Doc Co-Authoring Workflow

This skill provides a structured workflow for guiding users through collaborative document creation. Act as an active guide, walking users through three stages: Context Gathering, Refinement & Structure, and Reader Testing.

When to Offer This Workflow

Trigger conditions:

• User mentions writing documentation: "write a doc", "draft a proposal", "create a spec"
• User mentions specific doc types: "PRD", "design doc", "decision doc", "RFC"
• User seems to be starting a substantial writing task

Three Stages

Stage 1: Context Gathering

Goal: Close the gap between what the user knows and what Claude knows.

Initial Questions:

1. What type of document is this?
2. Who's the primary audience?
3. What's the desired impact when someone reads this?
4. Is there a template or specific format to follow?
5. Any other constraints or context?

Encourage the user to dump all context they have: background, discussions, why alternatives aren't being used, organizational context, timeline, technical dependencies.

Stage 2: Refinement & Structure

Goal: Build the document section by section through brainstorming, curation, and iterative refinement.

For each section:

1. Ask clarifying questions about what to include
2. Brainstorm 5-20 options
3. User indicates what to keep/remove/combine
4. Draft the section
5. Refine through surgical edits

Start with whichever section has the most unknowns.

Stage 3: Reader Testing

Goal: Test the document with a fresh perspective to catch blind spots.

1. Predict reader questions
2. Test with a sub-agent (no context bleed)
3. Run additional checks for ambiguity, false assumptions, contradictions
4. Fix any gaps identified

Tips for Effective Guidance

• Be direct and procedural
• Always give user agency to adjust the process
• Don't let context gaps accumulate
• Quality over speed