project-management

name	project-management
description	Lightweight project management for OASIS client engagements. Project definition, 5-phase structure, milestone tracking, status reporting, scope management, multi-project dashboard, and retrospective template.
tags	["skill","project-management","clients","oasis","delivery"]
triggers	["project management","use project management","run project management","lightweight project management for oasis client engagements"]

Project Management — Lightweight Client Delivery Framework

Overview

At CC's current stage, project management means: define clearly, track ruthlessly, communicate proactively, and never let a client be surprised by a slip. This isn't enterprise PM — it's a lean system that takes 15 min/week to maintain and eliminates the most common failure modes (scope creep, missed deadlines, unclear success criteria).

When to load this skill: When starting a new client engagement, when a project is going sideways, or when CC needs to present a status update.

---

1. Project Definition Template

Complete this before any paid engagement begins. File it in memory/ or the client's folder.

PROJECT DEFINITION
──────────────────
Project name:
Client name:
Client primary contact: [Name, email, phone]
Start date:
Target end date:
Contract type: [Fixed price / Hourly cap / Retainer]
Contract value: $[total or $/month]

OBJECTIVE (1 sentence — what this project accomplishes for the client)

SUCCESS CRITERIA (measurable — what "done" looks like)
1. [Specific, measurable outcome]
2. [Specific, measurable outcome]
3. [Specific, measurable outcome]

SCOPE
In-scope:
  - [Deliverable 1]
  - [Deliverable 2]
Out-of-scope (explicitly stated to the client):
  - [Thing that sounds related but isn't included]
  - [Thing client might assume is included but isn't]

STAKEHOLDERS
Client contact: [Name, role]
Decision maker (if different): [Name, role]
Internal team: [CC + any contractors assigned]
Reviewers: [Anyone who must approve before delivery]

BUDGET
Total value: $
Estimated hours: [if hourly tracking]
Contingency buffer: 10% (default)

TOP 3 RISKS
Risk 1: [Description] — Mitigation: [How we prevent it]
Risk 2: [Description] — Mitigation: [How we prevent it]
Risk 3: [Description] — Mitigation: [How we prevent it]

---

2. Phase Structure

Every OASIS client project follows this 5-phase structure. Adapt timing to project size.

Phase 1: Discovery and Planning

Goal: Confirm requirements, build the project plan, get client sign-off before building.

Tasks:

• Requirements gathering session (use discovery call template from skills/meeting-automation/SKILL.md)
• Document requirements with client approval
• Create project plan with milestones and timeline
• Identify dependencies and risks
• Kickoff call with client to walk through the plan

Gate to Phase 2: Client approves the project plan in writing.

Phase 2: Build

Goal: Implement deliverables to spec, in the right order, with weekly visibility.

Tasks:

• Execute deliverables according to the plan
• Weekly status update to client (written — use status template below)
• Internal check: deliverables on track vs. behind
• Flag scope change requests immediately (do not absorb them silently)

Gate to Phase 3: All deliverables built and internally tested/reviewed.

Phase 3: Client Review

Goal: Get structured feedback, revise, achieve sign-off.

Tasks:

• Deliver a review-ready version (staged, tested, documented)
• Client feedback session (structured — see below)
• Implement approved revisions (one revision round included by default; more are change requests)
• Final sign-off from client in writing

Client Feedback Session Structure:

"I'm going to share my screen and walk through what we built. As we go, please hold detailed feedback until the end — I want you to see the full flow first."
[Full walkthrough — do not explain what you were trying to do. Let them react to what IS there.]
"Now let's go back to anything that needs attention. I'll capture it as we go."
[Capture verbatim — their words, not your interpretation]
"Here's what I'm hearing [read back list]. Does that cover it?"

Gate to Phase 4: Client signs off on the reviewed deliverable.

Phase 4: Launch

Goal: Deploy, verify in production, hand off to client.

Tasks:

• Deploy to production environment
• Verify all success criteria are met in production (not just staging)
• Client walkthrough and training (if needed)
• Handoff documentation (how to use it, who to contact, what to monitor)
• Confirm client can operate it independently

Gate to Phase 5: Client confirms receipt of final deliverables and training completed.

Phase 5: Optimize

Goal: Measure outcomes, iterate on what's working, identify expansion opportunity.

Tasks:

• Check in at Day 7, Day 30, Day 90 after launch
• Pull relevant metrics (if tracking was set up)
• Identify what's working and what isn't
• Surface any expansion opportunity to the client (use client check-in template from skills/meeting-automation/SKILL.md)

No gate — Phase 5 is ongoing as long as the client relationship exists.

---

3. Milestone Tracking

Milestone Definition

Each phase produces 1-3 milestones. A milestone is:

• Specific (one discrete deliverable or decision)
• Verifiable (CC and client can both see that it happened)
• Binary (either done or not done — no "80% complete" milestones)

Milestone statuses: NOT STARTED → IN PROGRESS → CLIENT REVIEW → COMPLETE

Milestone Table Template

MILESTONES — [Project Name]
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Milestone                     | Target Date | Actual Date | Status          | Owner
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
P1: Requirements doc approved | [date]      |             | NOT STARTED     | CC
P1: Project plan signed off   | [date]      |             | NOT STARTED     | CC
P2: [Core deliverable] built  | [date]      |             | NOT STARTED     | CC
P2: [Integration] complete    | [date]      |             | NOT STARTED     | CC
P3: Client review session     | [date]      |             | NOT STARTED     | CC
P3: Revisions complete        | [date]      |             | NOT STARTED     | CC
P4: Production deployment     | [date]      |             | NOT STARTED     | CC
P4: Client handoff + training | [date]      |             | NOT STARTED     | CC
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Milestone Dependencies

Before assigning dates, map dependencies explicitly:

• P1 milestone 2 depends on: P1 milestone 1
• P2 milestone 1 depends on: P1 milestone 2
• P2 milestone 2 depends on: [may run parallel to P2 M1]
• P3 milestone 1 depends on: all P2 milestones
• etc.

Rule: If a milestone slips, every downstream milestone date must be recalculated and the client must be notified within 24 hours — not at the next status update.

---

4. Status Reporting

Weekly Project Status Template

Send this every Friday to the client for active engagements. Takes 10 minutes to write.

Subject: [Project Name] — Weekly Update [Week of DATE]

Hi [Name],

Here's a quick update on where things stand:

━━ OVERALL STATUS: [🟢 GREEN / 🟡 YELLOW / 🔴 RED] ━━

PROGRESS
[X] of [Y] milestones complete ([Z]%)
This week I completed:
• [Specific item 1]
• [Specific item 2]

NEXT WEEK
• [Planned item 1] — targeting [date]
• [Planned item 2] — targeting [date]

RISKS / BLOCKERS
[None — OR — specific issue with mitigation plan]

BUDGET
[Hours/dollars consumed]: [X] of [Y] allocated ([Z]%)
[Note if approaching cap]

Questions or feedback? Reply here or let's catch up on [day].

Conaugh McKenna
OASIS AI Solutions

Status color logic:

• GREEN: On track, no risks, all milestones on schedule
• YELLOW: 1 milestone at risk OR budget >80% consumed with >20% work remaining
• RED: Milestone missed without a recovery plan OR client satisfaction issue unresolved

Rule: Never let a project go from GREEN to RED in one report. YELLOW is the warning. Hiding a YELLOW until it becomes RED damages trust permanently.

Internal Project Dashboard (Per Active Project)

Keep this current in memory/ACTIVE_TASKS.md or a project-specific file:

PROJECT: [Name]
Client: [Name] | Contract: $[value] | Phase: [1-5]
Status: [GREEN/YELLOW/RED]
Health: [Client satisfaction if known]

MILESTONES
[✅ Done] P1: Requirements approved — [date]
[🔄 In progress] P2: Core build — target [date]
[⬜ Not started] P3: Review session — target [date]

LAST CLIENT CONTACT: [date] — [1-line summary]
NEXT CLIENT CONTACT: [date] — [purpose]

OPEN ITEMS
- [Item]: [owner] — [deadline]
- [Item]: [owner] — [deadline]

---

5. Scope Management

Change Request Template

Use this any time a client requests something that was explicitly out of scope OR significantly exceeds the original spec.

CHANGE REQUEST — [Project Name] — [Date]
─────────────────────────────────────────
Requested by: [Client name]
Description: [What they're asking for]

IMPACT ASSESSMENT
Additional work: [~X hours]
Additional cost: $[amount] (based on $[rate]/hr or fixed)
Timeline impact: [+X days to target completion date]
Risk to current scope: [None / Low / High — explain if High]

RECOMMENDATION
[Include this at no charge because it's minor / Quote separately / Defer to Phase 5]

REQUIRED APPROVAL
To proceed, please reply with your approval and confirmation of the additional fee.

Rule: Never absorb a scope change silently. Even if CC decides to include it for free, document it as a decision — it prevents "well you already did X for free, so Y should be free too."

Scope Creep Detection

Scope creep is active when any of the following are true:

• Tasks in the project exceed the original plan by >20%
• Client requests have required more than one "favor" absorption
• Hours consumed are >80% with >30% of work remaining
• Build keeps expanding because requirements keep changing

Scope creep response:

1. Flag it to the client proactively: "I want to be transparent — we've added [X, Y, Z] since the original scope."
2. Offer a choice: trim to original scope OR approve a change order
3. Document the conversation

Out-of-Scope Request Handling

Script:

"That's a great idea — it's outside the current scope, but I can absolutely put together a quick proposal for what that would look like. The current engagement is focused on [original scope]. Would you like me to quote the additional work separately?"

Never say "no" to a client request. Redirect to a paid scope.

---

6. Multi-Project Dashboard

For weeks when CC is running >1 active project simultaneously.

MULTI-PROJECT DASHBOARD — [Date]
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Project        | Client   | Phase | Status | % Done | Budget Used | Next Milestone
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
[Project 1]    | [Client] | P2    | 🟢     | 40%    | 35%         | Build complete — [date]
[Project 2]    | [Client] | P3    | 🟡     | 75%    | 80%         | Client review — [date]
[Project 3]    | [Client] | P1    | 🟢     | 10%    | 5%          | Requirements approved — [date]
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Resource Allocation View

RESOURCE ALLOCATION — [Week of DATE]
──────────────────────────────────────
Name       | Project 1 | Project 2 | Project 3 | Total Hrs | Utilization
CC         | 8 hrs     | 5 hrs     | 3 hrs     | 16 hrs    | 80%
[Contractor]| 10 hrs    | 0         | 0         | 10 hrs    | 100% ← flag
──────────────────────────────────────

Flags: Any person at >90% utilization for the week is a constraint. Resolve before assigning more work.

---

7. Project Retrospective Template

Run this within 1 week of Phase 4 (launch) completing.

PROJECT RETROSPECTIVE — [Project Name] — [Date]
────────────────────────────────────────────────
Client:
Duration: [Start date] → [End date] ([X weeks])
Final cost to client: $
Hours invested: [actual vs. estimated]
Profitability: $[revenue] - $[hours × CC effective rate] = $[profit] ([margin]%)

WHAT WENT WELL (be specific)
-
-

WHAT COULD IMPROVE (be specific and honest)
-
-

WHAT WE'LL DO DIFFERENTLY NEXT TIME
-
-

CLIENT SATISFACTION
Score: [1-10 — ask the client directly]
Testimonial received: Y / N
Referral asked for: Y / N
Referral received: Y / N

EXPANSION POTENTIAL
[Describe any Phase 5 opportunity identified]

LOG TO MEMORY
[ ] Add project to LONG_TERM.md client history
[ ] Any scope creep or estimate errors → MISTAKES.md
[ ] Any process improvements → PATTERNS.md
[ ] Log final project summary to SESSION_LOG.md

---

Integration Points

• New project start → create project definition, add milestones to memory/ACTIVE_TASKS.md
• Weekly status → update milestone table + send status email
• Scope changes → document in project file, log decision to memory/DECISIONS.md
• Retro findings → log to memory/MISTAKES.md and memory/PATTERNS.md
• Client satisfaction → feed into skills/client-success/SKILL.md health score
• Budget tracking → reference scripts/stripe_tool.py invoices for revenue side

Obsidian Links

• [[brain/USER]] | [[memory/ACTIVE_TASKS]] | [[memory/DECISIONS]] | [[brain/CAPABILITIES]]
• [[skills/client-success/SKILL]] | [[skills/meeting-automation/SKILL]]
• [[skills/ceo-dashboard/SKILL]] | [[memory/MISTAKES]]