Field Notes
from Production
Random thoughts, occasional insights, and lessons from breaking things where the stakes were real. 42 pieces; probably a few should have been tweets.
Keeping your Claude Code project organized
Give each file an obvious home, document the stable rules, and test what your deployment actually includes.
Teaching Claude Code your standards with rule files
Use CLAUDE.md for project-wide facts and rule files for detailed standards, including rules that load only for matching paths.
Creating reusable Claude Code skills
If you keep pasting the same prompt, save it as a small Claude Code skill. You can run it with a short command and add templates or scripts later.
The CLAUDE.md file: what to put in it, and what to leave out.
Each Claude Code session starts with fresh context. CLAUDE.md loads the project facts and instructions you want available, while auto memory stores patterns Claude learns.
Stop trying to digitalize everything
Do not delay a clean common journey while reproducing every legacy exception. Start with measured demand, keep a human handoff, and add the next case only when it earns its place.
Your digital team needs to act like a startup
A digital team does not become startup-like through a new workspace or delivery process. It needs clear authority to decide, say no, and change course when evidence changes.
Why renaming IT to product didn't fix anything
Renaming an IT team to Product changes nothing if the same people still decide what gets built. Follow the decisions, measures, funding, and incentives instead of the org chart.
When Claude Code goes wrong (and it will)
Claude Code will sometimes make the wrong change. Inspect the diff, use checkpoints for session recovery, and keep Git for a durable restore point.
Set up Claude Code so you can review changes as they happen
Keep Claude Code and the result visible at the same time so you can review each change before asking for the next one.
Asking Claude Code to do multiple things at once
Claude Code can delegate independent parts of a task to subagents. Use parallel work for separate research or checks, then review one combined result before editing.
Giving Claude Code better instructions
Give Claude Code the problem, relevant context, and the result you expect. A specific instruction reduces guessing, but you still need to review the result.
How Claude Code sees your files
The folder where you start Claude Code is its main working directory. Keep one project in scope, then add other directories only when the task needs them.