Task Generation

Task Generation Skill

This skill provides structured knowledge for transforming Product Requirements Documents into Claude Code native Tasks with proper dependencies, metadata, and acceptance criteria.

Core Principles

1. Atomic Task Decomposition

Tasks should be:

• Single Responsibility: Each task accomplishes one specific outcome
• Independent: Minimal coupling with other tasks where possible
• Verifiable: Clear completion criteria that can be objectively assessed
• Estimable: Complexity can be reasonably assessed (XS/S/M/L/XL)

2. Layered Architecture Pattern

Decompose features following natural implementation layers:

Data Model → API/Service → Business Logic → UI/Frontend → Tests

This pattern ensures:

• Dependencies flow in one direction
• Each layer can be implemented and tested independently
• Integration points are well-defined

3. PRD-to-Task Traceability

Every task should trace back to the source PRD:

• Reference specific section numbers
• Quote relevant user stories
• Link acceptance criteria to PRD requirements

Task Schema

Each task created via TaskCreate follows this enhanced structure with categorized acceptance criteria and testing requirements:

TaskCreate:
  subject: "Create User data model"                    # Imperative mood
  description: |
    Define the User data model based on PRD section 7.3.

    Fields:
    - id: UUID (primary key)
    - email: string (unique, required)
    - passwordHash: string (required)
    - createdAt: timestamp

    **Acceptance Criteria:**

    _Functional:_
    - [ ] Schema defined with all required fields
    - [ ] Indexes created for email lookup
    - [ ] Migration script created

    _Edge Cases:_
    - [ ] Handle duplicate email constraint violation
    - [ ] Support maximum email length (254 chars)

    _Error Handling:_
    - [ ] Clear error messages for constraint violations

    **Testing Requirements:**
    • Unit: Schema validation for all field types
    • Unit: Email format validation
    • Integration: Database persistence and retrieval
    • Integration: Unique constraint enforcement

    Source: specs/PRD-Auth.md Section 7.3
  activeForm: "Creating User data model"              # Present continuous
  metadata:
    priority: critical                                # From PRD P0-P3
    complexity: S                                     # XS/S/M/L/XL
    source_section: "7.3 Data Models"                 # PRD section reference
    prd_path: "specs/PRD-Auth.md"                     # Source PRD
    feature_name: "User Authentication"               # Parent feature
    task_uid: "specs/PRD-Auth.md:user-auth:model:001" # Unique ID for merge

Acceptance Criteria Categories

Structure acceptance criteria into these categories:

Testing Requirements Section

Add a Testing Requirements section below acceptance criteria. Infer test types from:

1. Task layer - Data model → Unit + Integration; API → Integration + E2E
2. PRD testing section - Extract explicit test requirements from Section 8
3. Task priority - Higher priority → more thorough testing

See references/testing-requirements.md for detailed test type mappings.

PRD Section Mapping

Extract task information from specific PRD sections:

Priority Mapping

Convert PRD priority notation to task priority:

Complexity Estimation

Estimate task complexity using T-shirt sizing:

Depth-Aware Task Generation

Adjust task granularity based on PRD depth level:

High-Level PRD

• Create 1-2 tasks per feature
• Focus on feature-level deliverables
• Minimal technical breakdown
• Example: "Implement user authentication feature"

Detailed PRD

• Create 3-5 tasks per feature
• Decompose by functional area
• Include acceptance criteria from user stories
• Example: "Implement login endpoint", "Create password validation"

Full-Tech PRD

• Create 5-10 tasks per feature
• Granular technical decomposition
• Include data model, API, and test tasks
• Example: "Create User model", "Implement POST /auth/login", "Add User model tests"

Merge Strategy for Re-runs

When generating tasks for a PRD that already has tasks:

1. Match by task_uid: Find existing tasks with same metadata.task_uid
2. Preserve status: Never change status of in_progress or completed tasks
3. Update descriptions: Refresh descriptions if PRD changed
4. Add new tasks: Create tasks for new requirements
5. Flag obsolete: Ask user about tasks that no longer map to PRD

Reference Files

• references/decomposition-patterns.md - Feature decomposition patterns by type
• references/dependency-inference.md - Automatic dependency inference rules
• references/testing-requirements.md - Test type mappings and acceptance criteria patterns