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Quick facts

Classification: Utility | Version: 1.0.0 | Category: coordination | License: Apache-2.0

Try it: /pm-skill-builder "Your context here"

PM Skill Builder

This skill creates new PM skills for the pm-skills library. It produces a Skill Implementation Packet — a complete design document with draft files — in a staging area for review before promotion to canonical locations.

When to Use

  • When you have an idea for a new PM skill
  • When you want to add a domain skill (phase-specific), foundation skill (cross-cutting), or utility skill (meta/tooling) to the pm-skills library
  • When a contributor needs guided skill creation that follows repo conventions

When NOT to Use

  • To modify an existing skill → use a future validation/iteration utility (planned)
  • To create a skill for a non-pm-skills context → use a general agent skill builder (planned)
  • To create a workflow → workflows are authored directly, not via this builder

How to Use

Use the /pm-skill-builder slash command:

/pm-skill-builder "Your context here"

Or reference the skill file directly: skills/utility-pm-skill-builder/SKILL.md

Instructions

When asked to create a new PM skill, follow these steps:

Step 1: Understand the Idea

Accept the idea in either form: - Problem-first: "What PM problem does this skill solve? Who runs into this problem, and what do they currently produce (or fail to produce)?" - Skill-first: "Describe the skill you want to create. What artifact does it produce? What PM activity does it support?"

Both entry points produce the same downstream flow. If the user provides one form, do not ask for the other — extract what you need and proceed.

If the idea is vague, ask ONE follow-up question to clarify the artifact type and target audience before proceeding.

Step 2: Gap Analysis

Check ALL existing skills for overlap. Use the Current Library Reference table below AND scan the skills/ directory for the latest inventory.

Present findings with specificity: - Name each overlapping skill and explain what it covers - Identify the specific gap this new skill would fill - If overlap is high, trigger the Why Gate (see below)

Why Gate (triggers when overlap is found): Ask the user: "Name 2-3 specific prompts or scenarios where the existing skills fail to produce what you need."

Kill Gate: If the user cannot articulate convincing gaps, recommend an alternative: - "Revise [existing skill] to cover this case" - "Create a workflow combining [skill A] + [skill B]" - "Add a command variant, not a new skill" - "This is a documentation improvement, not a new skill"

Do not proceed past the kill gate without either convincing evidence of a gap or explicit user override.

Step 3: Scope Check

Evaluate whether the idea should be ONE skill or MULTIPLE skills.

Splitting signals: - The idea produces multiple distinct artifact types - The idea crosses Triple Diamond phases (e.g., Discover + Deliver) - The description naturally contains "and" connecting two activities

If splitting is warranted, present the recommendation: "This seems to cover two distinct PM activities: 1. [Activity A] → produces [Artifact A] 2. [Activity B] → produces [Artifact B] These work better as separate skills that can be chained via a workflow. Want to proceed with just [Activity A] for now?"

Step 4: Classification + Repo-Fit

Determine the skill's classification and naming:

Domain skills (phase-specific PM activities): - Phase: discover | define | develop | deliver | measure | iterate - Directory: {phase}-{skill-name} - Frontmatter: phase: {phase} (required), no classification field

Foundation skills (cross-cutting, used across phases): - No phase - Directory: foundation-{skill-name} - Frontmatter: classification: foundation (required), no phase field - Use when: the skill applies to multiple phases equally

Utility skills (meta-skills, repo tooling): - No phase - Directory: utility-{skill-name} - Frontmatter: classification: utility (required), no phase field - Use when: the skill operates on the repo, workflow, or other skills

Exemplar selection: Identify 1-2 existing skills that are the closest structural match: - Same phase > same category > similar artifact type - Read their SKILL.md to understand section structure, instruction style, output contract format, and quality checklist pattern - Name the exemplars explicitly: "Modeled after [skill] — same phase, [category] category"

Present the classification and exemplar selection for user confirmation.

Step 5: Generate Skill Implementation Packet

Produce the complete packet using references/TEMPLATE.md as the format. The packet includes:

  1. Decision — recommendation + Why Gate evidence (if applicable)
  2. Classification — type, phase (if domain), category, directory name
  3. Overlap Analysis — what was found, why this skill is still needed
  4. Quality Forecast — K/P/C/W zone distribution + writing guidance:
  5. Knowledge-heavy (≥35% K): reference frameworks, include When to Use
  6. Process-heavy (≥35% P): numbered steps, prescriptive, clear I/O per step
  7. Constraint-heavy (≥35% C): MUST/SHOULD/MUST NOT rules, separate section
  8. Wisdom-heavy (≥25% W): reflective questions, guide thinking
  9. Exemplar Skills — which existing skills modeled, why
  10. Draft Frontmatter — complete, valid YAML block
  11. Draft SKILL.md — full content (not an outline), mirroring exemplar structure
  12. Draft TEMPLATE.md — section headers with guidance comments
  13. Draft EXAMPLE.md — complete, realistic example (150-300 lines) with a specific PM scenario, every section filled, optional sections demonstrated both filled and skipped
  14. Draft Command — command frontmatter
  15. AGENTS.md Entry — exact text to add
  16. Validation Checklist — all CI rules checked against the draft
  17. Next Steps — local CI, testing, contribution workflow

Step 6: Write to Staging Area

Write all generated files to the staging area:

_staging/pm-skill-builder/{skill-name}/
├── SKILL.md               ← draft skill file
├── references/
│   ├── TEMPLATE.md        ← draft template
│   └── EXAMPLE.md         ← draft example
└── command.md             ← draft command

Note: _staging/ is gitignored — draft artifacts never ship in releases. The staging folder is discarded after promotion.

Report what was written and where.

Step 7: Promote (on confirmation)

Ask: "Review the packet above. When ready, I'll promote the files to their canonical locations. Proceed? [yes/no]"

If yes, promote by copying each file from staging to its canonical path:

Staging file Canonical location
_staging/pm-skill-builder/{skill-name}/SKILL.md skills/{dir-name}/SKILL.md
_staging/pm-skill-builder/{skill-name}/references/TEMPLATE.md skills/{dir-name}/references/TEMPLATE.md
_staging/pm-skill-builder/{skill-name}/references/EXAMPLE.md skills/{dir-name}/references/EXAMPLE.md
_staging/pm-skill-builder/{skill-name}/command.md commands/{command-name}.md

Where {dir-name} is the classification-prefixed directory (e.g., deliver-change-communication).

Then: 1. Create the target directory: skills/{dir-name}/references/ 2. Copy each file to its canonical location 3. Append the AGENTS.md entry from the packet 4. Run CI validation: bash scripts/lint-skills-frontmatter.sh && bash scripts/validate-agents-md.sh && bash scripts/validate-commands.sh 5. If validation passes, delete the staging folder: _staging/pm-skill-builder/{skill-name}/ 6. If validation fails, report the error and keep staging intact for fixes

Design rationale lives in the GitHub issue, PR, or effort brief — not in a permanent packet file.

Provide post-promotion guidance: - "Run CI locally: bash scripts/lint-skills-frontmatter.sh" - "Test the skill: try /{command-name} with a realistic scenario" - "If contributing: create a GitHub issue with the skill-proposal template, then open a PR"

Output Template

Skill Implementation Packet:

Created: {date} Builder version: 1.0.0 Status: Draft | Promoted | Abandoned

Decision

{Recommendation: create / revise existing / workflow / command / docs-only}

{Why Gate evidence if applicable — the 2-3 specific prompts or scenarios where existing skills fail}

Classification

Field Value
Type {domain / foundation / utility}
Phase {discover / define / develop / deliver / measure / iterate / n/a}
Category {specification / research / coordination / validation / reflection / ideation / problem-framing}
Directory {phase/classification}-{skill-name}
Command /{command-name}

Overlap Analysis

Existing skills checked

{List of skills reviewed during gap analysis}

Findings

{What was found — specific overlap and differentiation}

Why this skill is still needed

{The gap this skill fills that no existing skill covers}

Quality Forecast

Zone Distribution

Zone Weight Description
Knowledge (K) {0-100} {What domain knowledge this skill encodes}
Process (P) {0-100} {What workflow/steps this skill teaches}
Constraint (C) {0-100} {What rules/guardrails this skill enforces}
Wisdom (W) {0-100} {What judgment/reflection this skill develops}

Rule: Weights must sum to 100. Round to nearest 5. These are approximate guidance signals for writing style, not scored metrics.

Dominant zone: {zone} ({weight}%)

Writing Guidance

{Zone-specific guidance based on the dominant zone — see Quality Forecast Guide in SKILL.md for the mapping}

Exemplar Skills

Skill Why selected
{exemplar-1} {Same phase, similar category, closest structural match}
{exemplar-2} {Additional reference for a specific pattern}

Draft Frontmatter

<!-- PM-Skills | https://github.com/product-on-purpose/pm-skills | Apache 2.0 -->
---
name: {skill-name}
description: {20-100 word description on a single line — linter reads first line only}
phase: {phase}          # for domain skills only — omit for foundation/utility
classification: {type}  # for foundation/utility only — omit for domain
version: "1.0.0"
updated: {date}
license: Apache-2.0
metadata:
  category: {category}
  frameworks: [triple-diamond]
  author: product-on-purpose
---

Linter constraint: description: must be a single-line value (no >- or | folding). The linter extracts only the first line after the key using sed. Multiline YAML would capture the literal >- string and fail the 20-100 word check.

Draft SKILL.md

{Full draft content — not an outline. Includes: - Title and introductory paragraph - When to Use section - When NOT to Use section (if applicable) - Instructions (numbered steps) - Output Contract - Quality Checklist - Examples reference

Mirrors the section structure of the selected exemplar skill.}

Draft TEMPLATE.md

{Section headers with guidance comments for each section. Each section has: - A ## header - A brief instruction comment explaining what goes here - Placeholder structure showing the expected format}

Draft EXAMPLE.md

{A complete, realistic example — 150-300 lines. - Picks a specific PM scenario appropriate to the skill's domain - Fills every TEMPLATE.md section with concrete content - Demonstrates optional sections both filled and skipped - Shows what "good" looks like for ambiguous sections}

Draft Command

---
description: {One-line description of what the command does}
---

Use the `{skill-name}` skill to {primary action}.

Read the skill instructions from `skills/{directory-name}/SKILL.md` and follow them to {describe the task}.

Use `skills/{directory-name}/references/TEMPLATE.md` as the output format.

Context from user: $ARGUMENTS

Convention: Command files use only description: in frontmatter. No name, arguments, or skill_file fields. The optional idea argument is handled via $ARGUMENTS in the prose body, matching all existing commands.

AGENTS.md Entry

#### {skill-name}
**Path:** `skills/{directory-name}/SKILL.md`

{1-2 sentence description. Imperative verb start, use-case focus.}

---

Convention: Level-4 header (kebab-case skill name), **Path:** line, blank line, description paragraph, --- separator. No **Command:** field. Must pass validate-agents-md.sh which checks path ↔ directory sync.

Validation Checklist

CI Validation (must pass — enforced by linter + validators)

  • name matches directory name
  • description is 20-100 words (single-line, no >-)
  • version present (exactly one root-level, no metadata.version)
  • updated present (ISO date format)
  • license present (Apache-2.0)
  • Phase/classification consistency (domain has phase:, foundation/utility has classification:)
  • references/TEMPLATE.md exists with ≥3 ## sections
  • Command file references correct skill path (validate-commands.sh)
  • AGENTS.md entry uses #### {name} + **Path:** format (validate-agents-md.sh)

Quality Checks (should pass — builder-enforced, not CI-gated)

  • references/EXAMPLE.md is a complete artifact (150-300 lines), not an outline
  • Output contract present in SKILL.md
  • Quality checklist present in SKILL.md
  • Quality Forecast identifies dominant zone with writing guidance
  • Gap analysis checked all existing skills (not just same-phase)
  • Why Gate evidence is specific (names prompts/scenarios, not vague)

Next Steps

  1. Review: Read through the packet above. Flag any sections that need changes.
  2. Local CI: Run bash scripts/lint-skills-frontmatter.sh after promotion.
  3. Test: Try using /{command-name} with a realistic PM scenario.
  4. Contribute: If submitting to pm-skills, create a GitHub issue using the skill-proposal template, then open a PR with the promoted files.
  5. Iterate: Use the pm-skill iteration utility (when available) to refine based on testing feedback.

Example Output

Skill Implementation Packet: Change Communication

Skill Implementation Packet: Change Communication

Created: 2026-03-22 Builder version: 1.0.0 Status: Draft

Decision

Recommendation: Create new skill.

A mid-stage SaaS company needs a repeatable way to produce change management communications when shipping features that alter user workflows. Existing skills cover adjacent concerns (release notes for external announcements, launch checklists for cross-functional readiness) but nothing guides the actual writing of internal adoption-focused communications that help users understand what changed, why it matters, and what they need to do differently.

Classification

Field Value
Type domain
Phase deliver
Category coordination
Directory deliver-change-communication
Command /change-communication

Overlap Analysis

Existing skills checked

All 27 skills reviewed. Closest matches:

  • deliver-release-notes — produces external-facing release announcements
  • deliver-launch-checklist — tracks cross-functional launch readiness
  • deliver-user-stories — defines implementation requirements
  • discover-stakeholder-summary — maps stakeholder needs and influence

Findings

deliver-release-notes: Covers what shipped and why users should care, but targets external audiences (changelog readers, update-notification subscribers). Change communications target internal users, support teams, and account managers who need to understand workflow impact and guide adoption.

deliver-launch-checklist: Includes "communications sent" as a line item but does not guide what those communications should contain, how to structure them for different audiences, or how to sequence rollout messaging.

Why this skill is still needed

No existing skill produces the actual communication artifact — the email, Slack message, or internal knowledge-base update that tells affected users what changed, what they need to do differently, and where to get help. This is a distinct coordination artifact in the Deliver phase.

Quality Forecast

Zone Distribution

Zone Weight Description
Knowledge (K) 20 Change management principles, communication best practices
Process (P) 40 Step-by-step workflow from feature context to drafted communications
Constraint (C) 15 Audience segmentation rules, required sections, tone guidelines
Wisdom (W) 25 Judgment on what level of detail each audience needs, when to escalate

Dominant zone: Process (40%)

Writing Guidance

Process-heavy skill: use numbered steps with clear inputs and outputs at each stage. Be prescriptive about the workflow order (identify audiences → assess impact → draft per-audience messages → review). Include decision points where the PM must choose between communication approaches based on change severity.

Exemplar Skills

Skill Why selected
deliver-release-notes Same phase (deliver), same category (coordination), closest artifact type — both produce written communications about product changes
deliver-launch-checklist Same phase (deliver), different category — shows how to structure a multi-audience coordination artifact with checkpoints

Draft Frontmatter

<!-- PM-Skills | https://github.com/product-on-purpose/pm-skills | Apache 2.0 -->
---
name: deliver-change-communication
description: Creates targeted change management communications for feature launches that alter user workflows. Guides audience segmentation, impact assessment, message drafting, and rollout sequencing to drive adoption and reduce support burden for SaaS product changes.
phase: deliver
version: "1.0.0"
updated: 2026-03-22
license: Apache-2.0
metadata:
  category: coordination
  frameworks: [triple-diamond]
  author: product-on-purpose
---

Draft SKILL.md

Representative excerpt showing all section headers with sample content. A full implementation would expand each section to 5-15 lines.

# Change Communication

Change communication bridges the gap between shipping a feature and ensuring
affected users successfully adopt the new workflow.

## When to Use

- When a feature launch changes existing user workflows
- When multiple audience segments need different levels of detail
- When support teams need advance preparation for user questions

## Instructions

### Step 1: Identify the Change and Affected Audiences
Gather the feature context and segment audiences by impact level.

### Step 2: Assess Workflow Impact
Map before/after workflows for each audience segment.

### Step 3: Draft Per-Audience Messages
Write targeted communications using the template structure.

### Step 4: Plan Rollout Sequence
Determine timing and channels for each audience segment.

### Step 5: Review and Finalize
Verify completeness, tone, and accuracy with stakeholders.

## Output Contract

Use `references/TEMPLATE.md` to structure the output.

## Quality Checklist

- [ ] All affected audience segments are identified
- [ ] Before/after workflow changes are explicit
- [ ] Each message includes what changed, why, and what to do next
- [ ] Support enablement section is complete
- [ ] Rollout timing accounts for audience dependencies

## Examples

See `references/EXAMPLE.md` for a completed example.

Draft TEMPLATE.md

Representative excerpt with section headers and guidance comments.

# Change Communication: {Feature Name}

## Change Summary

> Describe the feature change in 2-3 sentences. Focus on what users will
> experience differently, not technical implementation details.

## Affected Audiences

> List each audience segment with their relationship to the change.

| Audience | Impact Level | Primary Channel |
|----------|-------------|-----------------|
| {segment} | High / Medium / Low | {email / Slack / in-app / KB article} |

## Workflow Impact Assessment

> For each audience, describe the before and after states.

### {Audience Segment}

**Before**: {current workflow}
**After**: {new workflow}
**Action required**: {what they need to do differently}

## Communications

### {Audience Segment} Message

> Draft the actual message content for this audience.

**Subject**: {email subject or message headline}
**Body**: {complete message text}

## Support Enablement

> What does the support team need to know to handle questions?

## Rollout Schedule

> When does each communication go out, relative to the launch?

| Audience | Timing | Channel | Owner |
|----------|--------|---------|-------|
| {segment} | {T-N days / launch day / T+N days} | {channel} | {person} |

Draft EXAMPLE.md

A complete example would demonstrate a change communication package for a realistic SaaS scenario — such as migrating a dashboard reporting interface from a legacy layout to a new design system. It would fill every template section with concrete content: three audience segments (power users, casual viewers, account administrators), before/after workflow descriptions, drafted messages per audience, a support FAQ, and a rollout timeline spanning T-5 through T+3 days. Target length: 150-300 lines.

Draft Command

---
description: Create change management communications for a feature launch
---

Use the `deliver-change-communication` skill to create targeted change communications.

Read the skill instructions from `skills/deliver-change-communication/SKILL.md` and follow them to guide the user through audience segmentation, impact assessment, and message drafting.

Use `skills/deliver-change-communication/references/TEMPLATE.md` as the output format.

Context from user: $ARGUMENTS

AGENTS.md Entry

#### change-communication
**Path:** `skills/deliver-change-communication/SKILL.md`

Creates targeted change management communications for feature launches that alter user workflows. Use when multiple audiences need different messages about what changed, why, and what to do next.

---

Validation Checklist

CI Validation

  • name matches directory name (deliver-change-communication)
  • description is 20-100 words (single-line) — 33 words
  • version present ("1.0.0")
  • updated present (2026-03-22)
  • license present (Apache-2.0)
  • Phase/classification: domain skill has phase: deliver, no classification: field
  • references/TEMPLATE.md has ≥3 ## sections (6 sections)
  • Command file references correct path (skills/deliver-change-communication/SKILL.md)
  • AGENTS.md entry uses #### change-communication + **Path:** format

Quality Checks

  • references/EXAMPLE.md will be a complete artifact (150-300 lines)
  • Output contract present in draft SKILL.md
  • Quality checklist present in draft SKILL.md
  • Quality Forecast identifies Process (40%) as dominant zone with writing guidance
  • Gap analysis checked all 27 existing skills
  • Why Gate not triggered (no high overlap — release-notes and launch-checklist serve different purposes)

Next Steps

  1. Review: Read through the packet above. Flag any sections that need changes.
  2. Local CI: Run bash scripts/lint-skills-frontmatter.sh after promotion.
  3. Test: Try using /change-communication with a realistic feature launch scenario.
  4. Contribute: If submitting to pm-skills, create a GitHub issue using the skill-proposal template, then open a PR with the promoted files.
  5. Iterate: Use the pm-skill iteration utility (when available) to refine based on testing feedback.

Quality Checklist

Before finalizing the packet, verify all items in both tiers:

CI Validation (must pass)

  • name matches directory name
  • Description is 20-100 words (single-line, no multiline YAML)
  • version, updated, license all present
  • Classification correct (domain → phase:, foundation/utility → classification:)
  • Directory name follows convention: {phase/classification}-{skill-name}
  • TEMPLATE.md has ≥3 ## sections
  • Command file references correct skill path
  • AGENTS.md entry uses #### + **Path:** format

Quality Checks (should pass)

  • Gap analysis checked all existing skills (not just same-phase)
  • Why Gate evidence is specific (names prompts/scenarios, not vague)
  • EXAMPLE.md is a complete artifact (150-300 lines), not an outline
  • Output contract is present in draft SKILL.md
  • Quality checklist is present in draft SKILL.md
  • Quality Forecast identifies dominant zone and provides writing guidance

Output Contract

The builder MUST produce draft files for the new skill: - SKILL.md — full skill instructions - references/TEMPLATE.md — output template with guidance comments - references/EXAMPLE.md — complete worked example (150-300 lines) - command.md — slash command file

All drafts are written to _staging/pm-skill-builder/{skill-name}/ (gitignored).

On promotion, files are copied to canonical locations, AGENTS.md is updated, and the staging folder is discarded.