diff --git a/pm/JOURNAL.md b/pm/JOURNAL.md
index b34a322..b3e3871 100644
--- a/pm/JOURNAL.md
+++ b/pm/JOURNAL.md
@@ -12,3 +12,13 @@ file carries the reasoning and the pointers.
 - **Refs** — commits, issues, decision records.
 
 ---
+
+## 2026-08-23 · packaging · compass initialised, five workstreams defined
+
+**Why:** the package had no tracking at all — one open issue, a NEWS changelog, and
+no record of why anything was decided. Workstream boundaries follow how the code
+actually goes stale, not the directory listing: colors stay with theme because the
+scales are consumed by the themes, and packaging is its own stream so CI and
+dependency drift file against something.
+**Obligates:** #21, #22
+**Refs:** 7cad98b, #20
diff --git a/pm/STATUS.md b/pm/STATUS.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..122b1d4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pm/STATUS.md
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+# Project status
+
+> Between the compass markers is generated. Edit the sources, not this.
+
+<!-- compass:begin -->
+<!-- compass:board -->
+
+## Where this stands
+
+`civilytics` is the house R package behind every Civilytics chart, table, and report —
+ggplot2 themes, brand palettes, logo composition, and Quarto templates, plus the
+data-wrangling helpers the analysis work leans on. It is at version 0.3.1 and already
+depended on by live projects, so changes here surface in reports that are published.
+
+Project tracking went in today. Five workstreams now divide the package by how it
+actually goes stale rather than by directory: themes and palettes, logo and branded
+output, Quarto templates, analysis helpers, and packaging. Documentation debt is caught
+automatically — if code moves and its roxygen pages do not, an issue gets filed.
+
+Three things are open. A logo defect (#20) drops patchwork panels and clips captions,
+which is the one that bites users. The flextable styling helper (#21) ships Bootstrap's
+palette as its default instead of the brand's, so tables built with the defaults are
+quietly off-brand. The third (#22) is forge housekeeping: the `kodor/*` labels are
+defined twice, at repo and org scope, which makes filtering by name unreliable.
+
+Nothing is blocked. CI last passed on `2c7c9a6`; today's scaffold commit is still
+local and unpushed, so nothing has run against it yet. The next substantive work
+is #20.
+
+## Ready to work on next
+
+- **#20** civilytics_logo(): drops patchwork panels, clips captions, and silently rescales fonts · `ws/logo` — nothing is blocking it; something is currently wrong
+- **#21** style_flextable_civilytics() defaults to Bootstrap colors, not Civilytics brand · `ws/logo` — nothing is blocking it; owed work from an earlier change
+- **#22** kodor/* labels are defined at both repo and org scope · `ws/packaging` — nothing is blocking it
+
+## Workstreams
+
+| Stream | Commits since | Open | Debt | Owes docs |
+|---|---|---|---|---|
+| Themes, palettes, and fonts | 0 | 0 | 0 | no |
+| Logo and branded output composition | 0 | 2 | 1 | no |
+| Quarto themes and publishing templates | 0 | 0 | 0 | no |
+| Analysis and workflow helpers | 0 | 0 | 0 | no |
+| Package infrastructure and release | 0 | 1 | 0 | no |
+
+## CI
+
+![R-CMD-check](https://gitea.civilytics.org/Civilytics/civilyticsR/actions/workflows/check.yaml/badge.svg?branch=master)
+
+<details>
+<summary>Dependency graph and detail</summary>
+
+_Nothing blocks anything else, so there is no graph to draw._
+
+- Marker: `7cad98b4` (2026-08-23)
+- Commits since: 0
+- Open issues: 3
+
+</details>
+
+<!-- compass:end -->
diff --git a/pm/decisions/README.md b/pm/decisions/README.md
index 338a708..62f0eed 100644
--- a/pm/decisions/README.md
+++ b/pm/decisions/README.md
@@ -8,4 +8,5 @@ The table below is **generated** by `compass:decide`. Do not hand-edit it.
 <!-- compass:begin decisions -->
 | # | Date | Decision | Status |
 |---|---|---|---|
+| — | — | *No decisions recorded yet.* | — |
 <!-- compass:end decisions -->