How a Piece Gets Made¶
The 8-stage production process — from idea to publication.
Every piece produced in the Writing Studio moves through the same eight stages. The stages are consistent across all piece types; the depth of work at each stage varies by the type of piece and the collaboration mode.
The 8 Stages¶
Stage 1 — Strategize¶
Who: Richard + AI (strategic layer)
This is where a topic becomes a project. The piece is selected from the Topic Map using the quarterly planning process, and the strategic brief is established: what argument does this piece make, for which audience, in which venue, at which point in the sequencing logic?
Key outputs: project entry in the Registry, target venue confirmed, argument brief approved.
Stage 2 — Commission¶
Who: Richard (decision) + AI (specification)
Richard approves the piece and locks the production brief. The Workflow State Document (WSD) is created — a project-specific file that tracks every decision, draft, and review throughout the piece's lifecycle.
Key outputs: WSD created, HITL mode selected, word count and format confirmed.
Stage 3 — Produce¶
Who: AI (draft) + Richard (review and edit)
This is the main drafting stage. In AI-driven mode, AI produces a complete draft against the WSD specification. In collaborative mode, Richard and AI work through the piece section by section. In human-driven mode, Richard writes with AI providing research and structural support.
Key outputs: draft v1 completed, Richard's review notes captured.
Stage 4 — Review¶
Who: Richard (primary) + AI (support)
Richard reviews the draft for intellectual accuracy, voice, and argument quality. AI supports with fact-checking, source verification, and revision suggestions. This is the most important quality gate — the piece either advances or returns to Stage 3.
Key outputs: revised draft approved for visual production.
Stage 5 — Visualize¶
Who: AI (options) + Richard (selection)
Visual assets are created for the piece: header image, LinkedIn graphics, any supporting visuals. This stage is currently the largest gap in the Studio — the visual production pipeline is not yet built.
Key outputs: header image, social graphics. (Currently: manual, using Canva or similar.)
Stage 6 — Publish¶
Who: Systems (production) + Richard (final approval)
The final piece is formatted and published to the target venue. For blog posts, this means uploading to the ProActive website CMS. For trade publications, this means submitting to the editorial team.
Key outputs: piece published, URL recorded in Project Registry and Submission Tracker.
Stage 7 — Distribute¶
Who: AI (drafting) + Richard/Suzanne (posting)
The distribution cascade executes: LinkedIn posts drafted and scheduled, newsletter excerpt prepared, any speaking or proposal language extracted. This stage was designed in the quarterly planning process — the cascade is specified before production begins.
Key outputs: 2–4 LinkedIn posts live, newsletter excerpt filed.
Stage 8 — Measure¶
Who: Richard/Suzanne (data collection) + AI (analysis)
Two weeks after publication, Tier 1 and Tier 2 metrics are collected and recorded in the Performance Tracker. Any Tier 3 signals (inquiries, speaking invitations, referrals) are noted. This data feeds the next quarterly planning cycle.
Key outputs: metrics recorded, any Topic Map updates triggered.
Where Time Is Currently Spent¶
Current state: Most time (roughly 60%) is spent in Stage 3 (Produce). Stages 1, 7, and 8 — the strategic and measurement stages — receive the least attention.
Target state: Reduce Stage 3 to 30% through better pattern use and AI drafting. Increase time in Stages 1 (strategy), 7 (distribution), and 8 (measurement) — the stages with the highest business leverage.
The Project Registry¶
Every active project is tracked in the Project Registry. The Registry records the working title, target venue, HITL mode, status, and WSD link for every piece in the pipeline.
The active project list below is sourced live from the Project Registry — it updates automatically whenever a project advances or a new project is created.
| Project ID | Output Type | Working Title | Target Venue | Status | HITL Default | Initiated | Target Submission | WSD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POPUP-2026-01 | Practitioner Article | When Healthcare Workers Can't Speak Up, Everyone Pays | ProActive blog + LinkedIn | In Development | AI-driven | March 2026 | March 2026 | /projects/POPUP-2026-01/WSD.md |
| POPUP-2026-02 | Practitioner Article (thought leadership) | Beyond Investigation: Why Fair Processes Still Fail and What Relational Accountability Looks Like | Canadian HR Reporter / OHS Canada | In Development | AI-driven | March 2026 | April 2026 | /projects/POPUP-2026-02/WSD.md |