# Project Management

> When to activate: personal project management, project tracking, project kickoff, milestone tracking, scope creep, project retrospective, getting projects done

- Skill: `mattakushi432/project-management` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add mattakushi432/project-management`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/mattakushi432/project-management/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: Mattakushi432 (https://skillmd.com/u/mattakushi432)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/mattakushi432/project-management

---


# Personal Project Management

## Projects vs Areas

| | Projects | Areas |
|-|---------|-------|
| Definition | Has a specific outcome and deadline | Ongoing responsibility, no end date |
| Examples | "Launch website by March 1", "Write book proposal" | "Health", "Finance", "Team management" |
| Done state | Completable — moves to archive | Never done — always maintained |
| Tracking | Active project list | Area of responsibility list |

**Key rule**: Every project must have a clear outcome (what "done" looks like) and at least one next action. If it doesn't, it's not a project — it's a vague wish.

## Personal PM System

```
Capture → Clarify → Plan → Execute → Review → Close
```

### Capture
- Everything that might be a project goes into an inbox
- "Project" = anything with 2+ steps and a desired outcome
- Weekly review processes the inbox

### Clarify
- What is the successful outcome?
- What is the deadline (real or self-imposed)?
- What is the very next physical action?

### Plan
- Write a one-page project brief (see template below)
- Break into milestones (3-7 per project)
- Identify dependencies and risks
- Schedule milestones in calendar

### Execute
- Work from next actions, not the project list
- Capture blockers and open questions immediately
- Don't plan during execution — capture, continue, review later

### Review
- Weekly: confirm each project has a next action; check milestone progress
- At each milestone: brief retrospective before continuing

### Close
- Mark complete in project list
- Archive all project materials
- Brief retrospective: what worked, what didn't, what to carry forward

## Project Kickoff Checklist

Before starting any project:

- [ ] Clear outcome written in one sentence (not "work on X" but "X is done and means Y")
- [ ] Deadline set (real or provisional)
- [ ] Stakeholders identified and informed
- [ ] Dependencies mapped (what must be true before I can proceed?)
- [ ] Risks identified (what's most likely to go wrong?)
- [ ] Resources confirmed (time, money, access, tools)
- [ ] First milestone defined
- [ ] Next action written as a physical, specific step

## One-Page Project Brief Template

```
## Project: [Name]

**Outcome:** [One sentence — what does "done" look like?]
**Deadline:** [Date]
**Owner:** [Name]

**Why this matters:**
[1-2 sentences on why this is worth doing]

**Milestones:**
| # | Milestone | Due | Status |
|---|-----------|-----|--------|
| 1 | | | |
| 2 | | | |
| 3 | | | |

**Key risks:**
- [Risk 1] → mitigation: [...]
- [Risk 2] → mitigation: [...]

**Dependencies:**
- [What / who must come first]

**Resources needed:**
- [Time estimate: X hrs/week]
- [Budget: $X]
- [Access to: ...]

**Current next action:**
[Specific, physical, actionable step — not "think about X"]

**Notes / decisions log:**
[Running log of key decisions and reasoning]
```

## Milestone Design

Good milestones are outcome-based, not activity-based:

| Activity milestone (weak) | Outcome milestone (strong) |
|--------------------------|---------------------------|
| "Work on user research" | "10 user interviews completed, themes synthesized" |
| "Write code" | "Core API endpoints passing all tests" |
| "Review design" | "Design approved by stakeholders, ready for dev" |

Milestone rules:
- 3-7 milestones per project (fewer = no checkpoints; more = overhead)
- Each milestone is independently verifiable — yes/no, not "mostly"
- Last milestone = project complete (not "almost done")

## Weekly Project Review

For each active project, answer:
1. What's the status? (On track / At risk / Blocked)
2. What's the next action? (Still valid or needs update?)
3. Is there anything blocking me that I haven't addressed?
4. Does the deadline still make sense?

Takes < 2 min per project in a weekly review.

## Scope Creep Recognition and Response

### Signs of scope creep
- "While we're at it, we should also..."
- New stakeholders appearing after kickoff
- Original deadline slipping "just a little"
- Next actions keep spawning sub-projects

### Response
1. **Name it explicitly**: "This is a scope change — let's evaluate it deliberately"
2. **Assess**: Is the addition worth the timeline/resource impact?
3. **Decide**: Add to current project with revised timeline, OR create a new project, OR decline
4. **Communicate**: Update stakeholders on any scope or timeline changes

## Project Health Indicators

| Indicator | Healthy | At risk | Critical |
|-----------|---------|---------|---------|
| Next action clarity | Specific, physical | Vague | None |
| Last progress made | < 1 week | 1-2 weeks | > 2 weeks |
| Milestone progression | On track | 1 milestone behind | 2+ behind |
| Stakeholder alignment | All aligned | Minor confusion | Major misalignment |
| Blocker status | None | Being addressed | Unaddressed |

## Project Retrospective

Run after every completed project (15-30 min):

```
## Project Retrospective: [Name]
Date completed: [Date]

**What went well?**
- 
- 

**What didn't go as planned?**
- 
- 

**What would I do differently?**
- 
- 

**Key decision that paid off:**

**Key mistake to avoid next time:**

**Tools / processes to carry forward:**

**Estimate vs actual:**
- Estimated time: ___  Actual: ___
- Estimated cost: ___  Actual: ___
- Deadline: ___  Delivered: ___
```