1.3: Your First PM Tasks

• Time to Complete: 30 minutes
• Prerequisites: Modules 1.1 and 1.2 completed

Start this module in Claude Code: Run /start-1-3 to kick off the interactive experience.

Overview

Module 1.3 teaches you to use Claude Code for real PM work: processing meeting notes, synthesizing research, analyzing visual content, and creating reusable templates. This is where theory becomes practice.

Key takeaway: Claude Code is a file-aware, visual-capable assistant that can save you 2-3 hours per week on routine PM documentation tasks.

Core Capabilities

This module covers five essential skills:

The @ Symbol - File Reference System

The @ symbol tells Claude which files to read, analyze, or reference.

Basic Syntax

Read @meeting-notes.txt and summarize action items

Compare @competitor-a.md and @competitor-b.md

Analyze @research/interviews/user-01.txt

Supported File Types

Working with Multiple Files

Process batch files:

Read all files in /meetings/ and extract action items

Cross-reference documents:

Read @prd.md and @user-research.md.
Identify gaps where the PRD doesn't address user pain points.

Synthesize from multiple sources:

Read all files in /interviews/ and create @research-synthesis.md with:
- Top 5 pain points
- Common feature requests
- User personas

Pasting Images - Critical Keyboard Shortcut

The Universal Command: Ctrl+V

CRITICAL: Use Ctrl+V on ALL platforms, including Mac

Why is Mac different? In terminals, Ctrl+V is universal across all OS. Command+V is Mac’s GUI paste and doesn’t work in terminal environments.

How to Paste Images

1. Copy image to clipboard

   • Screenshot: Cmd+Shift+4 (Mac) or Win+Shift+S (Windows)
   • Copy from browser/Figma: Cmd+C (Mac) or Ctrl+C (Windows)

2. Paste into Claude Code

   • Press Ctrl+V in terminal
   • Image appears in conversation

3. Request analysis

   Analyze this mockup and provide:
   - UX feedback from PM perspective
   - Technical challenges
   - Accessibility concerns
   - Missing user flow elements

What You Can Paste

Content Transformation

A core PM skill is communicating the same information to different audiences.

Communication Matrix

Example: Multi-Format Communication

Read @sprint-planning-notes.txt and create:
1. @slack-update.md - Casual team announcement
2. @stakeholder-email.md - Professional executive summary
3. @notion-doc.md - Complete reference documentation

Output Styles - Reusable Templates

Output styles are formatting templates that eliminate repetitive formatting explanations.

Creating an Output Style

Method 1: Define the format

Create output style Executive Briefing with:
- Maximum 3 paragraphs
- Paragraph 1: What happened (outcomes, metrics)
- Paragraph 2: Why it matters (business impact)
- Paragraph 3: What's next (forward-looking)
- Use bullet points for metrics
- No jargon, active voice

Method 2: Show an example

Create output style User Story formatted like:

**As a** [persona]
**I want** [capability]
**So that** [benefit]

**Acceptance Criteria:**
- Given [context]
  When [action]
  Then [outcome]

Using Output Styles

Convert @meeting-notes.txt to Executive Briefing style

Format @sprint-work.md as Weekly Update style

Essential PM Output Styles

Build your library with these formats:

1. Executive Briefing - 3-paragraph strategic summary
2. User Story - As a/I want/So that with acceptance criteria
3. Linear/Jira Issue - Title, description, ACs, priority, estimate
4. Weekly Update - Shipped/In Progress/Blocked/Next Week
5. Release Notes - Customer-facing, benefit-focused
6. PRD Section - Problem/Solution/Metrics/Stories
7. Slack Announcement - Casual, emoji-friendly
8. Stakeholder Email - Professional, context-rich

Real-World PM Workflows

Meeting Processing (Weekly)

Without Claude Code: 35 minutes

• Review notes: 10 min
• Extract action items: 15 min
• Organize by owner: 5 min
• Format for distribution: 5 min

With Claude Code: 2 minutes

Process all files in /meetings/today/ and create @action-items-summary.md with:
- Table of action items organized by owner
- Priority and due date
- Grouped by meeting source

Time saved: 33 min/week = 2.75 hours/month

User Research Synthesis

Without Claude Code: 2 hours 40 minutes

• Read 8 transcripts: 60 min
• Highlight themes: 30 min
• Extract quotes: 20 min
• Organize findings: 20 min
• Write synthesis: 30 min

With Claude Code: 5 minutes

Read all files in /user-interviews/ and create @research-synthesis.md with:
- Top 5 pain points (mentioned by 3+ users)
- Supporting quotes for each finding
- Feature requests ranked by frequency
- Refined personas with real data
- Recommended next steps

Time saved: 2.5 hours per research cycle

Stakeholder Communication

Without Claude Code: 45 minutes

• Draft Slack message: 10 min
• Write stakeholder email: 15 min
• Create Notion doc: 15 min
• Ensure consistency: 5 min

With Claude Code: 3 minutes

Read @product-sync-notes.md and create three formats:

1. Slack Update - Casual, emoji-friendly, celebrate wins
2. Stakeholder Email - Business outcomes, metrics, risks
3. Notion Document - Complete reference with dependencies

Time saved: 42 min/sprint = 1.4 hours/month

Best Practices

Do:

Use @ references explicitly

Good: Read @user-research.md and summarize pain points
Better: Read @user-research.md and create @pain-points-summary.md

Request structured outputs

Create table with: Action Item | Owner | Due Date | Priority

Provide context for analysis

We're deciding between Feature A and B for Q2.
Read @user-research.md and recommend which addresses more critical pain points.

Combine multiple operations

Read all /interviews/, synthesize findings, create @executive-summary.md and @detailed-insights.md

Build output style library gradually

• Create styles as you encounter repetitive needs
• Don’t create all at once

Don’t:

Forget the @ symbol

Bad: Summarize meeting-notes.txt
Good: Summarize @meeting-notes.txt

Use Command+V on Mac

• Always use Ctrl+V for images (all platforms)

Expect Claude to remember unsaved work

• Save files with filenames for later reference

Paste sensitive information

• Redact confidential data from screenshots first

Create overly complex styles

• Keep simple and focused
• Better: 10 simple styles than 1 complicated one

Troubleshooting

Command+V doesn’t work on Mac

• Solution: Use Ctrl+V instead
• Why: Terminals use Ctrl shortcuts across all platforms

Claude can’t find referenced file

• Check filename spelling (case-sensitive)
• Verify file path: What files are in /meetings/?
• Ask Claude: Does @meeting-notes.txt exist?

Image pasted but no analysis

• Verify image appeared in conversation
• Try different format (.png or .jpg)
• Check size (keep under 10MB)
• Re-paste with Ctrl+V

Output style not formatting correctly

• Show concrete example of desired format
• Be specific about structure
• Test and refine iteratively
• Start simple, add complexity gradually

File created but not visible in Obsidian

• Refresh Obsidian
• Check it’s not in hidden .claude/ folder
• Look in Finder/Explorer
• Ask Claude: Where did you save the file?

What’s Next?

Module 1.4: Agents for Parallel Work

Learn to clone Claude for simultaneous tasks:

• Process 10 meeting notes in parallel
• Research 5 competitors simultaneously
• Build multi-agent workflows
• Do 5 hours of work in 30 minutes

Interactive track: Type /start-1-4

Quick Reference

Essential Commands:

• @filename - Reference a file
• Ctrl+V - Paste image (all platforms)
• Read @file and create @output - Basic workflow

File Operations:

Single: @meeting-notes.txt
Multiple: @file1.txt, @file2.txt, @file3.txt
Folder: All files in /meetings/

Content Transformation:

Transform @source.txt into:
1. @casual-slack.md - Team-friendly
2. @formal-email.md - Stakeholder-appropriate
3. @comprehensive-doc.md - Complete reference

Output Styles:

Create: Create output style [Name] with rules: [format]
Use: Format @content.txt in [Name] style

Image Analysis:

1. Copy image (Cmd+Shift+4 / Win+Shift+S)
2. Paste with Ctrl+V
3. Request analysis

Resources

Practice these workflows during the interactive module (/start-1-3) to build muscle memory for file references, image pasting, and output styles.

About This Course

Created by Carl Vellotti. If you have any feedback about this module or the course overall, message me! I’m building a newsletter and community for PM builders, check out The Full Stack PM.

Source Repository: github.com/carlvellotti/claude-code-pm-course