agentic-qe 2.0.0 → 2.1.0

package/.claude/skills/consultancy-practices/SKILL.md

@@ -1,533 +1,201 @@
 ---
 name: consultancy-practices
-description: Apply effective software quality consultancy practices. Use when consulting, advising clients, or establishing consultancy workflows.
+description: "Apply effective software quality consultancy practices. Use when consulting, advising clients, or establishing consultancy workflows."
+category: professional-practice
+priority: medium
+tokenEstimate: 950
+agents: [qe-quality-analyzer, qe-regression-risk-analyzer, qe-quality-gate]
+implementation_status: optimized
+optimization_version: 1.0
+last_optimized: 2025-12-03
+dependencies: []
+quick_reference_card: true
+tags: [consulting, advisory, client-engagement, quality-assessment, transformation]
 ---
 
 # Consultancy Practices
 
-## Core Philosophy
+<default_to_action>
+When consulting on quality:
+1. LISTEN FIRST: Understand their context before prescribing solutions
+2. DISCOVER: What's the pain? What have they tried? What are constraints?
+3. PRIORITIZE: Impact/effort matrix - high impact, low effort first
+4. TRANSFER KNOWLEDGE: Leave them better, not dependent on you
+5. MEASURE: Define success metrics upfront, track weekly
 
-You're not there to impose your process. You're there to help them solve their specific problems in their specific context. Listen first, prescribe second.
-
-**Key principle:** Leave them better than you found them - not dependent on you.
-
-## Types of Engagements
-
-### Assessment / Discovery
-**Duration:** 1-4 weeks
-**Goal:** Understand current state, identify problems, recommend improvements
-**Deliverable:** Report with findings and recommendations
-
-### Transformation / Implementation
-**Duration:** 3-12 months
-**Goal:** Help team implement new practices, tools, or processes
-**Deliverable:** Working system, trained team, documented practices
-
-### Advisory / Coaching
-**Duration:** Ongoing (monthly/quarterly)
-**Goal:** Provide strategic guidance, review progress, course-correct
-**Deliverable:** Regular advice, problem-solving sessions
-
-### Crisis / Fire-Fighting
-**Duration:** 1-4 weeks
-**Goal:** Fix critical quality issues blocking production
-**Deliverable:** Stabilized system, action plan
-
-## The Consulting Process
-
-### Phase 1: Discovery (Week 1-2)
-
-**Understand the Context**
-- What's the business goal?
-- What's the current pain?
-- What have they tried?
-- What are the constraints?
-
-**Talk to Everyone**
-- Leadership (strategy, budget, expectations)
-- Developers (daily reality, technical debt)
-- QA/QE (testing challenges, tooling gaps)
-- Product (priorities, customer impact)
-- Operations (deployment, monitoring)
-
-**Observe, Don't Judge (Yet)**
-- Shadow team members
-- Review code, tests, processes
-- Check metrics and dashboards
-- Look at recent incidents
+**Engagement Types:**
+- **Assessment (1-4 weeks)**: Discover, analyze, recommend
+- **Transformation (3-12 months)**: Implement new practices
+- **Advisory (ongoing)**: Strategic guidance, course-correct
+- **Crisis (1-4 weeks)**: Fix critical issues blocking production
 
 **Key Questions:**
 - "Walk me through your last deployment"
 - "Tell me about a recent bug that escaped to production"
-- "What's the hardest part of your job?"
 - "If you could fix one thing, what would it be?"
+</default_to_action>
 
-### Phase 2: Analysis (Week 2-3)
-
-**Identify Root Causes**
-Don't stop at symptoms. Five Whys technique:
-
-```
-Problem: "Tests are too slow"
-Why? → Test suite takes 2 hours
-Why? → Too many E2E tests
-Why? → No confidence in unit tests
-Why? → Unit tests don't catch real bugs
-Why? → Tests don't reflect actual use cases
-
-Root cause: Test strategy doesn't match risk profile
-```
-
-**Prioritize Issues**
-Not everything can be fixed at once. Use impact/effort matrix:
+## Quick Reference Card
 
-```
-High Impact, Low Effort:  Do First
-High Impact, High Effort: Plan Carefully  
-Low Impact, Low Effort:   Quick Wins
-Low Impact, High Effort:  Skip
-```
+### The Consulting Process
 
-**Consider Constraints**
-- Budget limitations
-- Skill gaps
-- Political dynamics
-- Technical debt
-- Timeline pressure
+| Phase | Duration | Goal | Deliverable |
+|-------|----------|------|-------------|
+| **Discovery** | Week 1-2 | Understand context | Interview notes, observations |
+| **Analysis** | Week 2-3 | Identify root causes | Impact/effort matrix |
+| **Recommendations** | Week 3-4 | Present findings | Report with roadmap |
+| **Implementation** | Month 2-6+ | Execute changes | Working system, trained team |
+| **Transition** | Final month | Ensure self-sufficiency | Handover docs |
 
-### Phase 3: Recommendations (Week 3-4)
+### Impact/Effort Matrix
 
-**Present Findings**
-- Current state (what you observed)
-- Impact (cost of not fixing)
-- Recommendations (specific, actionable)
-- Roadmap (phased approach)
+| Priority | What | Action |
+|----------|------|--------|
+| High Impact, Low Effort | Quick wins | Do first |
+| High Impact, High Effort | Major initiatives | Plan carefully |
+| Low Impact, Low Effort | Nice-to-haves | If time permits |
+| Low Impact, High Effort | Distractions | Skip |
 
-**Format:**
-```
-Executive Summary (1 page)
-- Key findings
-- Critical recommendations
-- Expected outcomes
-
-Detailed Findings (10-20 pages)
-- Each finding with evidence
-- Impact assessment
-- Specific recommendations
-- Implementation approach
-
-Appendices
-- Metrics and data
-- Interview notes
-- Technical details
-```
-
-**Present in Layers**
-- Leadership: Business impact, ROI, timeline
-- Technical team: Implementation details, tools, practices
-- Everyone: Clear next steps
-
-### Phase 4: Implementation (Month 2-6+)
-
-**Start Small**
-Don't boil the ocean. Pick one high-impact change:
-
-**Example:** "Let's get your deployment time from 4 hours to 30 minutes"
-- Faster feedback
-- Visible improvement
-- Builds trust for bigger changes
-
-**Work Alongside the Team**
-- Pair programming
-- Ensemble testing
-- Workshop facilitation
-- Code/test reviews
-
-**Transfer Knowledge**
-- Document as you go
-- Explain your reasoning
-- Teach, don't just do
-- Create repeatable practices
-
-**Measure Progress**
-- Define success metrics upfront
-- Track weekly
-- Celebrate wins
-- Course-correct quickly
-
-### Phase 5: Transition (Final Month)
-
-**Ensure Self-Sufficiency**
-- Team can maintain practices without you
-- Documentation is current
-- Knowledge is spread (not siloed)
-- Clear ownership defined
-
-**Set Up for Long-Term Success**
-- Quarterly health checks (optional follow-up)
-- Open door for questions
-- Community of practice established
+---
 
-## Common Engagement Patterns
+## Common Patterns
 
-### Pattern 1: "We Need Test Automation"
+### "We Need Test Automation"
 
 **What they say:** "We need test automation"
 **What they mean:** "Manual testing is too slow/expensive"
 
-**Discovery Questions:**
-- What are you testing manually now?
-- How long does a full regression take?
-- What's your deployment frequency?
-- What's your biggest quality pain?
+**Discovery:** How long is regression? What's deployment frequency?
 
-**Typical Finding:**
-They don't need "test automation." They need:
-- Faster feedback on changes
-- Confidence to deploy more often
-- Better test strategy (automation where it helps)
+**Typical Finding:** They need faster feedback, not "automation"
 
 **Recommendation:**
-1. Start with unit tests for new code (TDD)
-2. Automate smoke tests for critical paths
-3. Keep exploratory testing for discovery
-4. Build automation incrementally, not big-bang
+1. Unit tests for new code (TDD)
+2. Smoke tests for critical paths
+3. Keep exploratory for discovery
+4. Build automation incrementally
 
-### Pattern 2: "Fix Our Quality Problem"
+### "Fix Our Quality Problem"
 
 **What they say:** "We have too many bugs"
 **What they mean:** "Something is broken but we don't know what"
 
-**Discovery Questions:**
-- Where are bugs being found? (testing, staging, production)
-- What types of bugs? (functional, performance, security)
-- When were they introduced? (recent changes, old code)
-- What's the impact? (revenue loss, customer complaints)
-
-**Typical Finding:**
-"Quality problem" is usually one of:
-- No test strategy (testing randomly)
-- Testing too late (after code complete)
-- No feedback loops (bugs found weeks later)
-- Poor communication (requirements unclear)
+**Discovery:** Where found? What types? When introduced?
 
-**Recommendation:**
-Depends on root cause, but often:
-- Shift testing left (involve QE earlier)
-- Improve test coverage on critical paths
-- Speed up feedback (CI/CD improvements)
-- Better requirements/acceptance criteria
-
-### Pattern 3: "We Want to Scale Quality"
-
-**What they say:** "We're growing fast, quality can't keep up"
-**What they mean:** "We can't hire enough QA fast enough"
-
-**Discovery Questions:**
-- What's your current QA:Dev ratio?
-- Where are QA resources spending time?
-- What bottlenecks exist?
-- What's your deployment process?
-
-**Typical Finding:**
-QA is a bottleneck because:
-- Manual regression testing before every deploy
-- QA as gatekeepers, not enablers
-- Developers don't write tests
-- Quality isn't a whole-team responsibility
+**Typical Finding:** No test strategy, testing too late, poor feedback loops
 
 **Recommendation:**
-- Make QA role strategic, not tactical
-- Developers own test automation
-- QA focuses on exploratory testing, risk analysis
-- Build quality into development process
-- Use agentic approaches for scale
-
-## Consulting Anti-Patterns
-
-### ❌ The Cookie-Cutter
-**Problem:** Apply same solution everywhere
-**Example:** "Everyone should use Selenium for E2E"
-**Better:** Understand their context, recommend fit-for-purpose solutions
-
-### ❌ The Tool Pusher
-**Problem:** Recommend expensive tools (often for kickbacks)
-**Example:** "You need this $100k test management platform"
-**Better:** Recommend tools that solve actual problems, regardless of cost
-
-### ❌ The Process Nazi
-**Problem:** Impose rigid process
-**Example:** "You must follow these 47 steps for every release"
-**Better:** Lightweight process that fits their culture
-
-### ❌ The Permanent Fixture
-**Problem:** Never actually leave, create dependency
-**Example:** "I'll just stay on retainer... indefinitely"
-**Better:** Explicitly work toward them not needing you
-
-### ❌ The Blame Game
-**Problem:** Point fingers at people instead of fixing systems
-**Example:** "Your developers are terrible at testing"
-**Better:** "Your developers lack test infrastructure and training"
-
-## Difficult Situations
-
-### "We Already Tried That"
-
-**Response:** "Tell me more about what you tried and what didn't work."
-
-Often they tried a poor implementation or in the wrong context. Learn from their experience.
-
-### "Our Context is Special"
+1. Shift testing left
+2. Improve coverage on critical paths
+3. Speed up CI/CD feedback
+4. Better requirements/acceptance criteria
 
-**Response:** "You're right, every context is unique. Help me understand what makes yours special."
+### "We Want to Scale Quality"
 
-They might be right. Or they might be making excuses. Listen first, then challenge assumptions gently.
+**What they say:** "Growing fast, quality can't keep up"
+**What they mean:** "Can't hire enough QA fast enough"
 
-### "We Don't Have Budget/Time"
+**Discovery:** Current QA:Dev ratio? Where's QA spending time?
 
-**Response:** "What's the cost of not fixing this? Let's start with something small that delivers value quickly."
+**Typical Finding:** QA is bottleneck - manual regression, gatekeeping
 
-Show ROI, start with quick wins, build momentum.
-
-### "That Won't Work Here"
-
-**Response:** "What specific constraints make this challenging? Let's adapt the approach."
-
-Acknowledge their concerns, adjust recommendations, find what WILL work.
-
-### "We Need Certification/Compliance"
-
-**Response:** "What are the actual requirements vs. what's nice to have?"
-
-Often "compliance" is over-interpreted. Find the minimum viable compliance.
-
-## Pricing Models
-
-### Time & Materials
-**Good for:** Discovery, unclear scope
-**Risk:** Client bears cost uncertainty
-**Rate:** Daily or hourly
-
-### Fixed Price
-**Good for:** Well-defined deliverables
-**Risk:** You bear scope creep risk
-**Rate:** Project-based
-
-### Retainer
-**Good for:** Ongoing advisory
-**Risk:** Scope creep if not managed
-**Rate:** Monthly fee for X hours/month
-
-### Value-Based
-**Good for:** Clear ROI metrics
-**Risk:** Requires trust and metrics
-**Rate:** % of value delivered
-
-**Example:** "If we reduce your deployment time from 4 hours to 30 minutes, saving your team 200 hours/month, my fee is $X based on that value."
-
-## Building Your Practice
-
-### Start Small
-- 1-2 clients initially
-- Focus on referrals
-- Build case studies
-- Learn from each engagement
-
-### Specialize
-- Pick a niche (fintech, healthcare, e-commerce)
-- Or a practice area (test automation, CI/CD, agentic QE)
-- Become known for something specific
+**Recommendation:**
+1. Make QA strategic, not tactical
+2. Developers own test automation
+3. QA focuses on exploratory, risk analysis
+4. Use agentic approaches for scale
 
-### Network
-- Speak at conferences
-- Write blog posts
-- Contribute to communities
-- Help people generously (leads to referrals)
+---
 
-### Learn Continuously
-- Every client teaches you something
-- Study other consultants
-- Read business/consulting books
-- Practice your craft
+## Anti-Patterns
 
-## Success Metrics
+| Anti-Pattern | Problem | Better |
+|--------------|---------|--------|
+| **Cookie-Cutter** | Same solution everywhere | Context-specific recommendations |
+| **Tool Pusher** | Recommend expensive tools | Tools that solve actual problems |
+| **Process Nazi** | Impose rigid process | Lightweight, fits their culture |
+| **Permanent Fixture** | Never leave, create dependency | Work toward them not needing you |
+| **Blame Game** | Point fingers at people | Fix systems, not blame people |
 
-**For You:**
-- Client satisfaction (would they hire you again?)
-- Referrals generated
-- Project profitability
-- Learning and growth
+---
 
-**For Client:**
-- Problem actually solved (not just "we hired a consultant")
-- Team is self-sufficient
-- Measurable improvement in metrics
-- Would recommend you to others
+## Difficult Situations
 
-## Essential Skills
+**"We already tried that"**
+→ "Tell me what you tried and what didn't work" (learn from their experience)
 
-### Technical Excellence
-- Deep expertise in your domain
-- Hands-on capability (not just theory)
-- Up to date with practices and tools
+**"Our context is special"**
+→ "Help me understand what makes yours special" (they might be right, or making excuses)
 
-### Communication
-- Listen more than you talk
-- Adjust message for audience
-- Written and verbal clarity
-- Facilitation skills
+**"We don't have budget/time"**
+→ "What's the cost of not fixing this? Let's start small" (show ROI)
 
-### Business Acumen
-- Understand ROI and costs
-- Speak to business outcomes
-- Navigate organizational politics
-- Negotiation skills
+**"That won't work here"**
+→ "What specific constraints? Let's adapt" (find what WILL work)
 
-### Teaching
-- Transfer knowledge effectively
-- Create "aha" moments
-- Patience with learning curves
-- Adapt to different learning styles
+---
 
-## Your Consulting Toolkit
+## Agent Integration
 
-### Assessment Tools
-- Maturity models (adapted to context)
-- Interview scripts
-- Observation checklists
-- Metrics to gather
-
-### Workshop Formats
-- Example mapping
-- Risk storming
-- Retrospective facilitation
-- Technical training
-
-### Documentation Templates
-- Assessment reports
-- Implementation roadmaps
-- Practice guides
-- Handover documents
-
-### Follow-Up
-- Monthly check-ins (first 3 months)
-- Quarterly health checks
-- Open door for questions
-- Community of practice
-
-## Using with QE Agents
-
-### Automated Codebase Assessment
-
-**qe-quality-analyzer** performs comprehensive client codebase analysis:
 ```typescript
-// Agent analyzes client codebase for improvement areas
-const assessment = await agent.assessCodebase({
+// Automated codebase assessment
+const assessment = await Task("Assess Codebase", {
   scope: 'client-project/',
   depth: 'comprehensive',
-  reportFormat: 'executive-summary',
-  includeMetrics: true,
-  includeRecommendations: true
-});
+  reportFormat: 'executive-summary'
+}, "qe-quality-analyzer");
 
-// Returns:
-// {
-//   qualityScore: 0.67,
-//   testCoverage: 45,
-//   technicalDebt: 'high',
-//   securityRisk: 'medium',
-//   maintainabilityIndex: 62,
-//   recommendations: [...]
-// }
-```
+// Returns: { qualityScore, testCoverage, technicalDebt, recommendations }
 
-### Prioritized Recommendations
-
-```typescript
-// Agent generates prioritized improvement roadmap
-const recommendations = await qe-quality-analyzer.generateRecommendations({
-  assessment,
-  prioritize: 'high-impact-low-effort',
-  timeline: '3-months',
-  budget: 'medium',
-  teamSize: 5
-});
+// ROI analysis for quality initiatives
+const roi = await Task("Calculate ROI", {
+  currentState: { defectEscapeRate: 0.15, mttr: 48 },
+  proposedImprovements: ['test-automation', 'ci-cd-pipeline'],
+  timeframe: '6-months'
+}, "qe-quality-analyzer");
 
-// Returns phased improvement plan:
-// Phase 1 (Month 1): Critical security fixes, test automation setup
-// Phase 2 (Month 2): Improve test coverage, refactor hotspots
-// Phase 3 (Month 3): Performance optimization, monitoring
+// Returns: { estimatedCost, estimatedSavings, paybackPeriod }
 ```
 
-### ROI Analysis for Quality Improvements
+---
 
-```typescript
-// Agent calculates ROI for quality initiatives
-const roiAnalysis = await qe-quality-analyzer.calculateQualityROI({
-  currentState: {
-    defectEscapeRate: 0.15,
-    mttr: 48,  // hours
-    deploymentFrequency: 'weekly'
-  },
-  proposedImprovements: [
-    'test-automation',
-    'ci-cd-pipeline',
-    'code-review-process'
-  ],
-  timeframe: '6-months'
-});
+## Agent Coordination Hints
 
-// Returns:
-// {
-//   estimatedCost: '$50,000',
-//   estimatedSavings: '$120,000/year',
-//   paybackPeriod: '3 months',
-//   qualityImprovement: '40% fewer production bugs'
-// }
+### Memory Namespace
+```
+aqe/consultancy/
+├── assessments/*      - Client assessments
+├── recommendations/*  - Prioritized recommendations
+├── roi-analysis/*     - ROI calculations
+└── progress/*         - Implementation tracking
 ```
 
-### Client Engagement Fleet
-
+### Fleet Coordination
 ```typescript
 const consultingFleet = await FleetManager.coordinate({
   strategy: 'client-engagement',
   agents: [
-    'qe-quality-analyzer',         // Assess current state
+    'qe-quality-analyzer',          // Assess current state
     'qe-regression-risk-analyzer',  // Risk assessment
-    'qe-quality-gate',             // Define quality gates
-    'qe-deployment-readiness'      // Deployment maturity
+    'qe-quality-gate',              // Define quality gates
+    'qe-deployment-readiness'       // Deployment maturity
   ],
   topology: 'hierarchical'
 });
-
-await consultingFleet.execute({
-  clientProject: 'enterprise-saas',
-  deliverable: 'comprehensive-quality-assessment'
-});
 ```
 
 ---
 
 ## Related Skills
-
-**Core Quality:**
-- [agentic-quality-engineering](../agentic-quality-engineering/) - Agent-driven consulting workflows
 - [quality-metrics](../quality-metrics/) - Metrics for client reporting
-
-**Testing:**
 - [risk-based-testing](../risk-based-testing/) - Client risk assessment
-- [holistic-testing-pact](../holistic-testing-pact/) - Comprehensive testing strategy
-
-**Communication:**
-- [technical-writing](../technical-writing/) - Client deliverables
-- [code-review-quality](../code-review-quality/) - Code quality consulting
+- [holistic-testing-pact](../holistic-testing-pact/) - Comprehensive strategy
 
 ---
 
 ## Remember
 
-Good consulting is about empowering teams, not creating dependency. Your success is measured by them not needing you anymore - while still wanting to work with you again.
+**Good consulting is about empowering teams, not creating dependency.** Your success is measured by them not needing you anymore - while still wanting to work with you again.
 
 **Best compliment:** "We've got this now, but when we tackle X next year, we're calling you."