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Project Story Generator

Generate a comprehensive project story documenting the journey of an ArcKit-managed project from inception to completion, with detailed timeline analysis and governance achievements.

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Command

arckit story <project ID>

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Arguments

  • project (required): Project identifier (ID or name)

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Examples

arckit story "001"
arckit story "Cabinet Office GenAI"

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Purpose

Create an ARC-{PROJECT_ID}-STORY-v1.0.md document that serves as:
  • A historical record of the project’s evolution through the ArcKit governance framework
  • A detailed timeline analysis with multiple visualization types (Gantt, flowchart, table, pie chart)
  • A demonstration of end-to-end traceability from stakeholder needs to delivery plans
  • A showcase of governance quality and compliance achievements

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What’s Generated

The story includes:
  1. Executive Summary - Timeline snapshot, key metrics, major achievements
  2. 4 Timeline Visualizations:
    • Gantt chart (project phases with dates and durations)
    • Linear command flow timeline (flowchart with dates)
    • Timeline table (detailed event log)
    • Phase duration pie chart (time distribution)
  3. Timeline Metrics - Duration, velocity, phase analysis
  4. Milestone Timeline - Key project milestones with dates
  5. 2 Detailed Narrative Chapters:
    • Design Review: Validating the Solution
    • Delivery Planning: From Requirements to Sprints
  6. Timeline Insights - Pacing analysis, critical path, lessons learned
  7. Complete Traceability Chain - Mermaid diagrams showing end-to-end traceability
  8. Governance Achievements - Mind map of project achievements
  9. 5 Comprehensive Appendices:
    • Artifact register
    • Activity log
    • Design structure matrix (DSM)
    • Command reference
    • Glossary

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Timeline Extraction

Preferred Method: Git Log Analysis If the project is under git version control:
  • Extract timeline from git history
  • Parse commit messages for ArcKit command names
  • Show dates, artifacts created/modified, days from project start
Fallback Method: File Modification Dates If git log is not available:
  • Use file modification times
  • Sort artifacts by creation date
  • Calculate durations between events

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Timeline Metrics

Extracted metrics:
  • Project Duration - Total days/weeks from start to end
  • Total Artifacts - Count of all .md files
  • Commands Executed - Count of unique artifacts (proxy for commands)
  • Phase Durations - Time spent in each phase
  • Velocity - Artifacts per week, commands per week
  • Longest Phase - Which phase took most time and why
  • Shortest Phase - Which phase was fastest and why

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Timeline Visualizations

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1. Gantt Chart

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2. Linear Command Flow

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3. Timeline Table

#DateDays from StartEvent TypeCommandArtifactDescription
12024-01-150Foundation/arckit:principlesARC-000-PRIN-v1.0.mdEstablished principles
…………………

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4. Phase Duration Pie Chart

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Traceability Chains

The story documents complete traceability: Chain 1: Stakeholder → Requirements
  • Stakeholder Goals → Business Requirements (BR-xxx)
  • Count: How many goals mapped to how many BRs
Chain 2: Requirements → Design
  • Business Requirements → Functional Requirements
  • Functional Requirements → Architecture Components
Chain 3: Requirements → Vendor
  • Requirements → SOW Requirements
  • SOW Requirements → Evaluation Criteria
  • Evaluation Criteria → Vendor Selection
Chain 4: Requirements → Delivery
  • Functional Requirements → User Stories
  • User Stories → Sprint Backlog
Chain 5: Data Flow
  • Data Model Entities → Data Requirements (DR-xxx)
  • Data Requirements → CMDB Configuration Items
Chain 6: Compliance Flow
  • Requirements → Compliance Assessments
  • Architecture Principles → Design Reviews

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Prerequisites

MANDATORY (warn if missing):
  • PRIN (Architecture Principles) - Foundation of ArcKit governance framework
RECOMMENDED (enriches the story):
  • STKE (Stakeholder Analysis)
  • RISK (Risk Register)
  • SOBC (Business Case)
  • REQ (Requirements)
  • DATA (Data Model)
  • DIAG (Architecture Diagrams)
  • Research artifacts (RSCH, AWSR, AZUR)
  • WARD (Wardley Map)
  • PLAN (Project Plan)
  • Procurement artifacts (SOW, DOS, EVAL)
  • Design reviews (HLDR, DLDR)
  • Compliance assessments (TCOP, SECD, AIPB)
  • Delivery artifacts (BKLG, DEVOPS)
  • TRAC (Traceability Matrix)
  • ANAL (Governance Analysis)
Minimum Artifact Check: A meaningful story requires at least 3-5 artifacts. If fewer, the command warns: 
⚠️  Warning: This project only has [N] artifacts.

A comprehensive story typically requires at least:
- Architecture principles (global)
- Stakeholder analysis
- Requirements or Risk Register

Consider running more ArcKit commands before generating the story.

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Output

Generates ARC-{PROJECT_ID}-STORY-v{VERSION}.md (2000-3000 lines) with:
  • Complete document control
  • Executive summary with metrics
  • 4 timeline visualizations
  • Timeline metrics table
  • Milestone timeline
  • 2 detailed narrative chapters
  • Timeline insights & analysis
  • Complete traceability chain with Mermaid diagrams
  • Key outcomes & achievements
  • 5 comprehensive appendices
CRITICAL: Use Write tool for file creation (avoids token limit issues). Show ONLY concise summary to user.

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Example Summary Output

✅ Project story generated: projects/001-cabinet-office-genai/ARC-001-STORY-v1.0.md

📊 Project Timeline Summary

Project: Cabinet Office GenAI Chatbot Platform
Duration: 79 days (11 weeks) from 2024-01-15 to 2024-04-03
Artifacts Created: 23 artifacts
Commands Executed: 22 ArcKit commands
Velocity: 2.0 commands/week

📅 Timeline Breakdown

Phase                           Duration    % of Project
Foundation                      8 days      10%
Business Case & Requirements    12 days     15%
Research & Strategic Planning   15 days     19%
[... continues ...]

🎯 Key Achievements

✅ Architecture Principles Established
✅ 8 Stakeholders Analyzed → 12 Goals → 15 Outcomes
✅ 142 Requirements Defined (23 BR, 45 FR, 52 NFR, 12 INT, 10 DR)
✅ HLD + DLD Approved
✅ TCoP: 13/13 points ✓
✅ Traceability: 98% coverage ✓
[... continues ...]
  • arckit presentation - Generate MARP slides from project artifacts
  • arckit pages - Generate documentation website
  • arckit analyze - Comprehensive governance analysis

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