Objective Complete

Objective completion instructions

Follow these steps when all tasks for an objective are complete:

1. Create a completion log file for each completed objective.

   • Navigate to docs/process/completion-logs/.
   • Create a new file named YYYY-MM-DD-objective-name.md (e.g., 2025-10-04-project-documentation.md).
   • Use lowercase with hyphens for the objective name portion.

2. Document what was completed in the log.

   • Start with a heading using the full objective statement.
   • Include a "Tasks completed" section with the checkbox list from active-tasks.md.
   • Mark all checkboxes as complete to show the final state.
   • Add a "Date completed" field at the top for quick reference.

3. Capture learnings and reflections.

   • Add a "Learnings" section documenting key discoveries or insights.
   • Include technical decisions made, approaches that worked well, or challenges encountered.
   • Copy relevant content from the "Working notes" section of active-tasks.md.
   • Add a "Reflections" section for process observations, what to do differently, or improvements.
   • Keep both sections concise but substantive; future you will thank you.

4. Handle new work identified during completion.

   • Review working notes and reflections for newly identified work.
   • For well-defined new objectives:
     • Add them to the "To do" table in backlog.md.
     • Include objective statement, description, readiness, and priority.
   • For ideas needing more thought:
     • Add them to the "Parking lot" section in backlog.md.
     • Include open questions or concerns that need resolution.

5. Update the "Done" section in backlog.md.

   • Add a new row to the "Done" table for each completed objective.
   • Copy the objective statement to the first column.
   • Link to the completion log file in the second column using relative path.
   • Example: [2025-10-04](./completion-logs/2025-10-04-project-documentation.md)

6. Reset the "Doing" section in backlog.md.

   • Remove completed objective(s) from the "Doing" bullet list.
   • If no objectives remain active, leave the section with just the reference link.
   • Update the introductory sentence if needed to reflect current state.

7. Reset active-tasks.md for new work.

   • Remove all completed objective sections and their tasks.
   • Clear the "Working notes" section (content should now be in completion logs).
   • Keep the document structure and instructions at the top.
   • Leave the file ready for the next objective breakdown.

8. Review and reflect on the backlog.

   • After completion, take a moment to review the "To do" section.
   • Consider if priorities or readiness have changed based on what was learned.
   • Update the backlog table if needed to reflect new understanding.
   • This is a natural checkpoint to reassess direction.

9. Update any related documentation.

   • If the completed objective impacted project documentation, update those files.
   • If any of your learnings are broadly applicable, consider adding them to the Project brief.

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