Tracking
One focused chapter from the Thorbis interface research. 7 rules. Read the research index for every chapter and focused study.
Tracking
- North Star first. This document, the Design Constitution, and PROJECT_PROFILE.md are the constitution. Linear structure is derived from them 1:1, do not invent milestones that are not in the plan.
- Detect before setup. If a Linear project already exists, enumerate it and ask before writing. Never bootstrap over a live workflow. Default to extending what is there.
- Every issue has a milestone. An issue with no milestone is mis-filed. Name milestones as outcomes (“Launch readiness”), not activities (“Do launch stuff”).
- Search before create. Always. A duplicate issue is the fastest way to lose trust in the board.
- Tickets are for scanning. Titles: plain words, ≤8 words. Descriptions: ≤3 sentences or ≤5 bullets. Comments: ≤3 lines. No marketing voice.
- Lifecycle discipline. Backlog → In Progress the moment work starts → Done only once shipped and verified. Never skip to Done. Never leave active work in Backlog. Close the loop before the session ends.
- Dates need a signal. A milestone with a made-up date is worse than one with none. Fake precision breeds alarm fatigue.
I built this for the dispatcher at 7 a.m., the tech in a crawlspace, and the owner closing the books. Quiet chrome. Precise work. I’m still learning. These are the notes.
Applied bookmark research
Reviewed 2026-09-06. These examples reinforce the existing owners; they do not introduce another visual style or claim the product behavior is implemented. Read the 26-source review and access limits.
Make the task easier, not the screen busier
A feature can look complete while the dispatcher still has to reconstruct context or wait for unrelated content.
Start from one person, interruption, and completed task. Keep the current job and its next action usable while optional evidence arrives. Treat the real constraint as part of the brief, not something polished away afterward.
Thorbis example. For assigning a tech, show the job, relevant availability, and the consequence of the assignment. Do not make the dispatcher traverse a marketing-style sequence or a new shell to finish a routine task.
Verify. Walk through the task with representative long and missing records. Check that the essential action remains understandable when optional content is slow or unavailable. Record the result rather than claiming a performance improvement without measurement.
Do not import. No additional shell, feature hero, framework migration, or new dependency. Keep the approved surface role.
Open the product skill · Evidence: Design Engineer Principles; How we think about design; Component Architecture for React Server Components
Preserve the place as the collection grows
Large customer, property, and inspiration collections become expensive to navigate when every inspection loses the current place.
Treat filters, selected records, scroll, and Back behavior as part of the task. Loading a child or optional panel should not reset the whole collection. A saved reference includes enough context to be useful when revisited.
Thorbis example. Open a property from a filtered customer list and return to the same filter and position. On the inspiration wall, reserve the media footprint and retain source credit even when the preview is unavailable.
Verify. Try refresh, Back and Forward, a direct record link, an empty result, a failed preview, and a long collection. Check that late data does not overwrite a draft or move the action under the pointer.
Do not import. No unbounded eager media, private information in shareable URLs, or a local-only storage promise borrowed from Copper.
Open the ecosystem skill · Evidence: 7 Principles of Rich Web Applications; Component Architecture for React Server Components; Philosophy; Copper