README Authoring (Deep Workflow)

A README is the front door of a repository. Optimize for time-to-first-success: install, run, verify—then add depth for contributors and operators.

When to Offer This Workflow

Trigger conditions:

• New repo; users cannot get running from docs alone
• Open-source release needing clear license and support expectations
• Internal library consumed by many teams

Initial offer:

Use six stages: (1) audience & promise, (2) above-the-fold, (3) quickstart, (4) configuration & operations, (5) contributing & governance, (6) maintenance). Confirm package ecosystem and license.

Stage 1: Audience & Promise