assistant-skills/professional-development-business-case/SKILL.md

name	description	triggers
professional-development-business-case	Write a business justification for a professional development expense. Produces a single, factual paragraph for a manager and HR audience.	pro dev expense professional development expense write a business case for a pro dev expense write a justification for a pro dev expense professional development business case

Professional Development Business Case

Write a concise business justification for a professional development purchase.

When to Use

When Connor needs to justify a training, tool, book, course, or other professional development expense to his manager and HR.

Instructions

1. Ask for the following if not provided:

   • Resource name or URL (visit the URL to get accurate details)
   • Specific topics it covers

2. Research the resource. If Connor provides a URL, fetch the page to get accurate details about contents, format, and topics. Also try to extract:

   • Price — look for pricing on the page
   • Vendor — identify the creator/company selling it
   • Product type — classify it (e.g., educational course, book, subscription, conference, tool)

   If any of these cannot be determined from the URL, ask Connor as a follow-up before proceeding.

3. Write a single, direct paragraph.

4. Save the file to ~/notes/Inbox/agent/. Use the format YYMMDD-pro-dev-[short-name].md.

5. Create a database entry using the script:

   uv run --with pymongo ~/notes/skills/professional-development-business-case/scripts/prodev_tasks.py create "<paragraph>" --price <price> --vendor "<vendor>" --product-type "<product type>"
   

   This inserts into wip.agent_tasks with type: "prodev expense", status: "todo", and metadata fields price, vendor, product_type. Save the returned document ID.

6. If Connor asks to update the wording, update both the saved file AND the database entry:

   uv run --with pymongo ~/notes/skills/professional-development-business-case/scripts/prodev_tasks.py update <document_id> "<updated_paragraph>"
   

   You can also update individual metadata fields with --price, --vendor, --product-type.

Database Commands

The script supports three commands:

• create "<note>" [--price PRICE] [--vendor VENDOR] [--product-type TYPE] — insert a new prodev expense entry
• update <doc_id> "<note>" [--price PRICE] [--vendor VENDOR] [--product-type TYPE] — update the note and/or metadata for an existing entry
• list — list all prodev expense entries with price, vendor, and product type

Rules

• Single paragraph, no headers, no bullet points, no tables. This is not a full document; it is one paragraph meant to paste into a form or email.
• Direct and specific. Say what the resource is, what it covers, and how it applies to Connor's work. Do not hand-wave with vague phrases like "provides reference material." Be concrete.
• No "purchasing" framing. Do not open with "Purchasing X..." or "Acquiring X..." Just state what the resource is and why it matters.
• Do not include cost. The submission form or receipt handles cost; do not mention the dollar amount in the paragraph.
• Keep technical terms accessible. The audience is manager and HR. Use general terms (e.g., "automation" instead of "custom perspectives" or "Apple Shortcuts"). Connor can use specific terms in conversation but the written justification should be broadly understood.
• No hyperbole or marketing language. Avoid words like "comprehensive," "revolutionary," "invaluable," "highly cost-effective."
• Keep the closing simple. One straightforward sentence connecting the resource to professional development. Do not overreach with long compound sentences about "enabling me to execute the X required for our Y initiatives."
• Research the resource. If Connor provides a URL, fetch the page to get accurate details about contents, format, and topics. Do not guess.
• Context: Connor is a Solutions Engineer at a physical security company. Relevant professional development themes include deal follow-up items, SE process work, calendar hygiene, Salesforce hygiene, pipeline management, and customer engagement coordination.

Paragraph Structure

Three sentences:

1. What it is. "[Resource Name] is a [format] covering [topics]."
2. What you get from it. "The course provides specific instructions for [applicable workflows/skills/techniques]."
3. Why it matters. "This course will support my professional development by [direct benefit to daily work]."

Example Output

The OmniFocus 4 Field Guide is a video course covering advanced task management workflows, including organization techniques, automation, project templates, and structured review systems. The course provides specific instructions for building capture, processing, and review workflows that scale across simultaneous projects. This course will support my professional development by improving how I track deal follow-up items, SE process work, calendar hygiene, and Salesforce hygiene.