Handoff Skill

Generate structured materials for tasks the human does offline. Bridges the gap between "we need external evidence" and "here's exactly what to do and bring back."

When to Use

• When the Evidence Gate source ratio nudge fires (all evidence is desk-derived)
• When /diamond-progress identifies a need for external validation
• When the agent identifies an assumption that requires human contact to validate
• When the user asks "what should I do next offline?"
• Proactively: whenever a human-executable task is identified, offer to run /handoff before the user asks

Workflow

1. Identify the evidence gap:

   • Read active diamond state from diamonds/active.yml
   • Check canvas provenance for source_classes distribution
   • Identify which canvas sections lack external_human or external_data evidence
   • State the gap plainly: "We have [N] evidence sources but none from real conversations."

2. Determine task type:

   • interview -- structured conversation with a target user/stakeholder
   • observation -- watch someone use a competitor product or perform a task
   • survey -- collect structured responses from multiple people
   • usability_test -- test a prototype or concept with a real user
   • stakeholder_meeting -- align with a decision-maker or domain expert
   • experiential_research -- try a competitor product yourself with structured observation

3. Generate Task Brief:

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   ## Task Brief: [Objective in one sentence]
   
   **Type**: [interview/observation/survey/usability_test/stakeholder_meeting/experiential_research]
   **Diamond**: [diamond ID and name]
   **Evidence gap**: [which canvas section needs external evidence]
   **Priority**: [high/medium/low]
   
   ### Who to Talk To
   [Specific persona description or named contact if known.
   Include: role, context, why this person's perspective matters.]
   
   ### Key Questions (3-5, Torres-style)
   1. [Story-based, open-ended question -- "Tell me about the last time you..."]
   2. [Follow the energy -- "What was the hardest part of that?"]
   3. [Probe for JTBD -- "What were you trying to accomplish?"]
   4. [Uncover workarounds -- "How do you handle that today?"]
   5. [Emotional/social dimension -- "How did that make you feel?"]
   
   ### What NOT to Ask
   - [Leading question to avoid, e.g., "Don't you think X would be useful?"]
   - [Confirmation-seeking framing to avoid]
   - [Hypothetical future questions -- ask about past behavior instead]
   
   ### What to Observe (if applicable)
   - [Specific behaviors to watch for]
   - [Workarounds, friction points, emotional reactions]
   
   ### Success Criteria
   [What constitutes a useful conversation, e.g.,
   "Learned at least one unexpected JTBD" or
   "Found a workaround we hadn't considered"]
   

4. Generate Capture Template (phone-friendly, plain text):

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   ---
   CAPTURE: [task objective]
   ---
   Date:
   Person (role, not name):
   Context (how do they relate to the problem):
   
   Key quotes (verbatim if possible):
   -
   -
   
   Surprising finding (anything you didn't expect):
   
   JTBD signals:
     Functional (what they're trying to do):
     Emotional (how they feel about it):
     Social (how others perceive them):
   
   Workarounds they use today:
   
   Contradicts our assumptions? (yes/no, which one):
   
   Follow-up needed? (yes/no, what):
   ---
   

5. Write to canvas/human-tasks.yml:

   • Add a pending_tasks entry with all fields populated
   • Set status: pending
   • Link to the relevant canvas section via canvas_refs

6. Tell the user what to bring back: "When you've completed this, run /log-evidence to record your findings. I'll update the canvas and recalculate confidence. Bring back:

   • Your filled capture template(s)
   • Any screenshots or artifacts
   • Your overall impression in a sentence or two"

Canvas Output

• Writes to: canvas/human-tasks.yml (pending_tasks section)
• References: whatever canvas section has the evidence gap

Theory Citations

• Torres (Continuous Discovery Habits): Story-based interview questions, weekly touchpoints
• Christensen (JTBD): Functional, emotional, social dimensions in capture template
• Shotton/Kahneman: Bias-aware question design (avoid leading, confirmation-seeking)
• Meza: Systemic bias diagnosis -- structured handoff addresses the motivation gap for external evidence