Practitioner Research Skill

Evidence-based research methodology for longitudinal case studies with publication-ready output.

This skill captures Fabio's research approach: practitioner-first, evidence-grounded, visually rich methodology papers that bridge academic rigor with real-world applicability.

Core Philosophy

Principle	Description
Ship → Document → Promote	Research what you've done, not what you plan. Theory follows practice.
Visual Learning	Diagrams are primary evidence. Every architecture decision gets a Mermaid.
Structured Abstracts	Background, Objective, Method, Results, Contributions, Significance
Dual Audience	Part I: Universal Framework (any reader). Part II: Your Journey (case study)
Living Documents	Git-tracked, evolving with code. DRY—no duplicate content.

Research Workflow

Phase 1: Practice First (3-18 months)

%%{init: {'theme': 'base', 'themeVariables': { 'edgeLabelBackground': '#f6f8fa'}}}%%
flowchart LR
    P1["🚀 Ship Projects"] --> P2["📝 Capture Insights"] --> P3["🔍 Notice Patterns"]
    P3 --> P4["💡 Publication Potential"]
    
    style P1 fill:#e8f5e9,stroke:#2e7d32
    style P2 fill:#e3f2fd,stroke:#1565c0
    style P3 fill:#fff3e0,stroke:#ef6c00
    style P4 fill:#f3e5f5,stroke:#7b1fa2

• Work extensively in the domain (62 projects, 148 insights)
• Let patterns emerge through doing
• Global knowledge captures cross-project learnings
• Only write the paper AFTER the methodology is proven

Phase 2: Document Structure

The paper architecture follows this template:

1. Abstract (Structured)

   • Background: Problem context and gap
   • Objective: Research question
   • Method: What you did
   • Results: Key findings (quantified)
   • Contributions: Novel concepts introduced
   • Significance: Why it matters

2. Foundational Insight — Origin story, what sparked the research

3. Part I: Universal Framework — Generalizable principles anyone can use

4. Part II: Practitioner's Journey — Your specific implementation with evidence

5. Appendices — Raw data, project inventory, literature context

Phase 3: Evidence Collection

Evidence Type	Example	How to Collect
Quantitative metrics	4-6× acceleration, 148 insights	Track actual vs estimated time
Project inventory	62 projects with success ratings	Table with pattern codes
Root cause analysis	Anti-patterns and solutions	Chronicle incidents as they happen
Literature context	Prior art vs novel contributions	Split table format
Portfolio evidence	Public GitHub repos	Links with descriptions

Document Templates

Structured Abstract Template

**Background.** [Problem context. What limitation exists?]

**Objective.** [Research question. What are you trying to answer?]

**Method.** [What you did. Framework name, duration, scale.]

**Results.** [Key findings with numbers. Quantify everything.]

**Contributions.** [Novel concepts introduced. Name them explicitly.]

**Significance.** [Why it matters. What gap does this fill in literature?]

Prior Art Table Template

Concept	Prior Art	Our Extension
{Concept name}	{Citation}: {key finding}	{How we extended or applied it}

Competitive Analysis Table Template

Capability	Competitor A	Competitor B	This Work
{Feature}	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐

Legend: ⭐ = basic, ⭐⭐ = good, ⭐⭐⭐ = excellent, ❌ = missing

Project Inventory Table Template

Project	Skills	Success	Pattern	Notes
{Name}	{count}	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	🔄	{Brief note}

Pattern Codes:

• 🚀 Quick win — completed in scope
• 🔄 Ongoing — living system
• 🎯 Promotion candidate — should earn skills
• ⚠️ Scope issue — unrealistic goals
• 🚧 Blocked — external dependencies
• 📦 Archive candidate — inactive

Visual Research Standards

Mermaid Color Palette

%%{init: {'theme': 'base', 'themeVariables': { 'edgeLabelBackground': '#f6f8fa'}}}%%

Color	Hex	Usage
Info Blue	#e3f2fd / #1565c0	Neutral information, starting states
Success Green	#e8f5e9 / #2e7d32	Positive outcomes, solutions
Warning Orange	#fff3e0 / #ef6c00	Attention needed, transitions
Special Purple	#f3e5f5 / #7b1fa2	Unique concepts, outcomes
Danger Red	#ffebee / #c62828	Anti-patterns, problems

When to Use Which Diagram

Diagram Type	Best For
flowchart	Processes, workflows, architecture
quadrantChart	Positioning, trade-offs
xychart-beta	Bar charts with metrics
pie	Distribution, composition
mindmap	Taxonomy, categorization
block-beta	Layered systems, defense in depth

Citation Standards

APA 7 Quick Reference

## Single Author
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of work. *Journal Name, Volume*(Issue), pages. https://doi.org/xxx

## Multiple Authors (3+)
Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title. *Journal*, pages.

## Web Sources
Author. (Year, Month Day). Title. *Site Name*. https://url

Fact-Checking Protocol

Before publication, verify:

1. Author names — Correct spelling and order
2. Dates — Publication year, access dates
3. Statistics — Exact figures, not approximations
4. DOIs — All links resolve
5. Referenced vs cited — Everything cited appears in References

Prior Art vs Novel Contributions

Always distinguish:

Type	Treatment
Prior Art	"builds on established research (Citation)"
Novel Contribution	"We introduce..." / "This paper presents..."
Extension	"We extend [Concept] by..."

Research Question Development

The Core Question Pattern

How can [method/technology] help [users] achieve [outcome] over [timeframe], not just [immediate benefit]?

Example:

How can AI help developers get smarter over time, not just faster today?

FINER for Practitioner Research

Criterion	Practitioner Lens
Feasible	Can I do this with projects I'm already working on?
Interesting	Will practitioners care? Will academics cite?
Novel	What do I know from practice that literature doesn't cover?
Ethical	Am I representing my own work fairly?
Relevant	Does this help someone else do better work?

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

Anti-Pattern	Problem	Solution
Theory before practice	Skills written before doing	Ship first, document after
Overclaiming	"Revolutionary" / "First ever"	Precise language, acknowledge prior art
Buried evidence	Data in prose, not tables	Tables and diagrams primary
Stale citations	All references >5 years old	Mix foundational + contemporary
Self-selection bias	"All my projects succeeded"	Include failures, analyze patterns

Publication Pipeline

%%{init: {'theme': 'base', 'themeVariables': { 'edgeLabelBackground': '#f6f8fa'}}}%%
flowchart TB
    subgraph Practice["Phase 1: Practice"]
        A["Projects"] --> B["Insights"] --> C["Patterns"]
    end
    
    subgraph Document["Phase 2: Document"]
        D["Draft"] --> E["Diagrams"] --> F["Evidence Tables"]
    end
    
    subgraph Polish["Phase 3: Polish"]
        G["Literature Review"] --> H["Fact-Check"] --> I["Academic Structure"]
    end
    
    subgraph Publish["Phase 4: Publish"]
        J["Peer Review"] --> K["Revise"] --> L["Submit"]
    end
    
    Practice --> Document --> Polish --> Publish
    
    style Practice fill:#e3f2fd,stroke:#1565c0
    style Document fill:#fff3e0,stroke:#ef6c00
    style Polish fill:#f3e5f5,stroke:#7b1fa2
    style Publish fill:#e8f5e9,stroke:#2e7d32

Session Types for Research

Session Type	Purpose	Output
Evidence gathering	Compile metrics, project data	Tables, inventories
Diagram creation	Visualize concepts	Mermaid diagrams
Literature search	Find and cite prior art	Reference list
Fact-checking	Verify claims and citations	Corrections
Academic polish	Structure, abstract, conclusion	Publication-ready sections

Metrics That Matter

Metric	Target	Why
Projects in evidence	20+	Demonstrates breadth
Quantified claims	All major claims	Academic rigor
Diagrams	10-20 per paper	Visual learning
References	15-25	Scholarly credibility
Novel contributions	3-5 named concepts	Publishable value

Integration with Alex Architecture

This research method leverages:

• Global Knowledge — Cross-project insights become evidence
• Meditation Protocols — Consolidation captures learnable patterns
• Skills from Doing — Only document proven methodologies
• Synaptic Connections — Related concepts linked explicitly

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Troubleshooting

"My paper feels like a blog post"

Problem: Informal tone, missing academic structure

Solution:

1. Add structured abstract
2. Create Prior Art table
3. Add References section with APA 7
4. Split Part I (Universal) / Part II (Specific)

"I don't have enough evidence"

Problem: Thin case study, few projects

Solution:

1. Wait until you have 20+ projects
2. Include failures and anti-patterns
3. Add quantified metrics (time, count, percentage)

"My citations are all self-citations"

Problem: Looks like self-promotion

Solution:

1. Add literature context section
2. Show prior art for each concept
3. Distinguish "builds on" vs "introduces"

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This skill was earned through writing AI-ASSISTED-DEVELOPMENT-METHODOLOGY.md — 1500+ lines, 22+ references, 17+ diagrams, fact-checked and publication-ready.