skills/work-triage/SKILL.md

---
name: work-triage
description: Convert an authorized backlog or intake set into a defensible priority queue with blockers, dependencies, and next actions. Use for backlog review, intake sorting, or focus decisions; do not silently modify task systems.
---

# Work Triage

Produce a focused execution queue from the work evidence in scope.

## Normalize the evidence

Capture only attributes supported by the source: identifier, intended outcome, status, owner, priority, due date, dependencies, blockers, and source. Mark consequential gaps as unknown. Flag duplicates, stale entries, and conflicting records for review rather than altering them.

## Make priority legible

Use the factors that materially distinguish the work:

- user, mission, or business impact;
- deadlines and external commitments;
- risk reduction and reversibility;
- dependency leverage or unblock value;
- readiness and confidence in the next action;
- effort and opportunity cost.

Avoid pseudo-precise scores unless the user already has a scoring model. State the decisive rationale behind each important placement.

Organize the result as:

- **Now** — a deliberately small set of immediately executable work;
- **Next** — ready or nearly ready after current dependencies;
- **Later** — valid work without present urgency or leverage;
- **Resolve** — duplicate, stale, underspecified, or closure-candidate work.

List blocked work separately from active work. For each Now and Next item, give its outcome, owner if known, timing, dependencies, blockers, and one-sentence priority rationale. End with decisions needed, unowned work, and the smallest useful next actions.

This triage is a proposal. Do not create, edit, close, assign, or notify through an external system unless the user explicitly approves the final mutation set. Re-read targets before any later write and stop on conflicting changes.