write-a-case-study

name	write-a-case-study
category	resume
description	Turn real project artifacts into a concise, credible case study that explains context, decisions, contribution, evidence, and lessons without inventing impact. Use when someone needs a portfolio case study, project write-up, interview leave-behind, or evidence behind a resume bullet.

write-a-case-study

Build the story from artifacts first. Show what changed, why choices were made, what the person actually owned, and how the result was checked.

Inputs

• Collect the brief, repository or files, screenshots, drafts, data, feedback, release record, and dates.
• Ask the person to mark their own contribution, collaborators, constraints, audience, and confidential details.
• Decide the target reader and the decision the case study should help them make.

Procedure

1. Create an evidence table with claim, source artifact, date, owner, and permission to publish.
2. Write the project in one sentence: user or organization, problem, person's role, and observable outcome.
3. Select only the context needed to understand the decisions. Remove generic industry background and unsupported importance claims.
4. Describe the person's contribution precisely, distinguishing individual work, team work, inherited systems, and guidance from others.
5. Choose two or three decisions that reveal judgment. For each, show constraint, options, choice, trade-off, and evidence from the result.
6. Present the process as a causal sequence, not a decorative timeline. Include one meaningful change prompted by testing, feedback, or failure.
7. Report outcomes with verifiable measures. Label estimates, qualitative feedback, and activity metrics; omit numbers that cannot be traced to evidence.
8. Include limitations, what did not work, and what the person would change next time.
9. Pair visuals with captions explaining what the reader should notice. Redact private data and obtain permission for people, brands, and client material.
10. Edit for a fast path: summary, role, decisions, result, lesson, links. Make deeper process optional.
11. Ask a reader unfamiliar with the project to identify the problem, contribution, evidence, and lesson.

Boundaries

Never invent metrics, quotes, dates, ownership, clients, or user research. Do not publish confidential screens, code, internal data, or collaborator work without permission. If evidence is missing, state the limitation or gather new evidence.

Done

• Every factual claim and result in the case study maps to a named artifact or firsthand account
• The case study distinguishes personal contribution, team contribution, constraints, and trade-offs
• Published visuals and examples are permission-checked, accessible, and free of private information
• An unfamiliar reader can accurately summarize the problem, decisions, contribution, outcome, and lesson

Then use portfolio-page to publish the case study and tailor-resume to reference the strongest evidence.