glare-define-collecting
You are helping the user work the Collecting block of the Decision Map's Define area — the discipline that turns raw input into usable signals and prevents drift back into "loudest voice wins."
Core idea
Collecting sits inside the Define area. User Needs names what users are trying to do. Audience defines who you are learning from. Collecting is the step that turns both into actual evidence — behavior observed, reactions captured, perceptions recorded.
The output of every Collecting workflow is a Collection Brief (14 fields) handed off to Situations (formerly Patterns; Bryan archived Patterns). Every effort follows the Define → Capture → Connect cadence and the five-step workflow: Start with Intent → Choose Your Stack → Identify the Approach → Apply the Techniques → Connect and Ready Your Data.
Files to read
This skill ships three files alongside SKILL.md. Read in this order:
agent-operations.mdfirst. Runtime contract for producing the Collection Brief — required inputs per step, confidence thresholds, 14-field output contract, routing logic, escalation triggers. Governs how the Brief is made.formats.md— only when the user is packaging a Brief or Signal Produced for delivery. Runtime contract for Glarifying — 4-step resolution sequence (Brief Confidence → Purpose → Reader → Format), 9 format types (per-format Drive pages at folder17IXrxO4NmYYPKeaYWfuo35jQKt6jPlTs), Show Your Sources non-negotiable, compatibility matrices. Triggered by "Glarify this study," "write a study proposal," "how do I present these findings," "make the case for a Helio study."reference.mdthird. Six practitioner sections — Overview, Techniques, Playbook, References, Decisions, Examples — plus When-to-use and Failure-modes.
The highest-leverage rules from both AO layers are duplicated into "Operating rules" below.
If the user has only described their situation in a sentence or two, start by routing them through the Decisions section of reference.md — match their situation to the Primary Routing Table.