advisor-update-writer

Original：🇺🇸 English
Translated

Write decision-oriented advisor, mentor, lab meeting, or research progress updates from project memory, experiment reports, papers, code changes, logs, and notes. Use this skill whenever the user needs a weekly update, advisor email, meeting note, progress memo, decision request, blocker summary, project status report, or concise research update that connects evidence, risks, options, asks, and next actions.

4installs
Sourcea-green-hand-jack/ml-research-skills
Added on

NPX Install

npx skill4agent add a-green-hand-jack/ml-research-skills advisor-update-writer

Tags

Translated version includes tags in frontmatter
advisor-update-writerdecision-communicationresearch-progressdocumentation-toolproject-memory

SKILL.md Content

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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

text
<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:
text
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.