Establish the files used to track and manage progress.
/plugin marketplace add pborenstein/plinth/plugin install pborenstein-plinth@pborenstein/plinthThis skill inherits all available tools. When active, it can use any tool Claude has access to.
DOCUMENTATION-GUIDE.mdtemplates/chronicle-entry-template.mdtemplates/decision-table-row-template.mdtemplates/decision-template.mdThis skill establishes a four-file documentation tracking system for software projects.
DOCUMENTATION-GUIDE.md describes the project tracking documentation system.
Run these commands to understand the codebase:
# Full git history
git log --all --oneline --decorate
# Identify major refactors/features
git log --all --oneline --grep="refactor\|feat\|major"
# Check existing documentation
find . -name "*.md" -type f | grep -v node_modules
# Review changelog if exists
cat CHANGELOG.md
# Get commit count and timeline
git log --oneline | wc -l
git log --reverse --format="%ai %s" | head -5
git log --format="%ai %s" | head -5
Look for natural breakpoints:
Good phase boundaries:
Aim for 3-6 phases for most projects:
Example phase progressions:
Use TodoWrite to track:
1. Create docs/IMPLEMENTATION.md
2. Create docs/CHRONICLES.md
3. Create docs/DECISIONS.md
4. Create docs/chronicles/ directory
5. Create chronicle files for each phase
6. Update docs/README.md (if exists)
For existing projects:
Template sections:
For existing projects:
Keep it brief: This is navigation, not content
For existing projects:
Decision Categories to look for:
For existing projects (retroactive entries):
Balance detail vs. effort:
Older phases (completed long ago):
Recent phases (last 3-6 months):
Current phase:
Retroactive entry format:
## Entry N: [Phase Name] - [Brief Description] (YYYY-MM-DD)
**Context**: Why this phase happened
### The Problem
[What drove this work]
### The Solution
[What was built - high level]
### Implementation Details
[Key changes - bullet points fine for retroactive]
### Key Decisions
[Extract major decisions - link to DECISIONS.md]
---
**Entry created**: YYYY-MM-DD (retroactive documentation)
**Author**: [Original author if known], [Your name] documenting
**Type**: [Phase Summary/Feature/Refactor]
**Impact**: HIGH/MEDIUM/LOW
**Commits**: [commit range]
**Decision IDs**: DEC-XXX, DEC-YYY
**Note**: This entry was documented retroactively based on [git history/changelog/code inspection].
Commands to find decisions:
# Search commit messages
git log --all --grep="decide\|choose\|vs\|instead\|alternative" --oneline
# Find architectural changes
git log --all --grep="refactor\|architecture\|structure" --oneline
# Check for design docs
find . -name "*DESIGN*" -o -name "*ARCHITECTURE*" -o -name "*ADR*"
# Look for configuration choices
git log --all --grep="config\|yaml\|json\|toml" --oneline
In code, look for:
If project has docs/README.md or similar:
| File | Target Size | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| IMPLEMENTATION.md | 800-1000 lines | Fast session pickup |
| CHRONICLES.md | 150-200 lines | Navigation only |
| DECISIONS.md | Grows naturally | One row per decision |
| chronicles/phase-X.md | No limit | Permanent record |
❌ Don't: Try to document every commit ✅ Do: Document major milestones and decisions
❌ Don't: Create 20+ phases for a 2-year project ✅ Do: Aim for 3-6 meaningful phases
❌ Don't: Write novel-length retroactive entries ✅ Do: Write summaries with links to code/commits
❌ Don't: Document every decision ever made ✅ Do: Focus on architectural decisions still relevant
❌ Don't: Spend weeks on retroactive docs ✅ Do: Spend 2-4 hours, then track going forward
After setup, you should have:
After setup, summarize:
See template files for detailed formats: