task-decomposition

Task Decomposition

Break down complex tasks into atomic, actionable goals with clear dependencies.

When to Use

• Complex user requests with multiple components
• Multi-phase projects requiring coordination
• Tasks that could benefit from parallel execution
• Planning agent coordination strategies

Decomposition Framework

1. Requirements Analysis

• Primary objective
• Implicit requirements (quality, performance)
• Constraints (time, resources)
• Success criteria

2. Goal Hierarchy

Main Goal
├─ Sub-goal 1
│  ├─ Task 1.1 (atomic)
│  └─ Task 1.2 (atomic)
├─ Sub-goal 2
└─ Sub-goal 3

3. Dependency Types

Type	Symbol	Example
Sequential	A → B → C	B needs A's output
Parallel	A─┐ B─┐ C─┘	Independent, concurrent
Converging	A─┐ B─┼─> D	D needs A, B, C
Resource	A, B	Sequential or pooled

4. Success Criteria

For each task:

• Input: What data/state is needed
• Output: What artifacts will be produced
• Quality: Performance, testing, docs requirements

Decomposition Patterns

Pattern	Use Case
Layer-Based	Architectural changes (data, logic, API, test, docs)
Feature-Based	New features (MVP, error handling, optimization, integration)
Phase-Based	Large projects (research, foundation, core, integration, polish)
Problem-Solution	Debugging (reproduce, diagnose, design, fix, verify, prevent)

Quality Checklist

✓ Atomic and actionable ✓ Dependencies clearly identified ✓ Success criteria measurable ✓ No task too large (>4 hours) ✓ Parallelization opportunities identified

✗ Tasks too large or vague ✗ Missing dependencies ✗ Unclear success criteria ✗ Missing quality/testing tasks

Integration with GOAP

Task decomposition is Phase 1 of GOAP:

1. Receive request
2. Apply decomposition
3. Create execution plan
4. Execute with monitoring
5. Report results