Methods Overview

Methods document the processes, frameworks, and operating models your team follows — structured approaches that can span multiple documents and be referenced across your work.

Overview

A method is a named process or framework: something like "Agile Workflow," "Go to Market Plan," or "OKR Planning." Unlike skills — which are flat, single-document capabilities — methods are hierarchical. A method can contain child documents, letting you build out a detailed process tree where the top-level document describes the overall approach and children capture specific steps, phases, or reference material.

Methods are the closest thing in Hamster Studio to an internal wiki for how your team operates. When you document your hiring process, your sprint cadence, or your design review criteria as methods, Hamster Studio can reference that context when helping you plan and deliver work.

Methods and Skills share the same navigation — you move between them using the Skills, Methods, and Library tabs at the top of the page.

Methods list view showing method cards organized by category

This feature may need to be enabled for your workspace.

How It Works

Open the Methods tab — Navigate to Methods in your workspace sidebar. You see all top-level methods currently in your workspace.
Add a method — Click "Add Method" to open the creation dialog. You provide a title, an optional description, and an optional category. You can also add a method from a template in the Library tab.
Open a method to write — Click any method card to open the document editor. The left sidebar shows the full document tree for that method. You write in the main content area using the rich text editor.
Add child documents — Inside the tree sidebar, click the add icon next to any document to create a child beneath it. Children inherit the same editor experience. You can nest as deeply as your process warrants.
Navigate the tree — The sidebar collapses on smaller screens and can be toggled manually. Breadcrumbs in the header always show your current location within the hierarchy.
Activate or deactivate — Like skills, each method card has a toggle switch. Inactive methods are stored but not referenced by Hamster Studio. New methods default to active.
Edit or remove — Use the overflow menu on a card to edit the title, description, or category, or to remove the method from your workspace.

Key Capabilities

Hierarchical structure: Methods support parent-child document nesting. A top-level method can have as many children as needed, and each child can have its own children, forming a tree.
Tree navigation sidebar: When you open a method, a collapsible sidebar shows the full document tree. You can navigate between documents, reorder them by dragging, and create new children without leaving the current view.
AI chat panel: The method editor includes an AI chat panel alongside the document. You can ask questions about the method, request improvements to the content, or use the chat to think through changes before writing them.
Real-time collaboration: Multiple team members can view the same method simultaneously. Participant avatars appear in the header and updates are reflected live.
Card and table views: The Methods list supports the same card and table display options as Skills, with identical sort, group, and filter controls.
Category labels: Methods use the same six categories as Skills — Product, Ops, Experience, Development, Marketing, and Workflows.

How Methods Differ from Skills

	Skills	Methods
Structure	Flat — single document	Hierarchical — parent with children
Navigation	No sidebar tree	Tree sidebar with full document hierarchy
AI chat	Not shown	Available alongside the document
Typical use	A specific capability or task type	A process, framework, or operating model

A useful rule of thumb: if you are describing a single, discrete thing your team does, it is probably a skill. If you are describing a multi-step process that warrants sub-documents or reference material beneath it, it is probably a method.

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