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planning-and-task-breakdown

Decompose specifications into ordered, verifiable implementation tasks with acceptance criteria.

Updated Apr 28, 2026
Search Tags:#planning#task breakdown#acceptance criteria#implementation plan#checkpoints#dependency graph#vertical slicing
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/visdomtech/skills --skill planning-and-task-breakdown-visdomtech
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: planning-and-task-breakdown
Source: https://github.com/visdomtech/skills/tree/main/planning-and-task-breakdown
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/visdomtech/skills --skill planning-and-task-breakdown-visdomtech

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve? Large or vague work items stall implementation and produce tangled results. This Skill turns a spec or clear requirements into small, ordered tasks with explicit acceptance criteria, verification steps, and dependency mapping so work can start immediately and be tracked reliably. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Structured Task Breakdown: Converts requirements into tasks with acceptance criteria, verification steps, dependencies, files likely touched, and size estimates (XS through XL). - Vertical Slicing & Dependency Ordering: Maps the dependency graph and slices work into complete feature paths rather than horizontal layers, with checkpoints after every 2-3 tasks. - Plan Persistence with Conflict Safety: Saves plans to tasks/plan.md and task lists to tasks/todo.md or an external tracker (GitHub Issues, Jira, Linear, beads), and refuses to overwrite incomplete existing plans without user confirmation. - Use Case: Given a spec for a user authentication feature, produce a plan document plus an ordered task list covering schema, API, and UI slices, each independently testable. ## Quick Start Ask the AI to break the attached feature spec into an ordered task list with acceptance criteria saved to tasks/plan.md and tasks/todo.md.

Frequently Asked Questions about planning-and-task-breakdown

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I break a large feature spec into implementable tasks?▼

Read the spec in read-only mode, map the dependency graph between components, then slice vertically so each task delivers one complete feature path. Write each task with acceptance criteria, verification steps, dependencies, and a size estimate, saving the plan to tasks/plan.md.

What is vertical slicing in task breakdown?▼

Vertical slicing builds one complete feature path at a time, covering schema, API, and UI together, instead of building all layers horizontally. Each slice delivers working, testable functionality, such as a full user registration flow in a single task.

How big should a task be for an AI coding agent?▼

Tasks should be Small (1-2 files) or Medium (3-5 files), completable in one focused session. Break tasks down further if they take over two hours, need more than three acceptance criteria bullets, touch multiple subsystems, or contain 'and' in the title.

Can tasks be tracked in GitHub Issues or Jira instead of a markdown file?▼

Yes. If the project's agent rules or the user designate an external tracker like GitHub Issues, Jira, Linear, or beads, create one tracker item per task instead of writing tasks/todo.md. Note the tracker in tasks/plan.md so future sessions know where tasks live.

What happens if a tasks/plan.md file already exists with unchecked tasks?▼

The Skill never overwrites an incomplete plan. If the same work is being replanned it updates files in place; for different work it stops and asks the user, since unchecked tasks may be mid-build in another session.

When should I not use a formal task breakdown process?▼

Skip it for single-file changes with obvious scope, or when the spec already contains well-defined tasks. The planning process is designed for work that is too large or vague to start, needs parallelization, or has unclear implementation order.

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