Owl Listener Task Decomposition
Users come with goals, not subtasks. Task decomposition is how a multi-agent system breaks a complex user goal into pieces that individual agents can handle — and then reassembles the results into something coherent.
Decomposition Strategies
- Sequential decomposition: Break the goal into ordered steps. Step 1 must complete before Step 2 starts.
- Parallel decomposition: Break the goal into independent parts that can be worked on simultaneously.
- Hierarchical decomposition: Break the goal into sub-goals, then break each sub-goal into tasks.
- Conditional decomposition: The next step depends on the result of the current step. Different results lead to different paths.
- Iterative decomposition: Start with a rough version, then refine through multiple passes.
Designing Decomposition Rules
For each type of user goal the system handles:
- What's the entry point? How does the system receive the goal?
- What are the subtasks? List all possible subtasks for this goal type.
- What are the dependencies? Which subtasks depend on others' outputs?
- What's the critical path? Which sequence of subtasks determines the minimum completion time?
- What can be parallelised? Which subtasks can run simultaneously?
- What's the reassembly logic? How do subtask results combine into the final output?
Granularity
How finely to decompose matters:
- Too coarse: Single agents get tasks that are too complex, leading to lower quality
- Too fine: Overhead from handoffs exceeds the benefit of specialisation
- Just right: Each subtask matches one agent's sweet spot in terms of scope and complexity
Handling Ambiguity
User goals are often ambiguous. The system needs to:
- Clarify before decomposing: Ask the user to specify when the goal is unclear
- Decompose tentatively: Start with a plan and adjust as information emerges
- Recompose when needed: If decomposition was wrong, restructure without starting over
Design Artefacts
- Task decomposition trees for each goal type
- Dependency maps showing subtask relationships
- Parallelisation specifications
- Reassembly logic definitions
- Ambiguity handling protocols