Claude Code for Product Managers

1.6: Project Memory

Time to Complete: 20-25 minutes
Prerequisites: Modules 1.1-1.5 complete

Start this module in Claude Code: Run /start-1-6 to kick off the interactive experience.

📖 Overview

CLAUDE.md is Claude’s permanent memory for your project. Write it once, and Claude knows your product context in every conversation - no re-explaining.

Key takeaway: CLAUDE.md is your project’s constitution - immutable rules that override temporary prompts. While prompts are flexible requests, CLAUDE.md establishes the supreme law of your project.

🏛️ What Is CLAUDE.md?

The Core Concept

CLAUDE.md is a markdown file in your project directory containing permanent context about your product, team, and preferences. Claude automatically reads it at session start and applies everything in it.

Three key properties:

Automatic loading: Claude reads it at session start automatically
Persistent memory: Carries across ALL conversations in that directory
Team-shareable: Commit to git, entire team gets same context

The Constitution vs Legislation Hierarchy

Understanding this hierarchy is crucial:

Aspect	CLAUDE.md (Constitution)	User Prompts (Legislation)
Priority	Supreme - always wins	Secondary - must comply
Permanence	Stays forever	Temporary per request
Scope	Applies to all sessions	Applies to current task
Purpose	Immutable project rules	Flexible specific requests
Example	Always call it Workspace	Create a PRD for dark mode

If there’s a conflict, CLAUDE.md ALWAYS wins.

Example: Terminology Override

CLAUDE.md says:

Always use Workspace not Project in TaskFlow documentation.

You prompt:

Write a PRD for the new Project dashboard feature

Claude does:

Writes the PRD using "Workspace dashboard" because CLAUDE.md overrides
your casual prompt wording

# The Power of the # Symbol

Dynamic Session Rules

Add temporary rules to your current session using # at the start of a line:

# Always use bullet points instead of numbered lists in this session

Claude treats this as a rule for the rest of your conversation (but not future sessions).

# vs CLAUDE.md

Feature	# Symbol	CLAUDE.md
Duration	Current session only	Forever
Scope	This conversation	All conversations
Use case	Experimenting with preferences	Permanent project rules

Workflow: Use # to experiment, then add to CLAUDE.md when you want it permanent.

📝 What to Put in CLAUDE.md

✅ GOOD for CLAUDE.md

1. Product Context

## Product Overview
 
TaskFlow is a project management SaaS for remote-first teams.
Think Asana meets Jira, built for async collaboration.
 
Stage: Series B ($20M raised, 50 employees)
Revenue: $2.5M ARR, 10,000 active users

2. User Personas

## User Personas
 
### Sarah - Enterprise Admin
- Role: IT Administrator at 500+ person company
- Pain points: Needs SSO, audit logs, compliance, security
- Quote: "I need to prove this meets our security standards"

3. Writing Style

## Writing Style
 
- Use active voice (not passive)
- Use Oxford commas in all lists
- Maximum 2-sentence paragraphs for readability
- Use "we" not "I" in documentation

4. Product Terminology

## Product Terminology
 
ALWAYS use these terms (NEVER use alternatives):
- Workspace not Project - Our top-level container
- Task not Todo or Issue - Individual work items
- PM means Product Manager (not Project Manager)

5. Immutable Rules

## Immutable Rules
 
These rules override any prompt that conflicts:
 
1. ALWAYS include acceptance criteria in user stories
   - Use Given/When/Then format
   - Make them specific and testable
 
2. NEVER write PRDs without user research references

❌ DON’T Put in CLAUDE.md

1. Temporary Instructions

Today's meeting notes are in meeting-2025-10-13.txt
We're working on dark mode this sprint

Why bad: These change constantly. Use prompts instead.

2. Frequently Changing Requirements

Current sprint goal: Implement SSO
Q4 OKR: Increase activation to 55%

Why bad: If it changes weekly or monthly, it doesn’t belong.

3. Sensitive Information

Our revenue is actually declining (don't tell the board)
API keys: sk-proj-xxxxx

Why bad: CLAUDE.md is often committed to git and shared.

The Test

If you’d want Claude to know this in 6 months, put it in CLAUDE.md.

If it might change next week, use prompts instead.

🏗️ CLAUDE.md Hierarchy

Four Levels

~/.claude/CLAUDE.md              # 1. Global (all your projects)
/project-root/CLAUDE.md          # 2. Project-specific
/project-root/frontend/CLAUDE.md # 3. Directory-specific
/project-root/CLAUDE.local.md    # 4. Personal (gitignored)

Priority Order

Most specific wins:

Directory-level (e.g., /frontend/CLAUDE.md)
Project-level (e.g., /project-root/CLAUDE.md)
Global (e.g., ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md)
User prompts (least priority)

How they stack: Levels combine (don’t replace). All rules apply simultaneously, with more specific levels overriding on conflicts.

When to Use Each Level

Level	Use For	Example
Global	Personal preferences across all work	”I prefer brief summaries, max 3 bullets”
Project	Product-specific context everyone needs	Product overview, personas, terminology
Directory	Rules for subsection of project	Frontend: mobile responsiveness, Backend: API docs
Personal	Your preferences you don’t want to share	Personal response format preferences

Important: Add CLAUDE.local.md to .gitignore:

# .gitignore
CLAUDE.local.md

🚀 Creating Your First CLAUDE.md

Quick Start Template

# [Your Product Name] Product Context
 
This file provides permanent context about [Product] for Claude Code.
 
 
## What [Product] Is
 
[Product] is a [type] for [target users]. Think [comparison].
 
**Company Details:**
- Founded: [year]
- Stage: [stage and funding]
- Team: [size]
- Revenue: [ARR and users]
 
 
## User Personas
 
### [Persona 1 Name] - [Role]
- Role: [job title and context]
- Pain points: [what frustrates them]
- Quote: [memorable quote]
 
 
## Writing Style & Standards
 
- Voice: [active/passive, formal/casual]
- Paragraph length: [preference]
- Tone: [how should it sound]
 
 
## Product Terminology
 
ALWAYS use these terms (NEVER use alternatives):
- [Term] not [alternative] - [why]
- [Term] not [alternative] - [why]
 
 
## Immutable Rules
 
These rules override any prompt that conflicts:
 
1. ALWAYS [rule]
   - [details]
 
2. NEVER [rule]
   - [details]
 
 
## Team Reference
 
- [Name] - [Role], [focus area]
- [Name] - [Role], [focus area]

Example: TaskFlow CLAUDE.md

# TaskFlow Product Context
 
This file provides permanent context about TaskFlow for Claude Code.
 
 
## What TaskFlow Is
 
TaskFlow is a project management SaaS for remote-first teams. Think Asana
meets Jira, but built specifically for async collaboration.
 
**Company Details:**
- Founded: 2021
- Stage: Series B ($20M raised)
- Team: 50 employees
- Revenue: $2.5M ARR, 10,000 active users
 
**Your Role:**
- Position: Senior Product Manager
- Focus: Activation & Onboarding
 
 
## User Personas
 
### Sarah - Enterprise Admin
- Role: IT Administrator at 500+ person company
- Pain points: Needs security, SSO, audit logs, compliance
- Quote: "I need to prove TaskFlow meets our security standards"
 
### Mike - IC Engineer
- Role: Individual contributor software engineer at startup
- Pain points: Wants speed, keyboard shortcuts, GitHub integration
- Quote: "If I have to use my mouse, the tool is too slow"
 
 
## Writing Style & Standards
 
- Use active voice (not passive)
- Use Oxford commas in all lists
- Maximum 2-sentence paragraphs for readability
- Use "we" not "I" in documentation
 
 
## Product Terminology
 
ALWAYS use these terms consistently:
- Workspace not Project - Our top-level container
- Task not Todo or Issue - Individual work items
- Epic not Initiative - Large multi-sprint features
 
 
## Immutable Rules
 
1. ALWAYS include acceptance criteria in user stories
   - Use Given/When/Then format
   - Make them specific and testable
 
2. NEVER write PRDs without user research references
   - Link to interviews, surveys, or support tickets
 
 
## Team Reference
 
- Sarah - CEO, founder, vision and fundraising
- Mike - CTO, technical architecture and engineering
- Alex - Head of Design, owns all UX and visual design
- You - Senior PM, activation & onboarding

💡 Best Practices

Be Specific, Not Vague:

❌ “Users like simple interfaces”
✅ “User research (8/10 interviews, June 2025) showed users abandon features with more than 3 required fields. Keep forms minimal.”

Use Imperative Language:

❌ “It would be nice if user stories had acceptance criteria”
✅ “ALWAYS include acceptance criteria in user stories”

Provide Context:

❌ “Use Workspace not Project”
✅ “Use Workspace not Project - We differentiate from traditional project management tools. Workspace signals collaboration space.”

Keep It Scannable:

Use bullet points liberally
Short paragraphs (1-2 sentences)
Bold key terms
Add spacing between sections

Maintain Regularly:

Review quarterly (personas, terminology, metrics)
Commit to git and review changes in PRs
Keep it current (aim for 50-200 lines sweet spot)

🔧 Troubleshooting

Rules being ignored?

Check for conflicting rules across hierarchy levels
Make rules explicit: use ALWAYS/NEVER
Be specific, not vague

CLAUDE.md not loading?

Verify file exists: ls CLAUDE.md
Must be named exactly CLAUDE.md (case-sensitive)
Check file permissions: ls -la CLAUDE.md
Test: Ask “What does my CLAUDE.md say?”

Too many CLAUDE.md files?

Audit all: find . -name CLAUDE.md
Document hierarchy in README
Use CLAUDE.local.md for personal preferences

CLAUDE.md too long?

Aim for 50-200 lines
Move detailed context to separate reference docs
Link to those docs from CLAUDE.md

📚 Resources

CLAUDE.md Documentation - Official documentation
See EXAMPLE_TASKFLOW_CLAUDE.md in module directory for complete example

🚀 What’s Next?

You now know how to create CLAUDE.md - giving Claude permanent memory about your product, team, and preferences.

Module 1.7: Learn about Planning Mode - master the three input modes and final navigation skills.

Interactive track: Type /start-1-7

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

1.5: Custom Sub-Agents 1.7: Navigation