Manager Log

Manager Log

Skill for maintaining an incremental work log that captures high-level decisions, rationale, and project status as the Manager Agent progresses through the workflow.

Input

• Decision type (architecture, delegation, scope, tooling)
• Decision content (what was decided)
• Rationale (why this choice)
• Current workflow phase (Step 1-7)

Output

• Work log file at .agent/temp/manager-log.md
• Structured history of decisions and project evolution
• Easy-to-reference audit trail for handoffs

When to Use

Use this skill when:

• ✅ You make an important architectural or technical decision
• ✅ You delegate work to a Dev Agent (record what was assigned)
• ✅ You change project scope or priorities
• ✅ You choose between alternatives (document the reasoning)
• ✅ You need to pass context to another Manager Agent later

Do NOT use for:

• ❌ Every single file change (that's what commits are for)
• ❌ Individual code edits (that's what PRs document)
• ❌ Test results (that's in CI logs)
• ❌ Trivial choices (only high-level decisions)

Process

Phase 1: Initialize Log (First Use Only)

If .agent/temp/manager-log.md doesn't exist, create it:

1. Check: ls .agent/temp/manager-log.md
2. If missing, copy template: use templates/LOG_TEMPLATE.md
3. Fill in:
   • {{PROJECT_NAME}} → Actual project name
   • {{START_DATE}} → Current date
   • {{OBJECTIVE}} → High-level goal (from product vision)

Phase 2: Log a Decision (Manual)

When you make an important decision:

1. Read current log: cat .agent/temp/manager-log.md
2. Add entry under the appropriate section:
   • Architectural Decisions → Tech stack, patterns, structure
   • Delegation Log → What work was assigned to which agent
   • Scope Changes → What was added/removed from the project
   • Tool/Process Choices → CI/CD, testing approach, etc.
3. Use this format:

**[Date/Time] — [Decision Title]**
Decision: [What you chose]
Rationale: [Why you chose it]
Alternatives considered: [What you didn't choose and why]

Example:

**2026-02-13 23:00 — Authentication Strategy**
Decision: Use OAuth 2.0 with Google/GitHub providers
Rationale: Product vision requires social logins. Team has OAuth experience.
Alternatives considered: JWT (rejected — no third-party login support)

Phase 3: Update Status (At Gates)

After passing a workflow gate (Gate 1, 2, etc.):

1. Update the Current Status section
2. Mark completed phases with ✅
3. Mark in-progress phase with 🔄
4. List pending phases

Example:

## Current Status
- ✅ Step 1: Product Discovery complete
- ✅ Step 2: Tech Analysis complete  
- ✅ Gate 1: Passed (vision approved)
- 🔄 Step 3: Backlog creation in progress
- ⏸️ Step 4: Sprint planning (pending)

Phase 4: Convert to Walkthrough (Optional, End of Work)

When project is complete or conversation ends:

1. Read the full log
2. Create a walkthrough.md summary
3. Include:
   • Key decisions made (from log)
   • Final deliverables
   • What was validated
4. Archive log to .agent/archive/manager-log-[DATE].md (optional)

Decision Types Guide

Log Structure

# Manager Work Log

## Session Info
- Project: [Name]
- Started: [Date]
- Objective: [High-level goal]
- Current Phase: [Step X]

---

## Architectural Decisions

[Your decision entries here]

---

## Delegation Log

[Work assigned to Dev Agents]

---

## Scope Changes

[Features added/removed]

---

## Tool Choices

[CI/CD, testing, deployment decisions]

---

## Current Status

[Checklist of workflow progress]

---

## Blockers

[Current blockers, if any]

---

## Next Steps

[What's coming next]

Completeness Checklist

• □ Log file exists at .agent/temp/manager-log.md?
• □ Session info (project, date, objective) filled in?
• □ At least 3 decisions documented with rationale?
• □ Current status reflects latest workflow phase?
• □ All delegations have agent name + task description?

Rules

1. ALWAYS include rationale when logging a decision
2. ALWAYS timestamp your entries (date + time)
3. ALWAYS mention alternatives considered (shows thoughtful choice)
4. NEVER log trivial decisions — only high-level choices
5. NEVER duplicate what's in commits/PRs — log WHY, not WHAT
6. ALWAYS update Current Status after passing a gate
7. ALWAYS log delegations with agent identity + task
8. ALWAYS write in English for consistency
9. NEVER let the log exceed 300 lines — move old entries to archive

Example Log

# Manager Work Log

## Session Info
- Project: Order Management System
- Started: 2026-02-13
- Objective: Build offline-first bakery order tracking app
- Current Phase: Step 3 (Setup & Backlog)

---

## Architectural Decisions

**2026-02-13 10:15 — Local Storage Strategy**
Decision: Use Room database for offline-first approach
Rationale: Product vision requires offline operation. Room well-supported on Android.
Alternatives considered: SQLite directly (rejected — too low-level), Realm (rejected — deprecated)

**2026-02-13 14:00 — UI Framework**
Decision: Jetpack Compose for UI
Rationale: Modern, declarative, team wants to learn it
Alternatives considered: XML layouts (rejected — legacy approach)

---

## Delegation Log

**2026-02-13 15:00 — UI Dev (Thread #abc123)**
Task: Implement login screen with MVVM pattern + StateFlow
Deliverable: PR with login UI + ViewModel + unit tests

**2026-02-13 16:00 — Backend Dev (Thread #def456)**
Task: Set up Room database schema + DAOs
Deliverable: PR with entities, DAOs, migration scripts

---

## Scope Changes

**2026-02-13 12:00 — Removed Real-Time Sync**
Reason: Out of scope for MVP. Focus on offline-first core functionality.

---

## Tool Choices

**2026-02-13 11:00 — CI/CD**
Decision: GitHub Actions for automated testing
Rationale: Free for public repos, easy GitHub integration

---

## Current Status
- ✅ Step 1: Product Discovery complete
- ✅ Step 2: Tech Analysis complete
- ✅ Gate 1: Passed (vision approved)
- ✅ Gate 2: Passed (tech strategy approved)
- 🔄 Step 3: Backlog creation in progress (8/12 tickets created)
- ⏸️ Step 4: Sprint planning (pending backlog completion)

---

## Blockers

None currently

---

## Next Steps
1. Finish remaining 4 backlog tickets
2. Review UI Dev's login screen PR
3. Plan Sprint 1 with MoSCoW prioritization

Integration with Workflow

When to update the log during the 7-step workflow:

Tip: Update the log AFTER each gate pass to maintain an accurate Current Status.