When to use /context, /compact and /clear
Compact, clear, or just show the agent the current version of the file? /context shows what fills the window, /compact keeps a short summary, and /clear starts from a blank page. Before compacting or starting over, write a task note: the goal, the boundaries, rejected ideas and the next step.
How to split work between several workers
Both parts are green and the merge has no conflicts, yet the exported CSV has an empty column: one worker renamed completed to done. We work out whether splitting the task pays off, who owns each file, and which end-to-end scenario checks the assembled result.
How to hand off work between process stages
A handoff isn't a "done" message but a record that lets the next stage open the same version of the code. We build one for a CSV export fix: the hash of the checked commit, what was verified by hand and what wasn't, and which step to resume from if the work breaks off.
From author to manager: how a developer's work changes with agents
An agent will carry out "add a CSV export for expenses, and make it work properly", but you can't check the result against that. Drawing on research from Microsoft, Stack Overflow and LinkedIn, we look at four ways to work with an agent, from author to orchestrator, and why a person sets the quality bar.