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cv-tasks-breakdown

Productivity
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Break a design or implementation plan into small, dependency-ordered tasks with test coverage per task, commit-sized deliverables, and sub-issue tracking. Use when user asks to decompose a plan, split a large feature, create a task breakdown, or prepare incremental commits for a complex change.

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cv-tasks-breakdown

Decompose a plan into small tasks that each land as one commit, keep the codebase working after every task, and track progress via sub-issues when a parent issue exists.

When to Use

  • Large feature or refactor (> ~500 lines expected)
  • User provides a design doc, RFC, or implementation plan
  • cv-handle-issue routes here when scope is too large for a single PR

Core Rules

  1. Explicit dependencies — every task has clear predecessors; no task starts until deps are done.
  2. Always shippable — after each task, existing behavior and new behavior must both work; no broken intermediate states.
  3. One task ≈ one commit — minimize diff size per task.
  4. Repeated touch is OK — the same module may change in multiple tasks if decomposition requires it.
  5. Tests per task — every task lists test case(s) that must pass before the task is considered done.

Workflow

Step 1: Understand the Plan

  • Read the parent issue, design doc, or user description
  • Identify modules, APIs, data paths, and acceptance criteria
  • Estimate whether any single task would exceed ~300 lines changed

Step 2: Draft Task List

For each task define:

FieldDescription
Task IDT1, T2, … sequential by dependency order
TitleShort verb phrase
DescriptionWhat this task delivers
Depends onTask IDs (empty = no deps)
Test casesConcrete tests to add or run
Existing behavior impactWhat existing functionality is touched
Estimated scopeFiles / modules (not line counts unless known)

Step 3: Global Preview Table

Present this table to the user before any implementation:

## Task Breakdown Preview

| Order | Task | Depends | Description | Test Cases | Existing Behavior Impact |
| ----- | ---- | ------- | ----------- | ---------- | ------------------------ |
| 1 | T1: ... | — | ... | `cargo test -p ... test_name` | None |
| 2 | T2: ... | T1 | ... | ... | ... |

Add a Commit Sequence Quick Reference below the table:

## Commit Sequence

1. `T1` → `feat(module): <short subject>`
2. `T2` → `feat(module): <short subject>`

Commit messages follow project commitlint; PR title uses cv-create-pr format when merged.

Step 4: Dependency Graph

Show a simple mermaid or ASCII dependency graph when ≥ 3 tasks:

flowchart TD
  T1 --> T2
  T1 --> T3
  T2 --> T4
  T3 --> T4

Step 5: Clarify Blockers with User

Stop and ask the user when:

  • Acceptance criteria are ambiguous
  • Two tasks have circular or unclear dependencies
  • A task cannot be made shippable without a flag / stub / feature gate
  • Test strategy is unknown for a module
  • Scope boundary (Goal vs Not Goal) is unclear

Do not start coding during breakdown. Iterate on the table until the user approves.

Step 6: Sub-Issues (when parent issue exists)

If a parent GitHub issue is linked, create sub-issues via cv-create-issue or:

gh issue create \
  --title "[SUB] T1: <title>" \
  --label enhancement \
  --body "$(cat <<'EOF'
Parent: #<PARENT_NUMBER>

## Task
<description>

## Depends on
<task IDs or "none">

## Test Cases
- ...

## Acceptance
- [ ] Tests pass
- [ ] No regression in <modules>
EOF
)"

Reference parent in body: Parent: #123

Step 7: Handoff

After user approval:

  • Implement tasks one at a time in dependency order
  • Each task → one commit → verify tests → next task
  • Final PR via cv-create-pr

Task Sizing Guidelines

SignalAction
> 500 lines or > 8 filesSplit further
Touches public API + implSplit: types/API first, impl second
Needs migrationSeparate migration task with backward compat
Only tests + no prod changeOK as standalone task

Anti-Patterns

  • Task that leaves cargo test or make format failing
  • Task with no test coverage plan
  • Task that depends on a later task
  • One giant "implement everything" task

Related

See references/task-table-template.md for a copy-paste template.