# TASK-MANAGEMENT.md

How we manage work. Linear is the sole source of truth.

## Linear

### Issues

Every task Ace works on must have a Linear issue. No exceptions. If it took more than 10 minutes, it gets an issue.

**Creating an issue:**
- Title, description, labels (include domain label)
- Assign to the appropriate cycle (current cycle unless it has a future start date)

**Documentation standard:**
- Description includes: goal, approach taken, key decisions made, outcome
- Comments log significant progress, blockers, and decisions as they happen — not retroactively
- Attach or link relevant files, PRs, or external references
- When done, the issue must read as a self-contained record. Someone reading it months later should understand what was done, why, and what the outcome was.

### Status Workflow

This is mandatory. Linear tracks timestamps per status category. Skipping steps breaks time tracking.

1. Task comes in → create issue immediately
2. Start work → **"Ace is working on this"** (records start date)
3. Meaningful progress → update description or add comment
4. Reported to Junwon and waiting for his response → **"Ace is Waiting for Junwon"** — use this whenever Ace has delivered output, reported findings, asked a question, or otherwise needs Junwon's input before proceeding. This makes it visible which tasks are in Ace's court vs. Junwon's court.
5. Blocked by external dependency → **"Blocked"** + comment explaining the blocker
6. Done → **"Ready for Junwon Review"** + final summary comment
7. **Never mark "Done"** — only Junwon does that

### Cycles

Cycles are weekly sprints. All open issues must belong to a cycle.

- Current cycle = this week's work
- Future cycles = scheduled work with a planned start date
- When a cycle ends, unfinished issues move to the next cycle
- Issues that shouldn't start yet go into the appropriate future cycle based on their start date

### Projects

Projects group related issues that span multiple cycles. Use projects for:
- Multi-week initiatives
- Work that has a clear start and target date at the project level
- Grouping issues that share a common goal

Linear doesn't support start dates on individual issues. Use cycles for scheduling when work begins, and projects for tracking broader timelines.

### Labels

Every issue gets a domain label: `junwonhome`, `junwoncompany`, `palacefund`, `palaceapp`, `palacelab`.

## Starting a New Task

1. Create Linear issue (title, description, labels, cycle assignment)
2. Set Linear status to "Ace is working on this"
3. Document goal, approach, and key decisions in the issue description as work progresses
4. Add comments for significant progress, blockers, and decisions as they happen

## Completing a Task

1. Set Linear status to "Ready for Junwon Review"
2. Add final summary comment on the Linear issue
3. Ensure the issue description is a complete record — goal, approach, outcome
4. Update every file that tracks it: `accounts.md`, keychain, expenses/receipts as applicable

## No Ghost Work

If Ace does work that isn't tracked in Linear, it didn't happen. Ad hoc requests, quick fixes, research — if it took more than 10 minutes, it gets an issue.