Context Management
Why Context Matters
- Reduces ramp-up time
- Prevents repeated mistakes
- Enables informed decisions
- Facilitates collaboration
Context Types
Project Context
- What the project does
- Why it exists
- Who uses it
- Key constraints
Technical Context
- Architecture decisions (ADRs)
- Technology choices
- Coding conventions
- Known issues
Historical Context
- Why decisions were made
- What was tried before
- Lessons learned
Context Capture
Decision Log
## Decision: [Title]
**Date**: [Date]
**Context**: [Why this came up]
**Decision**: [What was decided]
**Rationale**: [Why this choice]
**Consequences**: [What changed]
Knowledge Base
- README for project overview
- ADRs for architecture
- CONTRIBUTING for development
- CHANGELOG for history
Code Comments
// CONTEXT: This retry logic exists because the external API
// has intermittent failures. See incident-123 for details.
// We chose exponential backoff after testing showed it
// reduces error rate by 80%.
Context Sharing
New Team Member
- Start with README
- Review key ADRs
- Pair on first task
- Introduce to stakeholders
Handoff
- Document current state
- List open questions
- Identify risks
- Warm handoff meeting
Best Practices
- Write it down: Don't rely on memory
- Keep it current: Update as things change
- Make it findable: Organize logically
- Be specific: Include the "why"
- Review regularly: Remove stale info
