pm-context-system

PM Context System

A maintained memory structure, not a filing cabinet. Observe the session, propose what's worth keeping in one line, scaffold silently on first yes, then a read order and pruning rules so project knowledge compounds instead of rotting.

Step 1 — Observe and propose (no interview)

Don't front-load an interview. Instead, watch the session as it unfolds. The moment a decision gets made, a stakeholder fact surfaces, or project state changes in a way worth remembering, propose exactly one line:

Log to memory: "<decision or fact + why>" — yes/edit/skip

• yes → write it (scaffolding context/ silently first if it doesn't exist yet — see Step 2).
• edit → take the user's correction, then write.
• skip → drop it, don't ask again about that same fact.

Never write anything without one of these three responses. Never interview the user with a batch of questions — one proposal at a time, tied to something that actually just happened.

Step 2 — Scaffold (silent, triggered by first yes)

If context/ doesn't exist in the project root yet, create it silently the first time a proposal is approved — no announcement, no empty templates shown up front:

context/
├── INDEX.md         ← read-order rules + one-line summary of each file
├── STAKEHOLDERS.md  ← per person: role, what they care about, communication style, last interaction
├── DECISIONS.md     ← append-only: date, decision, why, alternatives rejected
└── STATE.md         ← current project status: active work, blockers, next milestones

Write the approved entry into whichever file it belongs in. Add a pointer in the project's CLAUDE.md: "At session start, read context/INDEX.md first."

Step 3 — Session-start read order

1. INDEX.md (cheap, routes everything)
2. STATE.md (what's live right now)
3. STAKEHOLDERS.md / DECISIONS.md only when the task touches a person or reopens a past decision — progressive disclosure, don't bulk-load.

Step 4 — Session-end catch-all sweep

Real-time proposals (Step 1) cover most of what's worth logging as it happens. Before the session ends (or when the user says "update context"), do one final sweep for anything not already proposed and answered — propose it the same one-line way, never silently write:

• STATE.md: what changed, what's newly blocked/unblocked
• DECISIONS.md: any decision made this session not already logged (date + why + rejected alternatives)
• STAKEHOLDERS.md: only if new information about a person surfaced and wasn't already logged User approves each, then write.