home / skills / abdullahbeam / nexus-design-abdullah / learn-projects

This skill helps you understand how Nexus projects work, including when to use projects versus skills and their lifecycle.

npx playbooks add skill abdullahbeam/nexus-design-abdullah --skill learn-projects

Review the files below or copy the command above to add this skill to your agents.

Files (2)
SKILL.md
4.6 KB
---
name: learn-projects
description: "Learn how Nexus projects work. Load when user mentions: learn projects, how do projects work, projects vs skills, project tutorial, what is a project, project structure, project lifecycle, understand projects, explain projects. 8-10 min."
onboarding: true
priority: high
---

## 🎯 AI Proactive Triggering (ONBOARDING SKILL)

**This is an ONBOARDING skill with HIGH PRIORITY for proactive suggestion.**

### When to Proactively Suggest (AI MUST check user-config.yaml)

Check `learning_tracker.completed.learn_projects` in user-config.yaml. If `false`:

**PROACTIVELY SUGGEST when user:**
1. Says "create project" for the FIRST TIME (suggest learning before creating)
2. Describes work that sounds like a project (deliverable, deadline, finite work)
3. Asks about organizing work, tracking progress, or managing tasks
4. Expresses confusion about projects vs skills
5. Starts creating multiple similar "projects" (anti-pattern detection)
6. At the END of setup-goals or setup-workspace (natural next step)
7. When displaying the Nexus menu and `total_projects = 0`

**Suggestion Pattern:**
```
πŸ’‘ Before creating your first project, would you like a quick 8-minute tutorial
on how Nexus projects work? It covers:
- When to use projects vs skills
- Project structure and lifecycle
- How to track progress effectively

Say 'learn projects' to start, or 'skip' to create your project directly.
```

**DO NOT suggest if:**
- `learning_tracker.completed.learn_projects: true`
- User explicitly says "just create the project" or "skip tutorial"
- User has already created projects successfully

---

# Learn Projects

Teach how Nexus projects work through examples and decision framework.

## Purpose

Help user understand when to create projects vs skills, how projects are structured, and the project lifecycle. Uses concrete examples before abstract concepts.

**Time Estimate**: 8-10 minutes

---

## Workflow

### Step 1: Concrete Examples

Show what IS and ISN'T a project:
```
βœ… PROJECTS:
- Build client proposal for Acme Corp
- Research competitors and write analysis
- Create onboarding docs for new hires

❌ NOT PROJECTS (these are skills):
- Generate weekly status reports (repeating)
- Qualify incoming leads (repeating)
- Format documents (repeating)

Pattern: Projects END. Skills REPEAT.
```

**Ask**: "What work are YOU planning? Let's classify it."

---

### Step 2: Decision Framework

```
Question 1: Direction or Work?
  β€’ Direction = Goal (goals.md)
  β€’ Work = Project or Skill

Question 2: Does it repeat?
  β€’ NO β†’ PROJECT (has endpoint)
  β€’ YES β†’ SKILL (reusable)

ANTI-PATTERN:
❌ "weekly-report-week-1", "weekly-report-week-2"...
βœ… ONE "weekly-report" SKILL used every week
```

---

### Step 3: Project Structure

```
πŸ“ 02-projects/05-client-proposal/
β”œβ”€β”€ 01-planning/
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ overview.md    # What & why
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ plan.md        # How
β”‚   └── steps.md       # Tasks (checkboxes)
β”œβ”€β”€ 02-resources/      # Reference materials
β”œβ”€β”€ 03-working/        # Work in progress
└── 04-outputs/        # Final deliverables
```

---

### Step 4: Lifecycle

```
PLANNING β†’ IN_PROGRESS β†’ COMPLETE β†’ ARCHIVED
```

Explain each state briefly.

---

### Step 5: Practice

**Ask**: "Tell me 3 things you're planning to work on."

For each: apply decision framework together, explain reasoning.

---

### Step 6: How to Create

```
To create a project, say:
β€’ "create project for [description]"
β€’ "new project: [name]"

Ready? Say "create project" to start one!
```

---

### Step 7: Finalize

**Actions** (MUST complete all):

1. **Mark skill complete** in user-config.yaml:
   ```yaml
   learning_tracker:
     completed:
       learn_projects: true  # ADD THIS LINE
   ```

2. **Display completion**:
   ```
   βœ… Learn Projects Complete!

   You now understand:
   β€’ Projects vs Skills (projects END, skills REPEAT)
   β€’ Decision framework (Direction β†’ Work β†’ Repeat?)
   β€’ Project structure (planning β†’ resources β†’ working β†’ outputs)
   β€’ Lifecycle states (PLANNING β†’ IN_PROGRESS β†’ COMPLETE)

   Next steps:
   β€’ 'create project' - Start your first project
   β€’ 'learn skills' - Learn about reusable workflows
   β€’ 'learn nexus' - System mastery
   ```

3. **Prompt close-session**:
   ```
   πŸ’‘ When you're done working, say "done" to save progress.
   ```

---

## Success Criteria

- [ ] User understands project vs skill distinction
- [ ] User can apply decision framework
- [ ] User knows project folder structure
- [ ] User understands lifecycle states
- [ ] `learning_tracker.completed.learn_projects: true` in user-config.yaml

Overview

This skill teaches how Nexus projects work in a focused 8–10 minute tutorial. It explains when to create a project versus a reusable skill, shows a practical project folder structure, and walks through the project lifecycle. The goal is that you can classify work, create a project correctly, and track progress.

How this skill works

The tutorial uses concrete examples first, then introduces a simple decision framework to classify work as a project or a skill. It outlines a recommended project directory layout and the four lifecycle states (PLANNING β†’ IN_PROGRESS β†’ COMPLETE β†’ ARCHIVED). Finally, it practices classification with your own planned work and provides exact phrases to create a project and mark the lesson complete in your learning tracker.

When to use it

  • Before creating your first project or when asked to 'learn projects'
  • When you’re unsure if a task should be a one-off project or a repeating skill
  • If you describe work with a deadline, deliverable, or finite scope
  • When you start creating many similar projects (anti-pattern detection)
  • At the end of setup or workspace configuration as a natural next step

Best practices

  • Ask: Does this work end? If yes β†’ project; if it repeats β†’ skill
  • Keep one reusable skill for repeating work instead of many similar projects
  • Use the recommended folder structure: planning, resources, working, outputs
  • Move projects through PLANNING β†’ IN_PROGRESS β†’ COMPLETE β†’ ARCHIVED
  • Name a project by outcome, not by date or week (avoid 'weekly-report-week-1')

Example use cases

  • Build client proposal for Acme Corp (project with deliverable)
  • Research competitors and write an analysis report (project with end)
  • Create onboarding docs for new hires (project with clear outputs)
  • Generate weekly status reports (should be a reusable skill, not many projects)
  • Qualify incoming leads (repeatable process β€” implement as a skill)

FAQ

How do I decide between a direction, project, or skill?

First decide if it’s a direction (a goal). If it’s work, ask if it repeats. Non-repeating work is a project; repeating work is a skill.

What folder structure should I use for a project?

Use 01-planning (overview, plan, steps), 02-resources, 03-working, and 04-outputs for final deliverables.

How do I mark the tutorial as complete?

Add learning_tracker.completed.learn_projects: true to your user-config.yaml and follow the completion prompt to finalize.