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Efficiency Layer Trio Patterns

Reference documentation for Efficiency Layer Trio Patterns in Adaptive Skills.

Purpose

Describe how the first Efficiency Layer trio should be used together without turning it into a mandatory process overlay.

The trio is:

  • task-chunking
  • checkpoint-review
  • handoff-summary

This guide exists to make the combined pattern easier to reuse after the first pilot artifacts and the first-validation-case field reference (Crisis Monitor — see efficiency-layer-crisis-monitor-reference.md) landed.

Core idea

The trio is not three separate ceremonies. It is one lightweight operating loop for bounded work:

  1. keep the slice small
  2. pause before accidental expansion
  3. close the round in a resumable way

The simplest sequence

1. Start with task-chunking

Use it when the round arrives too large or too fuzzy.

Its job is to answer:

  • what is the smallest useful slice now?
  • what belongs later?
  • what is the stop condition for this round?

2. Use checkpoint-review before continuing blindly

Use it when the round is no longer obviously the same small slice.

Its job is to answer:

  • did the task change shape?
  • should the round continue?
  • should it stop or hand off instead?

3. End with handoff-summary when the round should resume later

Use it when continuity matters but dragging the whole session forward would be wasteful.

Its job is to leave:

  • current state
  • proof already obtained
  • open edge or next step
  • the safest resume point

Common patterns

Pattern A — bounded single-round delivery

Use:

  • task-chunking
  • maybe checkpoint-review

Skip handoff-summary when the round ends cleanly and nothing meaningful needs to be resumed.

Pattern B — pause and resume in the same lane

Use:

  • task-chunking
  • checkpoint-review
  • handoff-summary

This is the default trio pattern for work that will continue later.

Pattern C — prevent slice creep

Use:

  • task-chunking early
  • checkpoint-review whenever adjacent follow-up tries to enter the same round

handoff-summary only matters if the deferred next slice really needs a resumable note.

What the trio should not become

The trio should not become:

  • a required ritual for every task
  • a replacement for feature-planning
  • a replacement for workflow
  • a hidden AletheIA clone
  • a long written template for trivial work

Boundary with other skills

vs feature-planning

  • feature-planning defines the feature slice and acceptance logic
  • task-chunking keeps active execution from growing past a healthy round

vs workflow

  • workflow stabilizes objective, proof, and execution posture
  • the efficiency trio reduces avoidable waste inside the round

vs AletheIA

  • AletheIA remains the macro layer for framing, gates, escalation, and continuity posture
  • the efficiency trio is the micro operating discipline inside the round

Failure signals

Revisit the trio usage if:

  • chunk notes are almost as large as the work itself
  • checkpoint reviews happen constantly without changing decisions
  • handoff summaries repeat full session history
  • the team cannot tell whether a problem belongs to planning, macro framing, or efficiency

Healthy outcomes

The trio is working well when:

  • work enters smaller
  • sessions stop earlier and more intentionally
  • resumptions are lighter
  • fewer adjacent ideas leak into the same round

Use this guide together with:

  • docs/efficiency-layer-first-pilot.md
  • docs/efficiency-layer-crisis-monitor-reference.md
  • docs/efficiency-layer-pilot-checklist.md
  • examples/efficiency/crisis-monitor-efficiency-reference.md

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