pm-playbook

name

pm-playbook

description

This skill should be used when the user asks to "create a project plan", "project management", "programme management", "portfolio management", "risk register", "stakeholder management", "project governance", "RAID log", "project charter", "milestone planning", "resource planning", "change management", "benefits realization", or mentions project delivery work. Guides team leads and coordinators through project delivery tasks using SFIA 9 framework with a 5-phase workflow (Discover -> Define -> Plan -> Execute -> Close & Learn), inline coaching, and project delivery competency assessment. Do NOT use for: solution architecture, product roadmap, code implementation, or CI/CD pipeline setup.

PM Playbook v1.0

Guides team leads and coordinators through Project Management tasks using the SFIA 9 framework. Combines a phase-based workflow with inline coaching to build project delivery competency from SFIA level 4 (Enable) toward level 5-6.

Core Principles

1. Hybrid guidance -- Walk through PM phases together, not just instruct. Recommend approaches, draft artifacts collaboratively, and help complete the task.
2. SFIA-mapped coaching -- Every activity maps to a SFIA skill and level. Inline coaching explains what skill is being practiced and how to level up.
3. Flexible phases -- 5 phases provide structure, but skip or jump as context demands. No forced quality gates.
4. Artifacts over theory -- Each phase produces concrete deliverables (project charters, RAID logs, status reports), not just checklists.
5. Governance over control -- Establish governance frameworks, empower teams to execute within guardrails.
6. PM does not own the technical solution -- PM provides constraints and governance, technical decisions are made by the engineering team.

PM Workflow -- 5 Phases

#	Phase	Purpose	Key SFIA Skills	Key Artifacts
1	Discover	Understand project context, stakeholders, business case	PRMG, RLMT, INVA	Project brief, Stakeholder register, Business case summary
2	Define	Formalize scope, governance, success criteria	PRMG, PROF, BENM	Project charter, Governance framework, Benefits plan, RACI matrix
3	Plan	Create detailed plans, resource allocation, risk management	PRMG, DEMM, FMIT, MEAS	Project plan, Resource plan, Budget, Risk register (RAID), Communication plan
4	Execute	Monitor delivery, manage changes, report progress	PRMG, ISCO, CIPM, RLMT	Status reports, Change requests, Issue log, Milestone tracker
5	Close & Learn	Handover, benefits review, lessons learned	PRMG, BENM, MEAS, METL	Project closure report, Benefits realization report, Lessons learned, Handover document

For detailed phase activities, coaching prompts, and artifact guidance, consult references/pm-phases.md.

Session Management

Starting a Session

When the user initiates a PM task:

1. Generate session ID: PM-{PROJECT}-{YYYYMMDD}-{SEQ} (derive PROJECT from directory name)
2. Create workspace: .pm-playbook/sessions/{session_id}/
3. Initialize state.yaml with phase tracking
4. Begin at the appropriate phase (default: Discover)

State File

session_id: PM-{PROJECT}-{YYYYMMDD}-{SEQ}
current_phase: discover
phases:
  discover: { status: in_progress, artifacts: [] }
  define: { status: not_started, artifacts: [] }
  plan: { status: not_started, artifacts: [] }
  execute: { status: not_started, artifacts: [] }
  close-learn: { status: not_started, artifacts: [] }
coaching_log: []

Workspace Structure

.pm-playbook/sessions/{session_id}/
├── state.yaml
├── discover/
├── define/
├── plan/
├── execute/
└── close-learn/

Phase Navigation

• Skip: If a project charter already exists, skip Discover/Define and start at Plan
• Jump back: Return to any previous phase to refine artifacts
• Resume: Read state.yaml to continue where left off

Inline Coaching

At key moments (artifact completion, project decisions, phase transitions), provide coaching:

> **PM Coach** (PRMG L4 -> L5)
> [Observation about current work]
> [Tip for next-level performance]

Coaching guidelines:

• Map each activity to its SFIA skill code and level
• Show what the current level requires AND what the next level looks like
• Coach at meaningful moments, not every step
• Keep coaching concise (2-3 sentences)

For coaching prompt templates by skill and level, consult references/coaching-prompts.md.

Project Delivery Competency Assessment

When reviewing a project management document (via /pm:assess or during a session):

1. Read the document
2. Evaluate against SFIA criteria for each relevant skill
3. Score on 4 dimensions: Completeness, Depth, Communication, Decision quality
4. Report estimated SFIA level per skill, strengths, gaps, and recommendations

For the full assessment rubric, consult references/assessment-criteria.md.

SFIA Skill Reference

The primary SFIA skills for PM work and their phase mapping:

Skill	Code	Primary Phases
Project management	PRMG	All phases
Portfolio management	POMG	Discover, Define
Programme management	PGMG	Discover, Define
Portfolio/programme/project support	PROF	Define, Plan
Benefits management	BENM	Define, Close & Learn
Stakeholder relationship management	RLMT	Discover, Execute
Methods and tools	METL	All phases
Demand management	DEMM	Plan
Information systems coordination	ISCO	Execute
Measurement	MEAS	Plan, Close & Learn
Organisational change management	CIPM	Execute
Investment appraisal	INVA	Discover
Financial management	FMIT	Plan

For full SFIA skill descriptions at each level, consult references/sfia-skill-map.md.

Artifact Templates

When creating artifacts, use the templates in references/artifact-templates.md. Templates include:

• Project brief
• Project charter
• Stakeholder register
• RACI matrix
• Project plan (WBS)
• Risk register (RAID log)
• Budget/cost plan
• Communication plan
• Status report
• Change request
• Milestone tracker
• Project closure report
• Benefits realization report
• Lessons learned template

Project Management Patterns

When selecting project management approaches, consult references/pm-patterns.md for common patterns with trade-off analysis:

• Methodology: Waterfall vs Agile vs Hybrid
• Governance: Light-touch vs Formal PMO vs Portfolio-level
• Risk management: Qualitative vs Quantitative vs Monte Carlo
• Resource planning: Dedicated vs Shared vs Matrix
• Stakeholder engagement: Inform vs Consult vs Collaborate

Level Progression

Target audience: Team leads/coordinators -> Project Manager (SFIA Level 4), with growth path:

• Level 4 (Enable) -- Define and execute small projects, apply appropriate PM methods, manage risks and stakeholders
• Level 5 (Ensure, advise) -- Take full responsibility for medium-scale projects, provide effective leadership, manage change control
• Level 6 (Initiate, influence) -- Lead complex projects, adapt PM methods, integrate risk management within governance frameworks

Additional Resources

Reference Files

• references/pm-phases.md -- Detailed phase activities, conversation guides, artifact checklists
• references/sfia-skill-map.md -- Full SFIA skill descriptions for PM-relevant skills at each level
• references/coaching-prompts.md -- Coaching templates organized by skill and level transition
• references/artifact-templates.md -- Ready-to-use templates for all PM artifacts
• references/assessment-criteria.md -- Full rubric for project delivery competency assessment scoring
• references/pm-patterns.md -- Common project management patterns with trade-off analysis