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Facilitation & Ceremonies/pm-daily-loop

PM Daily Loop

You need the four daily PM skills chained together: wrapup, standup prep, facilitation, client summary.

This is a recipe -- it orchestrates /daily-wrapup -> /standup-prep -> /standup-facilitate -> /client-standup-summary in sequence. Each skill also works independently.

Use this when you want to see how the four daily PM skills connect -- what feeds what, what data passes between stages, and when to run each one. You don't need to run the full loop every day. Any skill works standalone. The recipe shows the wiring.


The loop

WhenSkillWhat it producesTime
Evening/daily-wrapupDay summary + journals/day-close-{{DATE}}.md2-3 min
Morning/standup-prepPersonal reference sheet2 min
Standup/standup-facilitateStructured running notes2-5 min
Post-standup/client-standup-summaryAsync client update (Slack or email)3-5 min

Total investment: ~10-15 minutes across the day, spread across four natural moments.


How skills chain

Evening: /daily-wrapup

What it does: Scans Granola, Linear, Slack, and Gmail for today's signal. Produces a backward-looking day summary. Offers to log high-signal items to /engagement-journal.

What it writes: journals/day-close-{{DATE}}.md -- a structured handoff file with four sections: Yesterday's Updates, Open Blockers, Commitments Due, Carry-Forward.

This file is the bridge to morning. It's written automatically. No extra step needed.


Morning: /standup-prep

What it does: Builds a personal reference sheet for standup. Story status, blockers to raise, specific questions to ask, pace check.

What it reads: Auto-loads journals/day-close-{{YESTERDAY}}.md if it exists. If Kate also pastes yesterday's updates, merges both. If the file doesn't exist (no wrapup ran), proceeds with whatever Kate provides.

Bridge to standup: The prep sheet output becomes the context for /standup-facilitate. Paste it or reference it when standup starts.


Standup: /standup-facilitate

What it does: Captures structured running notes during or after standup. Extracts status changes, decisions, blockers, and action items. Surfaces anything from the prep sheet that wasn't discussed.

What it needs: The standup prep sheet (from /standup-prep) plus raw standup input -- what people said, pasted live or after.

Bridge to client summary: The standup notes output is the primary input for /client-standup-summary. Confirm the audience and iteration context before proceeding.

Before moving to the client summary, confirm:

  • "Who's the audience for today's update? (client PM, exec sponsor, etc.)"
  • "Iteration context: which iteration, how many days in, what's the goal?"
  • "Any blockers that need client action, or is this a progress-only update?"

Post-standup: /client-standup-summary

What it does: Translates standup notes into a jargon-free async update for client stakeholders. Leads with progress. Only includes blockers that require client action.

What it needs: Standup notes (from /standup-facilitate), iteration context, audience, and client-action blockers.

Output: A single Slack message or email body. One screen max.

The loop restarts at evening when /daily-wrapup runs again.


What the PM does between stages

TransitionPM action
After wrapup (evening)Accept or skip journal bridge offers. Close laptop.
After standup-prep (morning)Glance at the sheet. Note what to raise. Walk into standup.
After standup-facilitateReview notes for accuracy. Confirm audience for client update.
After client-standup-summaryReview the draft. Send it (Slack or email).

Monday variant

On Mondays, run /week-opener before or instead of /standup-prep. Week-opener provides a broader cross-engagement view that's more useful for Monday morning orientation than the daily prep sheet alone.

Monday sequence: /week-opener -> /standup-prep (optional, if you want the story-level detail too) -> /standup-facilitate -> /client-standup-summary


Data flow diagram

Evening                    Morning                  Standup              Post-standup
  |                          |                        |                      |
/daily-wrapup            /standup-prep          /standup-facilitate   /client-standup-summary
  |                          |                        |                      |
  +-- day summary            +-- story status         +-- status changes     +-- client update
  |   (displayed)            |   table                |   decisions          |   (Slack/email)
  |                          +-- blockers to          +-- new blockers       |
  +-- journals/              |   raise                +-- action items       |
      day-close-DATE.md ---->+-- questions to         +-- not discussed      |
      (auto-written)         |   ask                  |                      |
                             +-- pace check      ---->+                      |
                                                      |                 ---->+
                                                      +-- standup notes

Minimum viable loop

Not every day needs the full sequence. Here's what each skill adds:

If you only have time for...RunYou get
2 minutes (evening)/daily-wrapupTomorrow's prep is pre-loaded
2 minutes (morning)/standup-prepClear read on status before standup
5 minutes (after standup)/standup-facilitate + /client-standup-summaryStakeholders stay informed

The most valuable habit is running /daily-wrapup consistently. Everything downstream gets easier when yesterday's signal is already captured.


Related skills

  • /daily-wrapup -- evening capture (standalone)
  • /standup-prep -- morning prep (standalone)
  • /standup-facilitate -- standup notes (standalone)
  • /client-standup-summary -- client update (standalone)
  • /week-opener -- Monday morning cross-engagement briefing
  • /engagement-journal -- receives high-signal items from daily-wrapup's journal bridge

Example Output

Input

  • Engagement: Meridian Health Partners — Epic EHR integration project, Sprint 4 of 8, Day 3
  • Team: Devika (tech lead), Rashid (backend), Yoon (QA), Priya (PM, running the loop)
  • Yesterday's signal: HL7 FHIR mapping completed for patient demographics; insurance eligibility endpoint still blocked on Meridian's API credentials; stakeholder demo scheduled Friday
  • Client audience: Tom Vreeland, Meridian IT Director (receives async Slack updates)
  • Constraint: Priya is heads-down 9–11am; standup is at 11:30am

Output (abbreviated)

/pm-daily-loop — Meridian Health Partners | Sprint 4, Day 3


Stage 1 — /daily-wrapup (Tuesday evening, ~6:15pm)

Day summary: Tuesday, June 10

What moved:

  • HL7 FHIR demographic mapping merged to main — Devika closed 3 linked Linear tickets
  • QA smoke test passed on patient-search endpoint (Yoon)
  • Priya sent Friday demo agenda to Tom; received acknowledgment

Open blockers:

  • Insurance eligibility endpoint blocked — Meridian IT has not issued sandbox API credentials (Day 5 of wait)
  • Rashid flagged potential schema mismatch on appointment history payload; needs 30-min design sync

Commitments due tomorrow:

  • Rashid: appointment history schema proposal by EOD Wed
  • Priya: follow up with Tom on API credentials (second ask)

Carry-forward:

  • Friday demo scope needs to be confirmed if eligibility endpoint stays blocked — may need to scope demo to demographics + patient search only

📓 Journal bridge: High-signal item detected — API credential delay (Day 5) and potential demo scope change. Log to /engagement-journal? (y/skip)

Written to: journals/day-close-2025-06-10.md


Stage 2 — /standup-prep (Wednesday morning, ~8:45am)

Auto-loaded: journals/day-close-2025-06-10.md

Personal standup reference — Wed June 11

StoryStatusNotes
HL7 FHIR demographic mapping✅ DoneMerged, QA passed
Insurance eligibility endpoint🔴 BlockedAPI creds — Day 5, escalation needed
Appointment history schema🟡 In progressRashid proposal due EOD today
Friday demo prep🟡 At riskScope TBD pending eligibility unblock

Blockers to raise:

  • API credentials — needs Priya to flag externally; team cannot proceed on eligibility without them
  • Request 30-min appointment schema sync with Rashid + Devika today

Questions to ask:

  • Rashid: is schema mismatch a hard blocker or a workaround candidate?
  • Yoon: any QA coverage gaps if eligibility is out of Friday demo scope?

Pace check: Sprint 4 is 3 days in. Demographics track is clean. Eligibility track is 5 days stalled. Demo risk is real if no movement by EOD today.


Stage 3 — /standup-facilitate (Wednesday, 11:30am)

Input: standup prep sheet + live notes

Standup notes — Wed June 11, 11:34am

Status changes:

  • Rashid: schema mismatch is a workaround candidate (can stub appointment history for demo, real fix in Sprint 5) — risk reduced
  • Yoon: confirmed QA can cover a demographics + patient-search only demo scope; no gaps

Decisions made:

  • Friday demo scoped to demographics + patient search; eligibility deferred to Sprint 5 unless creds arrive by Thursday noon
  • Appointment schema sync scheduled: today 2pm, Rashid + Devika + Priya

Action items:

OwnerActionDue
PriyaSecond escalation to Tom on API credentialsToday by 1pm
PriyaConfirm revised demo scope with TomToday by 3pm
RashidDeliver schema proposal ahead of 2pm syncToday by 1:30pm
YoonUpdate QA test plan for revised demo scopeEOD Wed

Not discussed from prep sheet:

  • Sprint 4 overall pace — carry to Thursday standup or async

Before generating client summary — confirming:

  • Audience: Tom Vreeland, Meridian IT Director
  • Iteration context: Sprint 4 of 8, Day 3, goal is eligibility + demographics integration
  • Client-action blockers: Yes — API credentials outstanding, Day 5, now affecting Friday demo scope

Stage 4 — /client-standup-summary (Wednesday, ~12:05pm)

Draft Slack message → Tom Vreeland


Meridian Integration — Daily Update | Wed June 11

Good progress to share, plus one item that needs your attention before end of day.

Done:

  • Patient demographics and search are fully integrated and QA-verified ✅
  • Friday demo is on track — scoped to demographics + patient search

In progress:

  • Appointment history schema sync happening at 2pm today; on track for Sprint 4

Needs your action — API credentials (flagging again): We've been waiting on sandbox credentials for the insurance eligibility endpoint since last Thursday (Day 5). Without them by Thursday at noon, eligibility won't be in Friday's demo. I've adjusted the demo scope to protect the timeline, but wanted to make sure you had visibility on the dependency.

Can you help move this on your end? Happy to jump on a 10-minute call if that's easier.

Friday demo: Confirmed for 2pm. Walk-through will cover patient demographics, search, and HL7 mapping. Eligibility to follow in Sprint 5.

— Priya


Loop wiring summary

day-close-2025-06-10.md
        |
        +--> standup-prep (auto-loaded, no paste needed)
                |
                +--> standup-facilitate (prep sheet as context)
                            |
                            +--> client-standup-summary (Tom / Slack)

Total time across the day: ~12 minutes Highest-value habit this engagement: Running /daily-wrapup consistently — the API credential delay would have been easy to lose across sprint noise without the carry-forward capture.

Monday note: Next Monday, run /week-opener before standup-prep — Sprint 4 midpoint warrants a cross-engagement pace check before Week 2 begins.