Task Breakdown

Guide for creating detailed task lists and specialized agent contexts from implementation plans, enabling efficient parallel execution with clear acceptance criteria.

When to Use This Skill

Activate when:

• Breaking down implementation plans into actionable tasks
• Creating specialized agent contexts for task execution
• Defining acceptance criteria and completion requirements
• Establishing task dependencies and priorities
• Setting up status tracking for project progress
• Managing context window efficiency with sub-tasks

Task Breakdown Process

Phase 1: Plan Analysis

1. Parse the implementation plan structure
2. Extract phase information and objectives
3. Identify all tasks within each phase
4. Analyze task complexity and relationships

Phase 2: Task List Generation

1. Create detailed task descriptions
2. Define acceptance criteria for each task
3. Establish priority levels and dependencies
4. Group related tasks for efficient execution

Phase 3: Context Strategy

• Simple Phases (≤2 tasks): Single phase context
• Complex Phases (>2 tasks): Phase context + individual task contexts
• Cross-Phase Tasks: Shared context with references
• Specialized Tasks: Domain-specific contexts

Task Structure

## Task: [Task Name]
**ID**: [Phase].[Task Number]
**Priority**: High/Medium/Low
**Complexity**: Simple/Medium/Complex

### Description
[Detailed description of what needs to be implemented]

### Acceptance Criteria
- [ ] [Specific, testable requirement 1]
- [ ] [Specific, testable requirement 2]
- [ ] [Specific, testable requirement 3]

### Dependencies
- **Prerequisite Tasks**: [Tasks that must be completed first]
- **External Dependencies**: [Third-party services, approvals]

### Deliverables
- [Specific code files, configurations]
- [Test cases and validation results]

Task Complexity Levels

• Simple: Configuration changes, minor fixes (1-4 hours)
• Medium: New components, API endpoints (1-3 days)
• Complex: Major features, integrations (1-2 weeks)
• Epic: Complete subsystems (2+ weeks) - should be broken into sub-tasks

Context File Organization

project/
├── phase1/
│   ├── claude.md (phase coordination)
│   ├── phase_status.md (phase progress)
│   ├── tasks.md (task list)
│   ├── task1/
│   │   ├── claude.md (task context)
│   │   └── status.md (task progress)
│   └── task2/
│       ├── claude.md (task context)
│       └── status.md (task progress)
├── phase2/
│   └── [similar structure]
└── shared/
    └── utilities/
        └── claude.md (shared context)

Sub-Task Creation Triggers

Create sub-tasks when:

• Context window approaching 80% capacity
• Processing large documentation (>50KB)
• Complex phases with >5 interdependent tasks
• Tasks requiring multiple specialized skills
• Analysis of extensive codebases

Mandatory File Requirements

Every task directory MUST contain:

1. claude.md: Task-specific agent context
2. status.md: Task progress tracking

Every phase directory MUST contain:

1. claude.md: Phase coordination context
2. phase_status.md: Phase progress tracking
3. tasks.md: Task list for the phase

Key Principles

• Actionability: Each task must have clear, executable steps
• Measurability: Every task has testable acceptance criteria
• Dependency Clarity: All prerequisites clearly identified
• Context Efficiency: Match context size to task complexity
• Status Integration: Progress tracked in status files
• No Empty Directories: Always populate with required files