Autotrader
The guiding question for this context file
"What is true of every team, product line, and product within this business?"
Every piece of information you include should be answerable with "yes, this applies to everything in this branch." If it only applies to some children, it belongs lower down the tree. If it repeats something already in a parent file, leave it out.
What to include
- ✓The business's market position — who it serves, which geographies, and what problem it solves
- ✓The commercial model — how it makes money, who pays, and what success looks like commercially
- ✓The regulatory and competitive environment that every team within this business must understand
- ✓Brand identity and tone — how this business presents itself to customers
- ✓Shared technology infrastructure and architectural decisions that span the whole business
- ✓The strategic priorities for the business this year — what all teams are ultimately aligned to
- ✓Culture and ways of working that are distinctive to this business vs. other Autonex entities
What to avoid
- ✕Unit-specific goals or metrics — those belong in the unit's context file
- ✕Product-specific features or roadmap items
- ✕Details that change quarterly — keep this stable and high-signal
Examples of good context sentences
"Autoscout24 is the leading automotive marketplace in continental Europe, operating across 7 markets. All teams must consider multi-market impact when making product and technical decisions."
"The business model is primarily B2B2C: dealers pay for listings and leads, which fund a free consumer experience. Every team's work should ultimately improve either dealer value or consumer quality."
General principles
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Tree-aware: Agents receive all ancestor files too. Don't repeat what's already above you in the tree.
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Stable, not live: Write things that stay true for months. Roadmap items, sprint tasks, and current incidents belong elsewhere.
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Agent-first: Write as if briefing a capable colleague who has never worked here. Be explicit; don't assume implied knowledge.