - don't duplicate here
• STATUS.md: Current state snapshot - sync after milestones
• BACKLOG.md: Tactical tasks (daily work) - this file
• LOG.md: Historical record - archive completed work

Scripts

The skill uses markdown-edit scripts for all file modifications:

From markdown-edit skill (.claude/skills/markdown-edit/scripts/):

1. smart-replace.sh: Find and replace with .archive backup
2. append-section.sh: Append content to markdown section
3. replace-section.sh: Replace entire markdown section
4. prepend-to-file.sh: Add content at beginning of file

From this skill (.claude/skills/project-manager/scripts/):

1. view-status.sh: Display current project status (read-only)

Important: Never use Edit tool directly on BACKLOG.md or LOG.md. Always use markdown-edit scripts for automatic .archive backups.

Common Workflows

Workflow 1: Starting New Task

1. User: "Start working on TIMER implementation"
2. Read docs/BACKLOG.md
3. Find TIMER task in "Ready" column
4. Move to "In Progress"
5. Add @started(2025-12-13)
6. Report: "Started TIMER task, moved to In Progress"

Workflow 2: Completing Task

1. User: "TIMER implementation done"
2. Read docs/BACKLOG.md
3. Find TIMER task in "In Progress"
4. Move to "Done (Recent)"
5. Mark [x], add @done(2025-12-15)
6. Report completion with summary

Workflow 3: Logging Milestone

1. User: "Log Phase B completion milestone"
2. Read docs/LOG.md
3. Create milestone entry with:
   - Date, title, achievements
   - Metrics (LOC, time, progress)
   - Impact and retrospectives
4. Prepend to LOG.md
5. Report: "Milestone logged"

Workflow 4: Weekly Review

1. User: "Show weekly status"
2. Read docs/BACKLOG.md
3. Summarize:
   - Tasks completed this week
   - Current in-progress
   - Upcoming priorities
   - Blockers
4. Check if Done tasks need archiving (>30 days)
5. Report comprehensive status

Error Handling

Task not found:

• Search across all columns
• Suggest similar tasks
• Ask user to clarify

Conflicting metadata:

• Task marked [x] but no @done date → add @done with today
• Task in "Done" but not marked [x] → mark [x]
• Task @started but still in "Ready" → move to "In Progress"

File format issues:

• Preserve existing structure
• Don't break markdown formatting
• Keep GFM checkbox syntax valid

Maintenance

Monthly archiving (automated or manual):

1. Find Done tasks older than 30 days
2. Create summary for LOG.md
3. Move to LOG.md under appropriate date
4. Remove from BACKLOG.md Done column

Quarterly review:

1. Review Ideas column - prioritize or remove
2. Check Blocked tasks - resolve or document status
3. Update project metrics in BACKLOG.md
4. Add retrospective entry to LOG.md

Integration with Orchestrator

The orchestrator agent should:

1. Before commits: Check if BACKLOG.md needs updates
2. After completions: Move tasks to Done
3. After milestones: Add entry to LOG.md
4. Quality gate: "BACKLOG.md updated with completed tasks"

Examples

See EXAMPLES.md for detailed usage scenarios with full before/after markdown examples.

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Created: December 13, 2025 Version: 1.0.0 Maintained by: Rust Embedded Orchestrator