Readme

EPGOAT Documentation - Work In Progress

Work-In-Progress / Work Inbox

Purpose: Your work inbox for documentation tasks - ensures valuable work doesn't get buried and forgotten.

Last Updated: 2025-11-02

Quick Start

For Humans:

  1. Check TODO-BACKLOG.md to see all pending work
  2. Pick an item to work on based on priority/deadline
  3. Open the detailed file for full instructions
  4. Mark as done when complete

For Claude:

  1. At session start, read TODO-BACKLOG.md
  2. Show summary to user (count by priority)
  3. Ask if they want to work on items
  4. When creating audits, update TODO-BACKLOG.md
  5. When work completes, mark as done and archive

How the System Works

The Problem

  • Audit files get created and forgotten
  • Valuable analysis sits unused
  • No forcing function to surface pending work
  • Documentation debt accumulates silently

The Solution

Work Inbox System: All pending work lives in this folder and gets automatically surfaced.

Work Created → Add to TODO-BACKLOG.md → Claude surfaces at session start → Work done → Archive

Files in This Folder

Core System Files

TODO-BACKLOG.md - START HERE - Central index of all pending work - Organized by priority (🔴 Critical, 🟠 High, 🟡 Medium, ⚪ Low) - Links to detailed files - Check this file to see what needs doing

Work Files

DOCUMENTATION-AUDIT-*.md - Audit reports - Created when Claude audits documentation - Contains detailed analysis and work breakdown - Added to TODO-BACKLOG.md automatically

CHECKLIST-*.md - Work checklists - Step-by-step checklists for specific tasks - Track progress on multi-step work - Added to TODO-BACKLOG.md when created

[other-work-files].md - Temporary work files - Any file representing pending work - Should have corresponding entry in TODO-BACKLOG.md

Workflow

Creating New Work (For Claude)

When you create an audit, analysis, or work breakdown:

  1. Create the detailed file in this folder
  2. Format: [TYPE]-[DATE]-[DESCRIPTION].md

  3. Example: DOCUMENTATION-AUDIT-2025-11-02.md

  4. Update TODO-BACKLOG.md

  5. Add high-level summary
  6. Set priority (🔴🟠🟡⚪)
  7. Link to detailed file

  8. Add effort estimate and deadline

  9. Surface to user

  10. Tell user the work was added to their inbox
  11. Mention they'll see it at next session start
  12. Offer to work on it now

Surfacing Work (For Claude - Session Start)

At the start of every session:

  1. Read TODO-BACKLOG.md
  2. Count pending items by priority
  3. Show summary to user: ``` 🔔 Work Inbox Summary: • 3 pending documentation items • 1 critical (due this week) • 2 high priority (due this sprint)

Would you like to work on any of these? [yes/no/later] ``` 4. If user says yes: Show detailed list and guide through work 5. If user says no/later: Continue with their request (no guilt!)

Completing Work

When work is done:

  1. Mark as ✅ DONE in TODO-BACKLOG.md
  2. Move to "Completed" section (stay visible for 1 week)
  3. After 1 week: Archive detailed file
  4. Move to Documentation/10-Projects/Archive/YYYY-QN/
  5. Remove from TODO-BACKLOG.md
  6. If temporary checklist: Just delete (no historical value)

Priority Levels

Priority Symbol Meaning Timeline
Critical 🔴 Must do now Today/Tomorrow
High 🟠 Should do soon This week
Medium 🟡 Important This sprint
Low ⚪ Nice to have Backlog

When to Archive vs Delete

Archive (Move to 10-Projects/Archive/)

  • Audit reports (historical value)
  • Completed project documentation
  • Analysis that may be referenced later
  • Anything with "lessons learned" value

Delete (No trace)

  • Temporary checklists (no historical value)
  • Superseded versions of documents
  • Work files that became part of other docs
  • Anything that won't be referenced again

Integration with Other Systems

CLAUDE.md

  • Contains instructions to check TODO-BACKLOG.md at session start
  • Makes work inbox automatic, not manual

maintain-documentation Skill

  • Automatically updates TODO-BACKLOG.md when creating audits
  • Ensures all documentation work gets tracked

check-work-inbox Skill

  • Dedicated skill for surfacing work at session start
  • Provides friendly interface for deferring work
  • Prevents work from being forgotten

Examples

Example: New Audit Created

Claude does: 1. Creates DOCUMENTATION-AUDIT-2025-11-15.md 2. Updates TODO-BACKLOG.md: ```markdown ## 🟠 HIGH (This Week)

### [Fix API Documentation Gaps] - Status: NOT STARTED - Effort: 5-8 hours - Deadline: End of week - Details: DOCUMENTATION-AUDIT-2025-11-15.md ``` 3. Tells user: "I've added this work to your inbox at Documentation/01-Work-In-Progress/TODO-BACKLOG.md"

Example: Session Start

Claude says:

🔔 Work Inbox Summary:
   • 2 pending documentation items (TODO-BACKLOG.md)
   • 1 high priority: Fix API Documentation Gaps (5-8 hours, due end of week)
   • 1 medium: Write missing ADRs (10 hours, due end of sprint)

Would you like to work on any of these?
   • Type 'yes' to see details
   • Type 'no' to skip for now
   • Type 'later' to remind me next session

Example: Work Complete

You or Claude does: 1. Mark in TODO-BACKLOG.md: ```markdown ## ✅ COMPLETED

### [Fix API Documentation Gaps] - Status: ✅ DONE (2025-11-15) - Completed By: You - Details: Fixed 8 broken API doc references ``` 2. After 1 week, move DOCUMENTATION-AUDIT-2025-11-15.md to Archive/2024-Q4/

Benefits

✅ Forces visibility: Work surfaces automatically at session start ✅ Central location: One file to check (TODO-BACKLOG.md) ✅ Prioritized: See critical items first ✅ Actionable: Links to detailed instructions ✅ Automatic: Claude checks without being asked ✅ Flexible: Can defer work without losing track ✅ Complete: Clear "done" state and archival process ✅ No guilt: Easy to say "later" without losing work

FAQs

Q: What if I want to ignore an item permanently? A: Delete it from TODO-BACKLOG.md and delete the detailed file. No problem!

Q: What if I have a lot of pending items? A: That's the point! Now you see your documentation debt and can prioritize.

Q: Will Claude nag me every session? A: No - Claude shows summary once, you can say "no" or "later", and continue.

Q: Can I add my own items to TODO-BACKLOG.md? A: Yes! Just follow the format. Claude will surface them too.

Q: What if TODO-BACKLOG.md gets too long? A: Archive completed items regularly. Keep it focused on pending work.

Questions or suggestions? Update this README or open an issue.

Last Updated: 2025-11-02 | Status: Active System