pm-ralph

Runtime Configuration (Step 0)

Read ops/derivation-manifest.md for vocabulary. Read self/goals.md for active threads to update.

EXECUTE NOW

Target: $ARGUMENTS

Parse immediately:

• If empty: capture the current session with auto-detection of what happened
• If summary text provided: use that text as the session summary (skip auto-detection)

START NOW.

Philosophy

Sessions without capture are sessions that never happened — for the next session.

The Orient phase at session start reads self/goals.md and ops/reminders.md. If the end-of-session capture was skipped, the next session starts with stale goals and no record of what was accomplished. Over multiple sessions, this compounds: the PM agent loses track of which threads are progressing, which are stalled, and what was decided.

/pm-ralph is the closing ritual. It is fast — 5-10 minutes — and it prevents the most common PM system failure: context loss at session boundaries.

The name "ralph" is not an acronym. It refers to the habit of tidying a workspace before leaving: putting tools back where they belong, updating the status board, leaving notes for the next shift. In a PM system, that means: session notes written, goals updated, queue status current, and one line in the health log.

What Gets Captured

1. Session Summary

A brief narrative of what happened this session:

• Which teams were deployed? With what mandate?
• What deliverables were received and processed?
• What decisions were created or updated?
• What was rejected and why?
• What remains incomplete?

2. Goals Update

Read self/goals.md. For each active thread:

• Did this session make progress? Update the thread.
• Was the thread completed? Mark complete, move to "Deferred" or remove.
• Did a new thread emerge? Add it.
• Was a thread stalled? Note the stall and reason.

3. Health Update

If this session involved sprint work with health metrics, add a line to ops/health/health-log.md.

4. Queue Update

Update queue.json with any pipeline state changes from this session.

5. Reminders Update

If any new standing directives emerged from this session (e.g., new enforcement rule, new team pattern), add to ops/reminders.md.

Session Note Format

---
date: YYYY-MM-DD
session_number: N
health_at_session_start: N/100
health_at_session_end: N/100
teams_deployed: []
decisions_created: []
decisions_updated: []
---

# Session N — YYYY-MM-DD

## What Happened

[2-4 sentences: what was the work, what teams ran, what was the outcome]

## Decisions Created

- [[decision-a]] — [one-line description]
- [[decision-b]] — [one-line description]

## Validation Status

- Validation block embedded in agent prompts: YES / NO
- Deliverables with full CLAIM/SOURCE/VALIDATION: N/N
- Deliverables rejected: N

## Open Threads Carried Forward

- [Thread A] — [where it stands]
- [Thread B] — [where it stands]

## Next Session Should Start With

[One specific recommendation for the next session's first action]

Workflow

1. Auto-Detect Session Activity

# Find recently modified files to understand session scope
ls -lt decisions/ | head -20
ls -lt ops/observations/ | head -5
ls -lt ops/tensions/ | head -5

2. Draft Session Summary

Based on file modifications and conversation context, draft the session note.

3. Update Goals

Read self/goals.md. For each thread, determine the updated state and edit accordingly.

4. Write Session Note

Write to ops/sessions/session-YYYY-MM-DD.md using the session note format.

5. Update Health Log

# Append to health log if health changed this session
echo "| Sprint N | [before] | [after] | +N | [key change] |" >> ops/health/health-log.md

6. Confirm Completion

## Session Captured

Session note: ops/sessions/session-YYYY-MM-DD.md
Goals updated: self/goals.md
Health log updated: [yes/no]
Queue updated: [yes/no]

Active threads carried forward: N
New threads opened: N
Threads completed: N

Next session recommendation: [/pm-command or action]