ai-collaboration-reference-guide

Project-Level Instructions Template

Instructions: Customize each section for your specific project. Sections marked [REQUIRED] apply to all projects. Sections marked [OPTIONAL] apply only if relevant to the project type.

[REQUIRED] Project Context

Project Name: [Insert project name]

Project Purpose: [1-2 sentence description of what this project accomplishes]

Timeline: [Start date] to [Expected completion date]

Current Phase: [Brief description of current phase/focus]

[OPTIONAL] Research Methodology (For Academic Projects)

Methodology Type: [e.g., Action Research, Qualitative Interview Study, Mixed Methods]

Research Focus: [1-2 sentence description of research question/focus]

Key Frameworks: [Theoretical frameworks or models guiding the work]

Cycle/Phase Structure: [If using iterative methodology, describe cycle structure]

[REQUIRED] Temporal Context Protocol

Date Provision: David will always provide current date and timeline context at the start of sessions for this project. Do not make temporal inferences or assumptions about “when” things are happening. If date/timeline context is needed and not provided, ask David directly rather than inferring.

Key Milestones: [List major project milestones with dates]

[REQUIRED] Chat Architecture

This project uses a two-tier chat system:

TIER 1: Home Base Chat

Purpose: Brainstorming, check-ins, exploratory thinking, meta-learning
Mode: Primarily Discovery Mode (dialogic, exploratory)
Lifespan: Long-running (months), retired only when unwieldy
Current Home Base: [Chat name - will be updated as chats retire]

TIER 2: Work Unit Chats

Purpose: Specific deliverables with bounded scope
Mode: Varies by work type (Discovery for design, Execution for development)
Lifespan: Short (days to weeks), retired when work unit completes

Decision Rule:

Home Base: Exploratory thinking, check-ins, learning, no defined deliverable
Work Unit: Specific deliverable with clear done-state

[REQUIRED] Chat Naming Conventions

Home Base Chat Format:

[Project Name] - Home Base [Month Year]
Example: EdD Research - Home Base (Nov 2025)

When retired, add date range: EdD Research - Home Base (Aug-Nov 2025)

Work Unit Chat Format:

[Category] - [Specific Deliverable] - [YYYY-MM-DD] - [Status]
Examples:
- DEV - Dissertation Website - 2025-10-15 - Active
- DATA - Cycle 1 Coding Framework - 2025-11-01 - Active
- WRITING - Methodology Chapter - 2026-02-10 - Active
- META - Project Overview Maintenance - 2025-11-07 - Active

Category Codes:

DEV = Development/Technical work
DATA = Data collection/analysis
THEORY = Theoretical synthesis/analysis
WRITING = Writing/drafting
META = System design/organizational work
[Custom] = Project-specific categories as needed

Status Options:

Active = Currently working
Paused = May return to, not complete
Complete = Deliverable finished, chat retired
Archived = Superseded or no longer relevant

[REQUIRED] File Management Protocol

Automatic File Access:

At the start of every conversation in this project, Claude will automatically read:

Project Overview - Current.md for context about project status, active chats, and relevant files

Project Overview Structure:

The Project Overview document serves as a routing system, indicating:

Current project phase/status
Active chats and their relevant files
Recent updates and decisions
Which files each chat type should reference

File Organization:

Only keep CURRENT version of Project Overview in project files
Archive previous versions locally with dates for record-keeping
Keep project files lean to minimize resource overhead

[REQUIRED] Chat Retirement Protocol

Home Base Retirement Triggers:

Performance degradation (errors, confusion, slow responses)
Major phase transition in project
Token capacity approaching limits (Claude will warn)
Natural break point (completion of major milestone)
Rule of thumb: Every 2-3 months or at major phase shifts

Work Unit Retirement Triggers:

Deliverable complete
Project abandoned or superseded
Technical degradation accumulating
Rule of thumb: When specific work is done

Retirement Process:

Mark status in chat name (Active → Complete/Archived)
Create summary in Home Base if key decisions need preserving
Export chat if needed for methodology documentation
Start fresh chat for next work unit

[REQUIRED] Cross-Chat Coherence Strategy

Project Instructions + Project Overview maintain coherence:

These instructions provide “how we work together” protocols
Project Overview provides “where we are now” context
Individual chats don’t need to repeat full context

When starting any chat in this project:

Claude reads these project instructions automatically
Claude reads Project Overview - Current.md automatically
David provides date and specific session focus
Claude has sufficient context to engage effectively

Meta Chat for Maintenance:

Long-running META chat exists for updating Project Overview
Every 2-4 weeks: consolidate updates into refreshed Overview
Keeps all chats aligned on current project state

[OPTIONAL] Project-Specific Protocols

[Add any protocols specific to this project type that don’t fit above categories]

Examples for dissertation project:

Academic integrity requirements
Citation practices
Data handling protocols
IRB considerations

[OPTIONAL] Key Resources & References

[List critical documents, frameworks, or resources Claude should be aware of]

Examples:

Dissertation proposal
Theoretical framework documents
Interview protocols
Coding schemes

Example: EdD Research Project Implementation

Project Name: EdD Dissertation Research

Project Purpose: Doctoral dissertation on career development, organizational support structures, and self-directed learning in higher education administration.

Timeline: August 2024 - May 2027 (Defense)

Current Phase: Foundation building transitioning to Cycle 1 data collection (Nov 2025)

Methodology Type: Action Research with qualitative interviews

Research Focus: How do organizational support structures facilitate or constrain self-directed career development in higher education administration?

Key Frameworks: Hall’s Protean Career Theory, Savickas’ Career Construction Theory

Cycle Structure:

Cycle 1 (Nov 2025 - April 2026): Data collection and analysis of current state
Cycle 2 (May 2026 - Aug 2026): Intervention design and implementation
Analysis and writing (Sept 2026 - May 2027)

Key Milestones:

First interview: November 14, 2025
Intensive data collection: January-February 2026
Heavy data analysis: March-April 2026
Cycle 2 implementation: May-August 2026
Dissertation writing: September 2026 - February 2027
Defense: May 2027

Current Home Base: EdD Research - Home Base (Nov 2025)

Project-Specific Values:

Research must be accessible to non-academic audiences
Transparent AI collaboration for methodological contribution
Work should democratize knowledge about career development

Contribution Report

Human Contribution (40%):

Project-specific requirements
Example implementation content
Customization needs
Usage context

Claude Contribution (60%):

Template structure and sections
Format organization
Implementation examples
Documentation standards
Instruction clarity

Collaboration Type: Template development - human requirements with AI structure-heavy organization

Citation & Attribution

Citation (APA 7th Edition): Dawson, D. R., II. (2025). Project-level instructions template for AI collaboration. Northeastern University. https://github.com/drdawson2/ai-collaboration-reference-guide

Author Information:

Name: David R. Dawson II
ORCID: 0009-0001-4719-4370
Institution: Northeastern University, Graduate School of Education
Email: davidrobertodawsonii@outlook.com

License: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).

You are free to:

Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material

Under the following terms:

Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made.
NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.

Suggested Attribution:“Based on [Document Title] by David R. Dawson II (2025), available at https://github.com/drdawson2/ai-collaboration-reference-guide. Licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.”

Last Updated: 2025-11-09