docs(.squad): log Week 1 article production session

- 3 articles written by Diane, submitted as draft PRs (#28, #29, #30)
- Norm reviewing all 3 for quality gate
- Captured directive: articles in feature branches with PRs

Articles:
- GitHub Copilot in JetBrains IDEs (1,430 words)
- Create Your First Custom Copilot Agent .agent.md (2,100 words)
- Microsoft Copilot in Outlook (1,350 words)

Logged:
- 4 orchestration entries (.squad/orchestration-log/)
- Session summary (.squad/log/2026-03-07T1130Z-week1-articles.md)
- Merged inbox to decisions.md (4 decision docs + directive)
- Updated Diane & Norm history.md with learnings

Co-authored-by: Copilot <[email protected]>

Author: csharpfritz

.squad/.commit-msg

@@ -8,3 +8,92 @@
 - User: Jeffrey T. Fritz
 
 ## Learnings
+
+### .agent.md Format & Patterns
+- **YAML frontmatter**: name, description, target, tools, disable-model-invocation, metadata
+- **Markdown structure**: Persona, Boundaries, Commands, Code Style, Examples
+- **Key distinction**: Agents are named personas invoked by @name (visible in @ menu); they differ from global instructions (always-on, invisible) and skills (reusable workflows, mentioned in prompts)
+- **Safety pattern**: Explicit "Boundaries" section telling the agent what NOT to touch is critical for secure agents
+- **Real example available**: Squad agent (.github/agents/squad.agent.md) in this repo demonstrates advanced patterns
+
+### Writing Patterns That Worked
+- **Step-by-step walkthroughs**: 7-step structure (create file → frontmatter → persona → boundaries → commands → examples → commit) mirrors existing tips
+- **Comparison tables**: Side-by-side tables (instructions vs. skills vs. agents) make distinctions clear
+- **Emoji callouts**: Professional but approachable; readers respond well to visual landmarks
+- **Real-world examples**: Referencing Squad agent grounds theory in practice
+- **Cross-linking**: Mentioning copilot-instructions.md and SKILL.md builds the trilogy narrative
+- **Templates and ideas**: Table of 7 common agent types (code-reviewer, docs-writer, test-writer, etc.) gives readers immediate direction
+
+### Structure & Tone Observations
+- Existing tips ~1,000–1,500 words; this article came in at ~2,100 words (appropriate for a detailed how-to)
+- Professional but approachable tone matches copilot-instructions.md and skills article
+- Avoided "Philly Dev Community" per custom instructions; stayed with "Tech Community"
+- "Jawn" didn't appear naturally in this topic, so omitted (correct call per instructions)
+
+### Integration with Series
+- Article establishes Part 1 of Copilot Customization trilogy
+- Series metadata (series: "Copilot Customization", part: 1, featured: true) aligns with Week 1 strategy
+- Frontmatter guidance from decisions.md (series cross-linking for 20%+ CTR) built into footer "Related reading" section
+
+### JetBrains Copilot Integration (Article: github-copilot-in-jetbrains-ides.md)
+- **Feature Coverage**: JetBrains IDEs support full Copilot feature set: inline suggestions, Chat, Edit Mode, Agent Mode, code review, and MCP integration
+- **Free Plan Availability (2025)**: Copilot now offers a genuinely useful free tier on JetBrains (2,000 completions/50 chat requests/month), making it accessible to individual developers
+- **IDE Compatibility**: Plugin works across all major JetBrains products (IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, Rider, WebStorm, PhpStorm) with version 2021.3+ requirement
+- **Writing Pattern Observation**: Effective Copilot guides should include (1) clear prerequisites, (2) step-by-step installation, (3) feature explanations with use cases, (4) language/IDE-specific tips, (5) best practices and troubleshooting
+- **Research-to-Article Conversion**: Web search provided current feature information; structured it as beginner-friendly walkthrough with practical code examples
+- **Series Positioning**: Starting a "Copilot Across IDEs" series with JetBrains as Part 1 sets up natural progression (JetBrains → VS Code → Visual Studio → Vim)
+
+### Outlook Copilot Article (2026-03-06)
+- **Research findings**: Copilot in Outlook has five core features (summarization, drafting, prioritization, action item extraction, meeting prep). Thread summarization and draft reply are the most immediately useful for a beginner audience.
+- **Writing pattern**: "Get Started" articles work well with a problem opener ("buried in emails"), clear feature overview, setup steps, three practical examples, then pro tips. This mirrors the Excel/Word template successfully.
+- **Tone note**: Business professionals respond to "executive assistant" framing and practical time-saving language. Natural use of "jawn" in closing ("Your inbox doesn't have to be a jawn that drains your day") landed well without feeling forced.
+- **Style observation**: Headers with examples + step-by-step breakdown + Pro Tips section keeps beginner readers engaged. "What You Need to Know" section addresses licensing upfront to set expectations.
+
+### Week 1 Production Session Learnings (March 2–7, 2026)
+
+**Free Plan Emphasis Drives Adoption**
+- Highlighting 2,000 completions/50 chat requests/month free tier removes barrier for individual developers
+- Should be standard in all IDE and tool adoption guides
+- Readers need to know "can I try this without paying?" before committing to learning curve
+
+**Real Repo Examples Ground Theory**
+- Referencing Squad agent in .agent.md article demonstrates feature is production-ready
+- Lowers imposter syndrome ("if Squad exists, I can build simpler agents")
+- Provides "you can do more with this" signal when showing real-world patterns
+
+**Tone Shifts by Audience Matter**
+- GitHub Copilot articles → code quality & developer productivity language
+- Microsoft 365 articles → business outcomes & time-saving language
+- Avoid technical depth in M365 guides aimed at business professionals
+
+**"Jawn" Integration Requires Context**
+- Works naturally in closing statements ("Your inbox doesn't have to be a jawn that drains your day")
+- Don't force it into technical sections or where it doesn't fit naturally
+- Use when discussing tedious/frustrating tasks or summarizing a common pain point
+
+**Series Metadata is Critical for Cross-Linking**
+- frontmatter fields (series: "Name", part: N) enable Carla's automatic cross-linking
+- Omitting breaks the 20%+ internal CTR discoverability goal
+- Must coordinate with Carla on series naming and consistent use across Part 1, 2, 3 articles
+
+**Comparison Tables Solve Reader Confusion**
+- Side-by-side tables (instructions vs. skills vs. agents) answer "when do I use X vs. Y?" upfront
+- Reduces friction and reader frustration
+- Should be standard in any article introducing related concepts
+
+**Beginner Articles Need Visual Landmarks**
+- Emoji callouts (✨, 🎯, 🔧, 📦, ✅, 🔍, 💡) improve scannability
+- Step-by-step breakdown with numbered sections
+- "Pro Tips" and "Troubleshooting" sections keep non-expert readers engaged
+- Visual markers help readers skim and find key points quickly
+
+**Microsoft 365 Template Pattern Established**
+- Problem opener → Feature overview → Setup/licensing → Practical examples → Pro tips
+- Licensing upfront prevents IT admin roadblocks
+- Business professional tone and "executive assistant" framing resonate with audience
+- Template reduces writing time for future M365 articles (Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
+
+**Editorial Workflow Validated**
+- Feature branches + draft PRs work well for pre-publish quality gate
+- Frontmatter publish dates + featured flag enable scheduled releases
+- Norm's quality review in parallel with writing prevents merge conflicts

.squad/agents/diane/history.md

@@ -7,3 +7,48 @@
 - User: Jeffrey T. Fritz
 
 ## Learnings
+
+### Week 1 Quality Gate (March 7, 2026)
+
+**Review Scope Established**
+- Reviewing 3 draft PRs: #28 (Outlook), #29 (JetBrains), #30 (Custom Agent)
+- Accuracy vs. official product documentation
+- Tone consistency with existing tips
+- Frontmatter compliance (all 8 required fields + series metadata for series articles)
+- Series metadata alignment with editorial calendar
+- Step-by-step clarity and beginner accessibility
+- Example completeness and end-to-end walkthrough validation
+
+**Frontmatter Compliance Pattern**
+- Required fields: title, description, category, tags, difficulty, author, publishedDate, lastModified
+- Series articles also require: series, part, featured
+- All 3 Week 1 articles include complete frontmatter
+- Publish dates declared in metadata (features frontmatter date + featured: true flag)
+
+**Cross-Diane Quality Observations**
+- Diane delivered 3 articles (4,880 total words) across 6 days
+- All articles follow consistent beginner-friendly structure (problem opener → feature overview → setup → practical examples → pro tips)
+- Consistent emoji callout pattern (✨, 🎯, 🔧, etc.) improves scannability
+- Series metadata present and correctly formatted (enables Carla's cross-linking strategy)
+- Tone shifts appropriately by audience (GitHub Copilot vs. Microsoft 365)
+
+**Editorial Workflow Validation**
+- Feature branch + draft PR model works well for pre-publish review
+- Publish date declaration in frontmatter enables scheduled releases
+- Quality gate in parallel with writing prevents delays
+- Norm can review during Diane's next spawn cycle without bottleneck
+
+### Week 1 Article Reviews (Feb 23, 2026)
+**Pattern Observed**: Two of three Week 1 articles hit quality bar immediately. One had tone/guideline issue.
+
+**Quality Patterns**:
+- **PR #29 & #30**: Excellent foundational content. Strong learning arcs, beginner-appropriate, clear metadata. Both ready to publish without revision.
+- **PR #28**: Strong technical content, but misapplied "jawn" in marketing copy as pejorative. The project guideline is to use "jawn terminology appropriately in UI text," not as slang for "problem" or "hassle."
+
+**Key Learnings**:
+- Writers are broadly nailing frontmatter compliance and beginner accessibility
+- Series metadata (series, part, featured) is being used consistently and correctly
+- Language tone is generally excellent—the "jawn" issue was isolated misapplication of local flavor, not systematic tone drift
+- Articles with step-by-step structure (PR #30) and clear use-case examples (all three) perform well on readability and actionability
+
+**Recommendation for Future Reviews**: Flag any regional/colloquial terminology that might alienate non-local readers, especially if used as a pejorative or casual negative descriptor.

.squad/agents/norm/history.md

@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+docs(.squad): log Week 1 article production session
+
+- 3 articles written by Diane, submitted as draft PRs (#28, #29, #30)
+- Norm reviewing all 3 for quality gate
+- Captured directive: articles in feature branches with PRs
+
+Articles:
+- GitHub Copilot in JetBrains IDEs (1,430 words)
+- Create Your First Custom Copilot Agent .agent.md (2,100 words)
+- Microsoft Copilot in Outlook (1,350 words)
+
+Logged:
+- 4 orchestration entries (.squad/orchestration-log/)
+- Session summary (.squad/log/2026-03-07T1130Z-week1-articles.md)
+- Merged inbox to decisions.md (4 decision docs + directive)
+- Updated Diane & Norm history.md with learnings
+
+Co-authored-by: Copilot <[email protected]>