Daily Workflow Manager

Daily work start, mid-day check-in, and end workflow manager for English-speaking developers. Triggered by customizable phrases (default: 'starting work', 'lunch time', 'ending work'). Manages project documentation (Docs/ folder): PROJECT_TARGET.md, PROJECT_STATUS.md, COMPLETED_JOBS.md, PENDING_JOBS.md, and NEXT_STEPS.md. Ensures smooth AI-to-AI project handover with clear context preservation.

Daily Workflow Skill (English Version)

Manage daily work sessions with automated project documentation tracking and AI-to-AI handover support.

First-Run Configuration

When the skill is first triggered, check if the configuration file .workbuddy/daily-workflow-config.json exists.

If the configuration file does NOT exist, execute the following initialization flow:

1. Ask user for custom trigger phrases

   • Ask the user what phrases they want to use to trigger the three workflow nodes
   • Provide default suggestions:
     • Start phrase: "starting work" or "start of day"
     • Lunch phrase: "lunch time" or "break time"
     • End phrase: "ending work" or "end of day"
   • Allow user to customize each phrase
   • Support mixed Chinese and English

2. Create configuration file

   • Create daily-workflow-config.json in the .workbuddy/ folder at project root
   • File format:

   json

   {
     "startPhrase": "starting work",
     "lunchPhrase": "lunch time",
     "endPhrase": "ending work",
     "language": "en",
     "firstRun": false
   }
   

3. Confirm configuration

   • Show the user the configuration result
   • Explain they can modify the configuration file or re-run configuration anytime

If the configuration file already exists, read the config and use the user's customized phrases.

When to Use This Skill

Trigger this skill when the user mentions phrases configured in .workbuddy/daily-workflow-config.json. Default trigger phrases:

• "starting work" / "start of day" - Starting the work day
• "lunch time" / "break time" - Mid-day check-in (before lunch/long break)
• "ending work" / "end of day" - Ending the work day

These phrases indicate intentional work session boundaries where project state should be captured and restored.

Core Workflow

Phase 1: Start Work Session

When the user indicates work is starting, execute the following sequence:

1. Ensure Docs Directory Exists

   • Check if Docs/ directory exists in workspace root
   • Create Docs/ if it does not exist

2. Check and Create Required Files

   • Verify these five files exist in Docs/:
     • PROJECT_TARGET.md - Project objectives and goals
     • PROJECT_STATUS.md - Current project status
     • COMPLETED_JOBS.md - Completed work items
     • PENDING_JOBS.md - Pending/incomplete work items
     • NEXT_STEPS.md - Planned next steps
   • Create any missing files with appropriate template headers

3. Read All Documentation

   • Read all five files from Docs/
   • Extract key information:
     • Current project objectives
     • Latest project status
     • Recently completed work
     • Pending tasks and blockers
     • Planned next steps

4. Present Work Session Briefing

   • Summarize current project state
   • Highlight completed work since last session
   • Identify pending tasks
   • Suggest priority work for current session
   • Ask user for confirmation or adjustments to the plan

Phase 1.5: Mid-Day Check-in ("lunch time")

When the user says "lunch time" (or the customized phrase), execute the following sequence:

Purpose: Before lunch or a long break, update project status to ensure quick recovery when returning to work.

1. Update Project Status

   • Update Docs/PROJECT_STATUS.md with:
     • Current completion percentage
     • Tasks in progress
     • Current focus area
     • Any changes in project direction

2. Update Completed Jobs

   • Append morning's completed work items to Docs/COMPLETED_JOBS.md
   • Use format: ## [YYYY-MM-DD Morning]\n- [completed item 1]\n- [completed item 2]
   • Include sufficient detail for another AI to understand what was done

3. Update Pending Jobs

   • Update Docs/PENDING_JOBS.md with:
     • Tasks started but not completed
     • Blockers encountered
     • Tasks deferred to afternoon
   • Remove completed items from pending list

4. Update Next Steps

   • Write clear, actionable next steps to Docs/NEXT_STEPS.md
   • Include:
     • Specific tasks to tackle when returning in afternoon
     • Priority order
     • Any prerequisites or dependencies
     • Context needed to resume work immediately

5. Present Mid-Day Check-in Summary

   • Summarize morning's completed work
   • List updated documentation files
   • Confirm afternoon next steps are clearly documented
   • Ensure quick state recovery when returning to work

Phase 2: End Work Session

When the user indicates work is ending, execute the following sequence:

1. Update Completed Jobs

   • Append today's completed work items to Docs/COMPLETED_JOBS.md
   • Use format: ## [YYYY-MM-DD]\n- [completed item 1]\n- [completed item 2]
   • Include sufficient detail for another AI to understand what was done

2. Update Pending Jobs

   • Update Docs/PENDING_JOBS.md with:
     • Tasks started but not completed
     • Blockers encountered
     • Tasks deferred to next session
   • Remove completed items from pending list

3. Update Project Status

   • Update Docs/PROJECT_STATUS.md with:
     • Current completion percentage
     • Key milestones reached
     • Current focus area
     • Any changes in project direction

4. Update Project Target (if needed)

   • Modify Docs/PROJECT_TARGET.md only if:
     • Project objectives have changed
     • New requirements discovered
     • Scope adjustments needed
   • Otherwise, leave unchanged

5. Update Next Steps

   • Write clear, actionable next steps to Docs/NEXT_STEPS.md
   • Include:
     • Specific tasks to tackle next session
     • Priority order
     • Any prerequisites or dependencies
     • Context needed to resume work immediately

6. Present Session Summary

   • Summarize what was completed
   • List updated documentation files
   • Confirm next steps are clearly documented
   • Ensure handover-ready state for next AI

File Templates

When creating missing files, use these templates:

PROJECT_TARGET.md

markdown

# Project Target

## Project Overview
[Describe the project's main objective]

## Key Goals
- [Goal 1]
- [Goal 2]

## Success Criteria
- [Criterion 1]
- [Criterion 2]

## Last Updated
[YYYY-MM-DD]

PROJECT_STATUS.md

markdown

# Project Status

## Current Status
[Brief description of current state]

## Completion
[XX]% complete

## Current Focus
[What is being worked on now]

## Recent Milestones
- [YYYY-MM-DD] [Milestone description]

## Last Updated
[YYYY-MM-DD]

COMPLETED_JOBS.md

markdown

# Completed Jobs

## [YYYY-MM-DD]
- [Completed task 1]
- [Completed task 2]

## [YYYY-MM-DD Morning]
- [Morning completed task 1]

## [YYYY-MM-DD]
- [Completed task 1]

PENDING_JOBS.md

markdown

# Pending Jobs

## High Priority
- [ ] [Task 1]
- [ ] [Task 2]

## Medium Priority
- [ ] [Task 3]

## Low Priority
- [ ] [Task 4]

## Blockers
- [Blocker description if any]

NEXT_STEPS.md

markdown

# Next Steps

## Immediate Actions (Next Session)
1. [Action 1 - with context]
2. [Action 2 - with context]

## Upcoming Tasks
- [Task 1]
- [Task 2]

## Notes for Next AI
[Important context, decisions made, things to remember]

AI-to-AI Handover Principles

Write all documentation assuming the next reader will be a different AI instance that needs to:

• Understand what was being built and why
• Resume work without asking basic questions
• Continue the same coding style and conventions
• Respect decisions already made

Key practices:

• Write in detail, not shorthand
• Explain the "why" not just the "what"
• Include code snippets or file references when relevant
• Note any workarounds, hacks, or technical debt
• Record user preferences and decisions

Workflow Diagram

text

User says "starting work"
    ↓
Check Docs/ exists → Create if missing
    ↓
Check 5 files exist → Create missing with templates
    ↓
Read all 5 files
    ↓
Present work session briefing
    ↓
User works with AI assistance
    ↓
User says "lunch time" (mid-day check-in)
    ↓
Update PROJECT_STATUS.md
    ↓
Update COMPLETED_JOBS.md
    ↓
Update PENDING_JOBS.md
    ↓
Update NEXT_STEPS.md
    ↓
Present mid-day check-in summary
    ↓
User returns from lunch, continues working
    ↓
User says "ending work"
    ↓
Update COMPLETED_JOBS.md
    ↓
Update PENDING_JOBS.md
    ↓
Update PROJECT_STATUS.md
    ↓
Update PROJECT_TARGET.md (if needed)
    ↓
Update NEXT_STEPS.md
    ↓
Present session summary
    ↓
Project state saved for next AI

Important Notes

• Always use absolute paths when referencing Docs/ directory
• Append to COMPLETED_JOBS.md (never overwrite previous entries)
• Overwrite NEXT_STEPS.md each session (it's for the immediate next session)
• Preserve historical information in PROJECT_STATUS.md and COMPLETED_JOBS.md
• When in doubt, write more context, not less
• Custom trigger phrases will be asked on first use, use saved configuration for subsequent uses
• Configuration file location: .workbuddy/daily-workflow-config.json
• This skill supports both English and Chinese trigger phrases for flexibility