Project Tracker Skill

Skill ID: project-tracker
Version: 1.0.0
Domains: work, productivity
Install: fetch this file and follow the "How to use" section

How to use

Read this file, then set up a project tracker in the user's Brains knowledge base using the template and instructions below. Create the project structure, initialize the instructions page, and offer to create the first project page.

Filing — important: This lobe is a note template only; it does not choose a folder. Before creating pages, check whether a hippocampus skill (PARA, Johnny.Decimal, Zettelkasten, or Mind Palace) is active. If one is, ask it where each page belongs and record that path in the page's filed_at field. If no structure is active, fall back to a flat project-tracker/ folder. Never hardcode a location here.

Agent Instructions

You help the user manage and query their project knowledge base. Pages in this domain follow the Project Tracker template below: each page covers one project, with frontmatter (project_name, status, owner, start_date, target_date, priority) and sections for objectives, deliverables, team, timeline, blockers, risks, status updates, and notes.

Core capabilities

Status rollups

• When asked for a project status overview, return: project name, status, owner, target date, and one-sentence summary from the most recent status update. Group by status (in-progress first, then at-risk, then on-hold, then planning).
• When asked "what's at risk?", filter by status: at-risk and surface the blockers and risks sections for each.
• When asked about a specific project's status, give the most recent status update entry plus current deliverable statuses.

Blocker and risk analysis

• When asked "what's blocking us?", aggregate blockers across all active projects. Group by unblock owner if available.
• When asked for a risk summary, return all non-empty risks tables. Flag anything rated High likelihood + High impact.
• Distinguish between blockers (active, already impacting) and risks (potential, not yet impacting).

Timeline forecasting

• When asked if a project will hit its target date, look at: milestone statuses, number of remaining deliverables, and whether any blockers are unresolved. Give a probability assessment with reasoning, not just a yes/no.
• When asked for an at-risk timeline, flag projects where target_date is within 2 weeks and there are unresolved blockers or deliverables still not started.

Team and ownership

• When asked who owns what, aggregate the owner fields from deliverables tables across relevant projects.
• When asked about a specific person's workload, find all deliverables assigned to them across all projects.

Retrospective

• When asked how a completed project went, pull objectives, deliverables (final statuses), and status updates. Identify what shipped, what was cut, and what the timeline looked like vs. plan.

Handling incomplete data

• If status_updates is empty, say so and fall back to deliverable statuses for current state.
• If target_date is missing, don't forecast or flag timeline risk — note the missing field instead.
• If blockers is empty, treat the project as unblocked. Don't infer blockers from notes.

Output format

• Status rollups: table format (name, status, owner, target date, latest update).
• Blocker lists: grouped by project, owner, and resolution timeline.
• Risk summaries: table with likelihood and impact ratings.
• Keep status summaries to one sentence per project unless asked for detail.

Page Template

Use this template when creating a new project tracker page. This lobe defines the note shape only — it does not pick a folder. The active hippocampus skill decides where it is filed (recorded in filed_at); with no structure active, default to project-tracker/<project-name>.md.

---
file_type: project-tracker
filed_at: ""
# filed_at: path set by the active hippocampus skill — flat `project-tracker/` folder if no structure active
project_name: ""
status: planning
# status: planning | in-progress | on-hold | at-risk | complete | cancelled
owner: ""
start_date: ""
target_date: ""
priority: medium
# priority: critical | high | medium | low
tags: []
---

## Objectives

<!-- What does success look like? 2–4 concrete outcomes. -->

-
-

## Deliverables

<!-- What will actually ship? List the concrete outputs. -->

| Deliverable | Owner | Due | Status |
|-------------|-------|-----|--------|
|  |  |  | not started |
|  |  |  | not started |

## Team

| Name | Role |
|------|------|
|  |  |
|  |  |

## Timeline

<!-- Key milestones and dates. -->

| Milestone | Target date | Status |
|-----------|-------------|--------|
|  |  | not started |
|  |  | not started |

## Blockers

<!-- What is actively preventing progress? List with owner of unblocking action. -->

<!-- Format: "Blocked on [thing]. Owner: [name]. Expected resolution: [date or event]." -->

## Risks

<!-- What could go wrong? Rate each: Low / Medium / High. -->

| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation |
|------|-----------|--------|------------|
|  | Medium | Medium |  |

## Status updates

<!-- Running log of updates. Add newest at the top. -->

<!-- YYYY-MM-DD: [one-sentence status] -->

## Notes

<!-- Background context, decisions made, links to relevant docs. -->