Advisor Update Writer

Write concise research updates that help an advisor, mentor, collaborator, or lab audience make decisions.

Use this skill when:

• the user needs a weekly update, advisor email, lab update, meeting memo, or collaborator status note
• experiment results, writing progress, reviewer risks, or implementation blockers need to be summarized
• the update should ask for a decision, feedback, resources, compute, paper-positioning advice, or priority choice
• project memory should be turned into a human-readable progress report
• several feedback loops need to be reconciled: algorithm, experiments, writing, review, rebuttal, artifact, or release

Do not use this skill for a full experiment report. Use experiment-report-writer when the main artifact is a detailed technical report. Use this skill when the main artifact is a decision-oriented communication.

Pair this skill with:

• research-project-memory to recover current status, decisions, claims, evidence, risks, and actions
• experiment-report-writer when detailed experiment evidence needs a source report
• figure-results-review when plots or tables will be shown to an advisor
• result-diagnosis when negative or ambiguous results need a decision
• paper-positioning-planner when the update asks for paper-story or target-venue feedback
• paper-evidence-board when writing and experiment gaps need a synchronized action list
• work-timeline-planner when the update needs retrospective timeline evidence

Skill Directory Layout

<installed-skill-dir>/
├── SKILL.md
└── references/
    ├── decision-framing.md
    ├── memory-writeback.md
    └── update-template.md

Progressive Loading

• Always read references/decision-framing.md and references/update-template.md before drafting a saved or high-stakes update.
• Read references/memory-writeback.md when the update creates decisions, actions, or durable feedback that should persist.

Core Principles

• Start with the decision-relevant delta since the last update.
• Separate facts, interpretation, risks, and asks.
• Do not bury the request. Make the advisor's needed input explicit.
• Compress raw experiment detail into evidence and implications; link to detailed reports when needed.
• Include negative results when they change the project decision.
• Turn feedback into actions and memory updates after the meeting or response.
• Match the audience: advisor updates are direct and decision-heavy; lab updates need more context; collaborator notes need ownership and handoff.

Step 1 - Classify the Update

Choose the mode:

• weekly: progress since last update, current blockers, next week plan
• decision: options, evidence, recommendation, explicit ask
• meeting: agenda, discussion points, decisions needed, notes after meeting
• email: concise message with context, status, ask, and attachments
• lab: broader context, key result, what the audience should remember

Identify:

• audience and expected length
• deadline or meeting time
• project phase
• key evidence since last update
• unresolved decisions
• desired advisor action
• save path, if a file is requested

If saving and no path is given, use:

docs/updates/advisor_update_YYYY-MM-DD.md

Step 2 - Gather Current State

Prefer project memory when available, then primary files.

Look for:

• memory/current-status.md
• memory/decision-log.md
• memory/claim-board.md
• memory/evidence-board.md
• memory/risk-board.md
• memory/action-board.md
• experiment reports, paper drafts, reviewer notes, rebuttal notes, and recent git commits

Extract:

• what changed
• what evidence supports the change
• what failed or remains uncertain
• what decision is now required
• what the user recommends
• what happens next

Step 3 - Frame the Decision

Read references/decision-framing.md.

For each decision, produce:

• decision question
• options
• evidence for and against each option
• risks if delayed
• recommended option
• exact advisor ask
• next action after a yes/no/alternative answer

If there is no decision needed, frame the update around progress, risks, and next actions.

Step 4 - Draft the Update

Read references/update-template.md.

Default structure:

• one-line status
• key progress
• evidence and interpretation
• blockers or risks
• decision/ask
• next actions

For email, make the first paragraph enough to answer "what do you need from me?"

For meeting notes, include both agenda and post-meeting decisions if the meeting has already happened.

Step 5 - Check the Update

Before finalizing:

• every important claim has evidence or is marked as interpretation
• the ask is explicit
• blockers have owners or proposed next steps
• negative results are not hidden if they affect direction
• the update is short enough for the audience
• attachments or links are named
• any decisions or feedback are ready for memory writeback

Step 6 - Write Back After Feedback

Read references/memory-writeback.md when memory exists.

Update decisions, actions, risks, and status after the advisor responds or after meeting notes are finalized.