kwwork

name	kw:work
description	Execute a knowledge work plan. Break it into tasks, do the work, and track what happened. Use after planning to actually produce the deliverables.
argument-hint	[plan file to execute]

<work_target> #$ARGUMENTS </work_target>

Work

You have a plan. Now execute it. Break it into tasks, do them, track what happened.

When to Use

• After /kw:plan or /kw:review — the plan is ready, time to execute

• "Start working on this", "Execute the plan", "Let's do this"

• When you have a clear plan and need to produce deliverables

Process

Step 1: Load the plan

Read the plan file. If no plan is specified:

1. Check for the most recently modified file in plans/
2. Ask: "Which plan should I execute? Point me to a file."

Step 2: Break into tasks

Extract concrete deliverables from the plan. For each deliverable, create a task:

## Tasks

- [ ] [Task 1] — [what needs to be produced]
- [ ] [Task 2] — [what needs to be produced]
- [ ] [Task 3] — [what needs to be produced]

Present the task list to the user:

"I see [N] deliverables in this plan. Here's how I'd break them down. Want to adjust before I start?"

Task types in knowledge work:

Deliverable	How to execute
Strategy doc / brief	Write it using the plan as structure
Email draft	Write it, check tone, present for review
Social copy	Write variations, check against style guides
Data analysis	Pull data, analyze, summarize findings
Presentation	Structure slides, write content
Research synthesis	Gather sources, extract insights, summarize
Meeting agenda	Structure topics, time-box, add context
Notion page / doc	Create and populate
Campaign assets	Create copy, briefs, timelines

Step 3: Group tasks by dependency

Before executing, sort tasks into batches:

## Execution Plan

### Batch 1 (parallel) — no dependencies
- [ ] [Task A] — independent
- [ ] [Task B] — independent

### Batch 2 (parallel) — depends on Batch 1
- [ ] [Task C] — needs output from Task A
- [ ] [Task D] — independent of C, but needs Batch 1 context

### Batch 3 (sequential) — needs user direction
- [ ] [Task E] — depends on user feedback from earlier batches

Grouping rules:

• Tasks with no dependencies on each other go in the same batch

• Tasks that need another task's output go in a later batch

• Tasks that need user feedback before starting go in their own batch

Present the execution plan to the user:

"I've grouped these into [N] batches. Batch 1 has [N] independent tasks I can run in parallel. Want to adjust before I start?"

Step 4: Execute batch by batch

For each batch:

1. Announce the batch — "Starting Batch 1: [task names]"
2. Launch independent tasks in parallel — Use Task agents for tasks that don't depend on each other. For single tasks or tasks requiring heavy interaction, execute inline.
3. Show all outputs — Present results from the batch together
4. Get feedback — "Good? Or adjust before I move to Batch 2?"
5. Mark complete — Move to next batch

When to parallelize within a batch:

Situation	Approach
2+ independent deliverables (e.g., 3 social posts, a brief + a data pull)	Launch as parallel Task agents
Single deliverable	Execute inline
Deliverable needs back-and-forth (e.g., iterating on tone)	Execute inline, don't delegate

Execution principles:

• Use what's available. If there are MCP tools, APIs, or skills that can help, use them. Don't recreate what exists.

• Follow project conventions. Check CLAUDE.md for style guides, data sources, tool preferences.

• Show, don't describe. Produce the actual deliverable, not a description of what it would look like.

• Approve between batches, not between every task. Independent tasks don't need individual sign-off. Check in after each batch completes.

• Fall back to sequential if unsure. When in doubt about whether tasks are independent, run them one at a time. Wrong parallelism is worse than no parallelism.

Step 5: Handle blockers

If you can't complete a task:

• Missing information — Ask the user. Be specific about what you need.

• Missing access — Note it and move to the next task. Come back when unblocked.

• Scope creep — If a task is bigger than expected, flag it: "This is turning into its own project. Should I keep going or add it as a separate plan?"

• Quality concern — If the output doesn't feel right, say so. "I produced this but I'm not confident about [X]. Want to review before I continue?"

Step 6: Track what happened

As you work, maintain a running log. After each batch completes, append the log to the plan file under a ## Execution Log section:

## Execution Log

### [timestamp] Batch 1: [batch name]
- [Task 1] ✅ — Produced: [what], Location: [path]
- [Task 2] ✅ — Produced: [what], Location: [path]
- Notes: [anything notable]

### [timestamp] Batch 2: [batch name]
- [Task 3] ✅ — Produced: [what], Location: [path]
- [Task 4] ⏳ Blocked — [blocker], Next step: [what needs to happen]

<critical_requirement> Write the execution log to the plan file after each batch. Do not keep it only in conversation. This log feeds /kw:compound with concrete material to extract learnings from. </critical_requirement>

Step 7: Wrap up

When all tasks are complete (or blocked), summarize:

## Execution Summary

**Plan:** [plan name]
**Tasks completed:** [N] of [total]
**Deliverables produced:**
- [deliverable 1] — [location]
- [deliverable 2] — [location]

**Still open:**
- [blocked task] — [blocker]

**Discoveries:**
- [anything learned during execution worth noting]

Step 8: Offer next steps

Use AskUserQuestion:

Question: "Execution complete. [N] deliverables produced. What next?"

Options:

1. Run /kw:review — Quality check the outputs
2. Run /kw:compound — Save learnings from this session
3. Push to Proof — Share execution summary for review
4. Continue working — Pick up blocked tasks or add new ones
5. Ship it — Done, move on

Important Rules

• Produce, don't plan. This is execution mode. If you find yourself writing another plan, you're in the wrong workflow. Use /kw:plan for that.

• Show your work. After each task, show the actual output. Don't say "I would create a doc that..." — create the doc.

• Respect scope. The plan defines what to do. If something isn't in the plan, ask before adding it. Scope creep is the enemy of finishing.

• Track everything. The work log is how you know what happened. It also feeds /kw:compound with concrete results to learn from.

• Ask for feedback between batches. Knowledge work is subjective. Check in after each batch rather than producing everything and hoping it's right. Independent tasks within a batch don't need individual sign-off.

Pipeline Mode

When invoked with disable-model-invocation context (e.g., from an orchestrator or automation):

• Skip all AskUserQuestion prompts
• Use sensible defaults for all choices
• Write output files without waiting for confirmation
• Proceed to the next suggested skill automatically
• Output structured results that the calling context can parse