/pair-capability-assess-pm — PM Tool Assessment

Evaluate and decide on the project management tool. Follows the resolution cascade. After decision, delegates actual tool configuration to /pair-capability-setup-pm.

Arguments

Argument	Required	Description
$choice	No	Override: skip assessment, use this PM tool directly (e.g. github, filesystem)

Composed Skills

Skill	Type	Required
/pair-capability-record-decision	Capability	Yes — records PM tool decision as ADL
/pair-capability-setup-pm	Capability	Optional — delegates tool configuration if installed

Proposal Target

The rendered adoption content is destined for this section — the caller (or /pair-capability-setup-pm) writes it:

• Target: adoption/tech/way-of-working.md — PM tool section
• Ownership: PM tool section (shared file — /pair-capability-assess-methodology owns methodology section)

Adoption File

• Target: adoption/tech/way-of-working.md — PM tool section
• Ownership: PM tool section (shared file — /pair-capability-assess-methodology owns methodology section)

Algorithm

Step 1: Resolution Cascade

Path A — Argument Override

1. Check: Is $choice provided?
2. Skip: If not provided, go to Path B.
3. Act: Confirm the choice. Check for conflicts with existing adoption.
4. Verify: Developer confirms. Proceed to Step 3.

Path B — Adoption Exists

1. Check: Does adoption/tech/way-of-working.md contain a PM tool configuration?
2. Skip: If no PM tool defined, go to Path C.
3. Act: Read current PM adoption. Confirm it's valid.
4. Check: Does a corresponding decision record exist?
5. Act: If decision record missing, compose /pair-capability-record-decision to backfill.
6. Verify: Done — exit skill.

Path C — Full Assessment

1. Act: Proceed to Step 2.

Step 2: Read Guidelines

1. Act: Read PM tool guidelines:
   • PM Tool README — decision matrix, decision tree, cost-benefit analysis
   • Implementation guides for supported tools:
     • GitHub Implementation
     • Filesystem Implementation
2. Act: Read project context:
   • adoption/product/PRD.md — team size, collaboration needs
   • adoption/tech/way-of-working.md — methodology (PM tool should support it)
3. Verify: Guidelines and context loaded.

Step 3: Evaluate Options

1. Act: Apply the PM Tool Decision Matrix from guidelines:

   • Score tools on: Team Size, Complexity, Integration, Cost, Learning Curve, Customization, Reporting, Mobile Support.
   • Apply the Decision Tree for quick validation.

2. Act: Present recommendation:

   PM Tool Recommendation: [Name]

   • Score: [weighted total]
   • Rationale: [evidence from project context]
   • Implementation guide: [available | not available]
   • Cost: [free | paid — details]

3. Act: If tool has no implementation guide, warn:

   No implementation guide available for [tool]. Setup will be manual.

4. Verify: Developer approves.

Step 4: Delegate Setup or Write Adoption

1. Check: Is /pair-capability-setup-pm installed?
2. Act (installed): Compose /pair-capability-setup-pm with $tool: [chosen tool]. /pair-capability-setup-pm handles adoption update and decision recording. Done — exit skill.
3. Act (not installed): Write PM tool section in way-of-working.md directly:
   • Tool name
   • Workflow methodology integration
   • Access method (MCP, CLI, filesystem)
   • Preserve all other sections
4. Verify: PM tool section written.

Step 5: Record Decision (only if /pair-capability-setup-pm not invoked)

1. Check: Was /pair-capability-setup-pm composed in Step 4? If yes, it already recorded the decision — skip.
2. Act: Compose /pair-capability-record-decision:
   • $type: non-architectural
   • $topic: pm-tool-choice
   • $summary: "[Tool] adopted for project management"
3. Verify: ADL created. Adoption consistent.

Output Format

ASSESSMENT COMPLETE:
├── Domain:    Project Management
├── Path:      [Argument Override | Adoption Exists | Full Assessment]
├── Decision:  [tool name]
├── Adoption:  [way-of-working.md PM section — written | confirmed | delegated to /pair-capability-setup-pm]
├── Record:    [ADL path — created | exists | delegated to /pair-capability-setup-pm]
└── Status:    [Complete | Confirmed existing | Delegated]

Composition Interface

When composed by /pair-process-bootstrap:

• Input: /pair-process-bootstrap invokes during Phase 2 (checklist completion). May pass $choice.
• Output: Returns decision summary. If /pair-capability-setup-pm was composed, returns its output.

When invoked independently:

• Full interactive flow. Developer commits changes.

Edge Cases

• way-of-working.md exists but no PM section: Add PM section, preserve all other content.
• Tool without implementation guide: Write adoption but warn about manual setup.
• Multiple PM tools needed: Not supported — one tool per project. Document primary tool.

Graceful Degradation

• If PM tool guidelines not found, use minimal assessment: ask developer for tool preference.
• If /pair-capability-setup-pm not installed, write adoption directly (no tool-specific configuration).
• If /pair-capability-record-decision not installed, warn and skip recording.

Notes

• PM tool decisions are non-architectural → produce ADL.
• Section ownership: this skill writes ONLY PM tool content in way-of-working.md.
• Delegation pattern: /pair-capability-assess-pm decides WHICH tool, /pair-capability-setup-pm configures it. If /pair-capability-setup-pm is installed, it handles both adoption write and decision recording.
• Educational content (tool descriptions, integration details) stays in guidelines.