Team Leadership Skill

Spawn a Team Leader agent that orchestrates multiple sub-agents to achieve complex goals.

Philosophy

A team operates as follows:

1. Team Leader receives a high-level goal or requirement
2. Decomposes the goal into smaller, independent tasks
3. Creates tasks in docs/todo/pending/ with clear ownership
4. Selects personalities that match each task type
5. Spawns sub-agents using ogt-agent-spawn
6. Manages communication between team members (shared progress docs)
7. Monitors progress via task signals and .assigned_to_ markers
8. Resolves blockers by coordinating across the team
9. Verifies completion against acceptance criteria
10. Reports results to human with final status

The Team Leader acts as a project manager and technical orchestrator.

When to Use

• Complex projects requiring multiple specialists
• Work that can be parallelized across team members
• Tasks requiring coordination (some depend on others)
• Projects where communication between agents is critical
• Large goals broken into smaller deliverables
• Need for progress tracking and human oversight

Team Leader Personality

The Team Leader always adopts this personality:

You are a Team Leader. Your role:

1. **Understand the Goal** - Read the requirement fully
2. **Decompose Work** - Break into independent, parallel tasks
3. **Create Tasks** - Write task definitions in docs/todo/pending/
4. **Assign Specialists** - Choose personalities matching each task
5. **Spawn Sub-Agents** - Use ogt-agent-spawn with right backend mix
6. **Coordinate** - Manage dependencies and blockers
7. **Monitor** - Track progress via task signals
8. **Communicate** - Update humans on status and blockers
9. **Verify** - Ensure all tasks meet acceptance criteria
10. **Report** - Provide final results with complete accounting

Decision-making:
- Break large goals into 3-7 independent tasks
- Assign personalities based on task type
- Distribute work fairly across backends
- Escalate blockers to humans immediately
- Aim for parallel execution, not sequential

Communication: Professional, status-focused, transparent
Output: Task decomposition, progress reports, final results

Quick Start

Basic Team Operation

ogt-agent-team \
  --goal "Build user authentication system" \
  --team-size 3-5 \
  --deadline "2 days"

With Specific Requirements

ogt-agent-team \
  --goal "Refactor API from REST to GraphQL" \
  --requirements "docs/requirements.md" \
  --team-size 4 \
  --prioritize "architect,engineer,tester" \
  --reporting-interval "1h"

With Dependencies

ogt-agent-team \
  --goal "Build multi-tenant system" \
  --dependencies "docs/architecture.md" \
  --backend-weights "claude:40,gemini:35,opencode:25" \
  --human-reviews-between-phases true

Team Operation Flow

flowchart TD
    A["Team Goal<br/>Human Input"] --> B["Team Leader<br/>Analyzes Requirement"]
    B --> C["Decompose<br/>Create Task Breakdown"]
    C --> D["Create Tasks<br/>docs/todo/pending/"]
    D --> E["Assign Personalities<br/>& Backends"]
    E --> F["Spawn Sub-Agents<br/>ogt-agent-spawn"]
    F --> G["Parallel Execution<br/>Monitor Progress"]
    G --> H{Blockers?}
    H -->|Yes| I["Resolve<br/>Coordinate Team"]
    I --> G
    H -->|No| J["Verify Results<br/>Check Criteria"]
    J --> K{All Pass?}
    K -->|No| L["Create Issues<br/>Return to In Progress"]
    L --> G
    K -->|Yes| M["Move to Done/"]
    M --> N["Report Results<br/>to Human"]
    
    style A fill:#fef3c7
    style B fill:#fef3c7
    style G fill:#dbeafe
    style N fill:#d1fae5
    style H fill:#e0e7ff
    style K fill:#e0e7ff

Task Decomposition

Team Leader reads the goal and breaks it into tasks:

Goal Analysis

Read the goal/requirement and identify:

• Scope — What's in vs out
• Dependencies — Task ordering
• Complexity — Effort levels
• Specializations — What types of work

Task Creation

Create tasks in docs/todo/pending/{task_slug}/ with:

# Task: {Clear Title}

## Summary
One sentence about this task.

## Objectives
- Objective 1
- Objective 2

## Acceptance Criteria
- [ ] Criterion 1
- [ ] Criterion 2

## Dependencies
- Depends on: docs/todo/pending/{other-task}
- OR: None

## Estimated Effort
{Size} ({hours} hours)

## Team Assignment
Personality: {architect|engineer|researcher|tester|educator}
Backend: {claude|gemini|opencode|copilot}

Personality Assignment Rules

Sub-Agent Management

Spawning Pattern

# Task 1: Research (needs deep analysis)
ogt-agent-spawn \
  --task "evaluate-db-options" \
  --personality researcher \
  --backend claude  # deep thinking

# Task 2: Architecture (needs design thinking)
ogt-agent-spawn \
  --task "design-auth-system" \
  --personality architect \
  --backend claude  # deep thinking

# Task 3: Implementation (needs fast execution)
ogt-agent-spawn \
  --task "implement-auth-service" \
  --personality engineer \
  --backend gemini  # fast execution

# Task 4: Testing (needs thoroughness)
ogt-agent-spawn \
  --task "test-auth-flow" \
  --personality tester \
  --backend claude  # thorough analysis

# Task 5: Documentation (needs clarity)
ogt-agent-spawn \
  --task "document-auth-api" \
  --personality educator \
  --backend gemini  # good examples

Load Balancing

Distribute across backends to balance cost/quality/speed:

Team of 6 sub-agents:
- 30% Claude (complex reasoning, code review)
- 40% Gemini (fast, bulk work)
- 20% OpenCode (templated generation)
- 10% Copilot (repository-aware)

Example team:
- Task 1: Claude (Architect)
- Task 2: Claude (Tester)
- Task 3: Gemini (Engineer)
- Task 4: Gemini (Engineer)
- Task 5: OpenCode (Engineer)
- Task 6: Copilot (Engineer)

Progress Tracking

Team Leader monitors tasks via signals and files:

Tracking Signals

Check these signals to understand task state:

# Find all tasks assigned to current team
find docs/todo -name ".assigned_to_*" | wc -l

# Find blocked tasks
find docs/todo/blocked -name ".blocked_reason" -exec cat {} \;

# Find ready for review
find docs/todo/review -name ".ready_for_review" | wc -l

# Find completed
find docs/todo/done -name ".verified" | wc -l

Progress File Format

Team Leader updates team_progress.md in project root:

# Team Progress Report

## Goal
Implement user authentication system

## Team Composition
- Task 1: evaluate-db-options (Researcher/Claude) - 40% complete
- Task 2: design-auth-system (Architect/Claude) - 80% complete
- Task 3: implement-auth-service (Engineer/Gemini) - Blocked
- Task 4: test-auth-flow (Tester/Claude) - Waiting on Task 3
- Task 5: document-auth-api (Educator/Gemini) - Not started

## Blockers
**Task 3: implement-auth-service**
- Blocked on: Task 2 design approval
- Details: Waiting for final architecture sign-off
- Expected resolution: 2 hours

## Time Tracking
- Total hours available: 16h
- Hours used: 6.5h
- Hours remaining: 9.5h

## Next Actions
1. Review Task 2 architecture
2. Unblock Task 3 once approved
3. Monitor Tasks 3, 4 for completion

## Completed Tasks
- None yet

Coordination Patterns

Sequential Dependency

When tasks depend on each other:

# Task A (must complete first)
ogt-agent-spawn --task task-a --priority high

# Wait for task-a to complete (check done/ directory)
# Then spawn Task B
ogt-agent-spawn --task task-b --depends-on task-a

Parallel Execution

When tasks are independent:

# Spawn all at once
ogt-agent-spawn --task task-1 &
ogt-agent-spawn --task task-2 &
ogt-agent-spawn --task task-3 &
wait  # Wait for all to complete

Blocking Resolver

When a task is blocked:

1. Identify blocker

   cat docs/todo/blocked/{task}/.blocked_reason
   

2. Resolve blocker (might require human input)

   # If blocker is another task, spawn it
   ogt-agent-spawn --task {blocking-task} --priority critical
   
   # If blocker is human decision, ask human
   echo "Need decision on {thing}..."
   

3. Unblock task

   # Remove blocking signals
   rm docs/todo/blocked/{task}/.blocked
   rm docs/todo/blocked/{task}/.blocked_reason
   
   # Move back to pending
   mv docs/todo/blocked/{task} docs/todo/pending/{task}
   
   # Re-spawn agent
   ogt-agent-spawn --task {task}
   

Verification & Reporting

Verification Process

After all sub-agents complete, Team Leader verifies:

# For each task, check acceptance criteria
for task in docs/todo/done/*/; do
  echo "=== $(basename $task) ==="
  grep "## Acceptance Criteria" "$task/task.md" -A 10
  
  # Check if .verified signal exists
  if [ -f "$task/.verified" ]; then
    echo "✅ Verified"
  else
    echo "❌ Not verified - move back to pending"
    mv "$task" docs/todo/pending/
  fi
done

Final Report

Team Leader returns comprehensive report:

{
  "goal": "Build user authentication system",
  "status": "completed",
  "started_at": "2026-02-06T20:15:00Z",
  "completed_at": "2026-02-06T23:45:00Z",
  "total_time_hours": 3.5,
  
  "tasks": {
    "total": 5,
    "completed": 5,
    "blocked": 0,
    "failed": 0
  },
  
  "team": {
    "sub_agents": 5,
    "personalities": ["architect", "engineer", "tester", "researcher", "educator"],
    "backends": {
      "claude": 2,
      "gemini": 2,
      "opencode": 1
    }
  },
  
  "results": {
    "files_created": 12,
    "files_modified": 8,
    "tests_passing": 24,
    "documentation_pages": 4,
    "pr_created": "https://github.com/org/repo/pull/456"
  },
  
  "blockers": "None - completed smoothly",
  
  "next_steps": "Review PR, merge to main, deploy to staging"
}

Communication with Team

Status Updates

Team Leader provides periodic updates to human:

🚀 Team Update - User Auth System
─────────────────────────────────

✅ Completed: 2/5 tasks
⏳ In Progress: 2/5 tasks
⏸️  Blocked: 0/5 tasks
⏱️  Time elapsed: 1.5h / 3.5h estimated

📊 Details:
  ✅ Task 1: evaluate-db-options (100%) - Researcher/Claude - Done
  ✅ Task 2: design-auth-system (100%) - Architect/Claude - Done
  ⏳ Task 3: implement-auth-service (45%) - Engineer/Gemini - In Progress
  ⏳ Task 4: test-auth-flow (0%) - Tester/Claude - Waiting
  ⏳ Task 5: document-auth-api (0%) - Educator/Gemini - Waiting

🔄 Next Actions:
  - Monitor Task 3 implementation (ETA 45min)
  - Task 4 ready to start once Task 3 moves to review
  - Task 5 has all context, can start anytime

❓ Blockers: None
💬 Communication: Team members updating progress.md every 30min

Human Escalation

For issues Team Leader cannot resolve:

🆘 Blocker Alert - User Auth System
─────────────────────────────────

❌ Task: implement-auth-service
   Blocked by: Architectural decision on JWT vs sessions
   
Architect (Task 2) recommends JWT but Engineer (Task 3) needs
confirmation before proceeding. Both are standby waiting for decision.

📋 Decision Needed:
  Q: Use JWT or session-based auth?
     - JWT: Stateless, scales better, more complex token mgmt
     - Sessions: Simpler, requires session store, scales horizontally
  
  Impact: Task 3 (8h) and Task 4 (4h) cannot progress without this

🔗 Architecture Recommendation: docs/todo/done/design-auth-system/implementation.md

⏰ Team is idle. Each hour costs equivalent to sub-agent time.

👤 Please decide and respond with: JWT or SESSIONS

Configuration

Team Size

# Small team (3-4 agents) - simple goals
ogt-agent-team --goal "Refactor UserComponent" --team-size 3

# Medium team (5-7 agents) - complex goals
ogt-agent-team --goal "Build auth system" --team-size 5

# Large team (8+) - enterprise goals
ogt-agent-team --goal "Microservices migration" --team-size 8

Reporting Interval

# Quick feedback (updates every 15 min)
ogt-agent-team --goal "..." --reporting-interval "15m"

# Standard (updates every hour)
ogt-agent-team --goal "..." --reporting-interval "1h"

# Minimal (updates on blocker or completion only)
ogt-agent-team --goal "..." --reporting-interval "on-change"

Backend Weighting

# Balanced (even distribution)
ogt-agent-team --goal "..." --backend-weights "equal"

# Quality-focused (prefer Claude)
ogt-agent-team --goal "..." --backend-weights "claude:50,gemini:30,opencode:20"

# Speed-focused (prefer Gemini)
ogt-agent-team --goal "..." --backend-weights "gemini:50,claude:30,opencode:20"

# Cost-focused (prefer OpenCode)
ogt-agent-team --goal "..." --backend-weights "opencode:50,gemini:30,claude:20"

Examples

Example 1: Feature Implementation

ogt-agent-team --goal "Implement dark mode toggle" --team-size 4

Team decomposition:

1. Architect - Design theme system architecture
2. Engineer - Implement theme provider and toggle
3. Tester - Write tests and edge case scenarios
4. Educator - Document theme API for other developers

Result: Complete feature with tests, docs, ready to merge

Example 2: API Migration

ogt-agent-team \
  --goal "Migrate REST API to GraphQL" \
  --requirements "docs/migration-plan.md" \
  --team-size 6

Team decomposition:

1. Researcher - Evaluate GraphQL libraries and best practices
2. Architect - Design new GraphQL schema and resolver structure
3. Engineer - Implement GraphQL resolvers and types
4. Engineer - Implement client-side GraphQL queries
5. Tester - Test API and client integration
6. Educator - Write GraphQL API documentation

Result: Fully migrated API with client code and documentation

Example 3: System Redesign

ogt-agent-team \
  --goal "Redesign authentication from password to OAuth" \
  --dependencies "docs/security-requirements.md" \
  --team-size 7 \
  --human-reviews-between-phases true

Team decomposition:

1. Researcher - Research OAuth providers and security practices
2. Architect - Design OAuth integration architecture
3. Engineer - Implement OAuth provider integration
4. Engineer - Implement client-side OAuth flow
5. Engineer - Implement token management service
6. Tester - Test OAuth flow and security edge cases
7. Educator - Document OAuth setup and usage

Result: Complete OAuth system with security audited and documented

Tips & Best Practices

1. Clear Requirements — Provide detailed goals, not vague ones
2. Size Teams Appropriately — 3-7 agents typically optimal
3. Monitor Blockers — Check progress every 1-2 hours
4. Escalate Early — Don't let teams spin on decisions
5. Verify Thoroughly — Check acceptance criteria, not just "done"
6. Document Decisions — Have Team Leader log why tasks were decomposed that way
7. Plan for Dependencies — Order tasks to enable parallelism
8. Review Before Shipping — Have human review final results

Troubleshooting

Team Gets Stuck

# Check for blockers
find docs/todo/blocked -name ".blocked_reason" -exec cat {} \;

# Check progress files
find docs/todo/in_progress -name "progress.md" -exec tail -20 {} \;

# If blocked for >30min, escalate to human

Task Keeps Failing

# Check task definition
cat docs/todo/pending/{task}/task.md

# Verify acceptance criteria are achievable
# If too vague, edit task.md with clearer criteria

# Switch to different personality/backend
ogt-agent-spawn --task {task} --personality {different} --backend {different}

Team Not Communicating

# Create shared progress doc if missing
touch team_progress.md

# Ensure all tasks have progress.md
for task in docs/todo/in_progress/*/; do
  if [ ! -f "$task/progress.md" ]; then
    cp docs/_templates/progress.md "$task/progress.md"
  fi
done

Team Slow

# Check which tasks are in_progress but idle
ls -lt docs/todo/in_progress/

# If not changing for >30min, may be stuck
# Check progress.md for last update time

# If truly stuck, move back to pending and re-spawn
mv docs/todo/in_progress/{task} docs/todo/pending/{task}
ogt-agent-spawn --task {task} --backend {different}