contract-first-decomposition

To make task outcomes verifiable, establish a pre-task contract that explicitly defines the task scope, success criteria, and verification method before initiating any complex work. This prevents silent drift and ensures alignment.

A pre-task contract in task governance is a commitment framework where the AI states the task, success criteria, and verification method before execution. It ensures measurable success and prevents scope misalignment.

To decompose complex tasks into verifiable sub-tasks, apply a verifiability gate that checks if each sub-task can be measured. If a sub-task is not verifiable, decompose it further until it can be explicitly checked.

You should restate acceptance criteria whenever the task scope changes during execution. This change-guarded approach maintains alignment and produces auditable outcomes by avoiding silent pivots from the original goals.

Yes, contract-first decomposition works without external dependencies. It is a standalone workflow discipline that enforces pre-task contracts and verifiability gates internally to govern complex AI tasks.

You need verifiability gates for complex AI tasks to ensure each sub-task can be objectively checked before execution. If a sub-task fails this gate, it must be decomposed further to maintain strict task governance and measurable success.