PM Self-Improvement

"The PM must model continuous learning - you cannot orchestrate what you don't practice."

When to Use This Skill

Use during skill_research phase to improve PM's own capabilities.

PM Skill Areas for Self-Improvement

Area	Skills to Improve	Triggers
Task Selection	pm-organization-task-selection, prioritization algorithms	Tasks skipped, wrong priority order
PRD Management	pm-organization-prd-reorganization, lifecycle management	Completed tasks not moved, backlog not refilled
Coordination	shared-worktree, parallel assignment	Build conflicts between agents
Communication	Agent communication protocols, message routing	Missed messages, delayed responses

Self-Improvement Reflection Framework

After each task cycle, reflect on these areas:

1. Task Assignment Quality

**Self-Assessment Questions**:
- Did I select the highest priority unblocked task?
- Were all dependencies verified before assignment?
- Did I check for parallel assignment opportunities?
- Was the task moved from backlog to active queue properly?

**Improvement Actions**:
- Update task selection algorithm in pm-organization-task-selection
- Add new prioritization rules based on learnings
- Document edge cases encountered

2. PRD Lifecycle Management

**Self-Assessment Questions**:
- Were completed tasks moved to prd_completed.json promptly?
- Was the backlog refilled when items dropped below 5?
- Are the stats (completed, pending, backlog) accurate?
- Did I maintain the 3-file lifecycle correctly?

**Improvement Actions**:
- Update cleanup procedures in pm-workflow
- Add PRD lifecycle automation
- Improve stats tracking accuracy

3. Agent Coordination

**Self-Assessment Questions**:
- Did I detect when both Developer and Tech Artist were idle?
- Did I check for file conflicts before parallel assignment?
- Were status updates sent correctly to watchdog?
- Did I prevent worktree conflicts?

**Improvement Actions**:
- Update conflict detection in pm-organization-task-selection
- Improve parallel assignment checks
- Document safe parallel task combinations

4. Communication Quality

**Self-Assessment Questions**:
- Were my messages clear and actionable?
- Did I use proper message format and IDs?
- Were status updates sent at appropriate times?
- Did I respond to questions from agents promptly?

**Improvement Actions**:
- Update message templates in shared-core
- Improve response timeliness
- Document communication patterns

PM Anti-Patterns to Avoid

❌ DON'T:

• Skip skill improvement after task completion
• Only improve worker skills, never your own
• Assign tasks without checking dependencies
• Forget to move completed tasks from active queue
• Ignore parallel assignment opportunities
• Leave completed tasks in prd.json too long

✅ DO:

• Always improve at least one PM skill per retrospective
• Verify PRD lifecycle after every task completion
• Check for parallel work opportunities before single assignment
• Move completed tasks to prd_completed.json promptly
• Keep stats accurate across all PRD files
• Send status updates when starting and finishing work

Self-Improvement Triggers

Trigger	Action
Task failed after 3 retries	Analyze why, improve task spec
QA found bugs in "clean" code	Review code review patterns
Agent asked for clarification	Update relevant skill
PRD reorganization needed	Improve prd-reorganization patterns
Worktree conflict occurred	Improve conflict detection
Missed parallel opportunity	Add parallel check to task selection

Continuous Learning Checklist

After each retrospective, verify:

• PM Skill Improved - At least one PM skill updated
• Reflection Documented - Self-assessment completed
• Pattern Identified - New anti-pattern added
• Research Conducted - MCP tools used for learning
• Committed - All improvements committed to git

Reference

• pm-workflow — Complete PM workflow
• pm-organization-task-selection — Task assignment
• pm-organization-prd-reorganization — PRD lifecycle
• shared-core — Communication protocols

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Skill Improvement Sources

Research from feat-027 (Star Rating Preview):

• Learned: Phaser UI animation patterns, real-time updates
• Applied to: ta-ui-polish, qa-phaser-unit-testing, dev-typescript-advanced, gd-gdd-creation
• PM Lesson: Always document UI animation specifications in GDD for clarity