Research Synthesis

OAK Research Synthesis

This skill provides expertise in synthesizing research findings for OAK's planning system - creating structured findings documents that inform task generation and implementation decisions.

OAK Research System Overview

Research in the OAK Workflow

/oak.plan-create          /oak.plan-research         /oak.plan-tasks
      │                          │                         │
      ↓                          ↓                         ↓
 plan.md with             research/<topic>.md         tasks.md
 Research Topics    ────►  for each topic      ────►  informed by
                                                      research

File Structure

oak/plan/<plan-name>/
├── plan.md                    # Contains ## Research Topics
└── research/
    ├── research-manifest.yml  # Tracks research state
    ├── <topic-slug>.md        # Finding for each topic
    ├── api-integration.md
    ├── auth-patterns.md
    └── performance-approach.md

When to Use This Skill

Use when you need to:

• Research topics identified in an OAK plan
• Consolidate findings from codebase exploration
• Compare multiple technical approaches
• Create research/<topic>.md documents
• Synthesize web research and documentation review

Source Categories for OAK Research

Codebase Analysis (Primary)

• Existing patterns and conventions
• Similar feature implementations
• Test patterns and coverage strategies
• Architecture decisions in code

Project Documentation

• oak/constitution.md - Project standards
• Architecture docs in docs/
• API documentation
• README files

External Research (via web search)

• Library documentation
• Best practices guides
• Similar project implementations
• Industry standards (2024-2025 content preferred)

OAK Research Document Format

Each topic becomes research/<topic-slug>.md:

# Research: [Topic Name]

## Objective
What we're trying to learn or decide.

## Sources Consulted
- [x] Codebase patterns (searched: [what])
- [x] Project documentation
- [ ] External resources
- [ ] Constitution requirements

## Key Findings

### Finding 1: [Title]
- **Source**: [Where discovered - file path, URL, or doc]
- **Relevance**: [How it applies to our plan]
- **Confidence**: High/Medium/Low

### Finding 2: [Title]
- **Source**: [Where discovered]
- **Relevance**: [How it applies]
- **Confidence**: High/Medium/Low

## Synthesis

### Patterns Identified
- [Pattern 1]: [Where found, how to apply]
- [Pattern 2]: [Where found, how to apply]

### Contradictions/Tensions
- [Issue 1]: [Resolution approach]

### Gaps Identified
- [Gap 1]: [Mitigation or acceptance]

## Recommendation

**Decision**: [Chosen approach]

**Rationale**:
- [Reason 1 with evidence]
- [Reason 2 with evidence]

**Alternatives Considered**:
- [Alternative 1]: [Why not chosen]

## Impact on Tasks
[How this research affects task generation]

## Open Questions
[Things still needing investigation - may spawn additional research]

Research Workflow

Step 1: Load Plan Context

Read the plan to understand research topics:

## Research Topics (from plan.md)

- **API Integration**: How to integrate with external service
  - Questions: Authentication pattern? Rate limiting?
  - Priority: High

- **Caching Strategy**: Where and how to cache
  - Questions: Redis vs in-memory? TTL approach?
  - Priority: Medium

Step 2: Prioritize and Research

Research topics by priority:

1. High priority - Research immediately, blocks other work
2. Medium priority - Research before task generation
3. Low priority - Can research during implementation

Step 3: Synthesis Process

For each topic:

1. Organize findings by source type and confidence
2. Identify patterns - consistent approaches across sources
3. Note contradictions - resolve or escalate
4. Create recommendation with evidence-based rationale
5. Document impact on upcoming tasks

Step 4: Cross-Reference with Constitution

Every recommendation should reference constitution alignment:

## Constitution Alignment

- **Architecture**: Recommendation follows [pattern] per constitution §Architecture
- **Testing**: Will require [test approach] per constitution §Testing
- **Documentation**: Need to document [what] per constitution §Documentation

Quality Indicators for OAK Research

Good synthesis demonstrates:

• Multiple source corroboration (code + docs + external)
• Clear reasoning chain from findings to recommendation
• Constitution alignment explicitly stated
• Practical applicability to tasks
• Acknowledged uncertainties with mitigation

Best Practices

1. Cite sources - Include file paths, URLs, line numbers for traceability
2. Quantify confidence - Not all findings are equal
3. Note contradictions - Don't force false consensus
4. Prioritize codebase - Existing patterns often trump external best practices
5. Test assumptions - Validate critical findings with actual code
6. Update manifest - Mark topics as complete in research-manifest.yml

Integration with OAK Commands

Quick Reference

• Research location: oak/plan/<name>/research/<topic-slug>.md
• State tracking: oak/plan/<name>/research/research-manifest.yml
• Input: Topics from oak/plan/<name>/plan.md § Research Topics
• Output: Feeds into /oak.plan-tasks for task generation
• Constitution: Always check oak/constitution.md for alignment