Task Decomposition

Break down complex tasks into atomic, actionable goals with clear dependencies.

When to Use

•Complex user requests with multiple components
•Multi-phase projects requiring coordination
•Tasks that could benefit from parallel execution
•Planning agent coordination strategies

Decomposition Framework

1. Requirements Analysis

•Primary objective
•Implicit requirements (quality, performance)
•Constraints (time, resources)
•Success criteria

2. Goal Hierarchy

code

Main Goal
├─ Sub-goal 1
│  ├─ Task 1.1 (atomic)
│  └─ Task 1.2 (atomic)
├─ Sub-goal 2
└─ Sub-goal 3

3. Dependency Types

Type	Symbol	Example
Sequential	A → B → C	B needs A's output
Parallel	A─┐ B─┐ C─┘	Independent, concurrent
Converging	A─┐ B─┼─> D	D needs A, B, C
Resource	A, B	Sequential or pooled

4. Success Criteria

For each task:

•Input: What data/state is needed
•Output: What artifacts will be produced
•Quality: Performance, testing, docs requirements

Decomposition Patterns

Pattern	Use Case
Layer-Based	Architectural changes (data, logic, API, test, docs)
Feature-Based	New features (MVP, error handling, optimization, integration)
Phase-Based	Large projects (research, foundation, core, integration, polish)
Problem-Solution	Debugging (reproduce, diagnose, design, fix, verify, prevent)

Quality Checklist

✓ Atomic and actionable ✓ Dependencies clearly identified ✓ Success criteria measurable ✓ No task too large (>4 hours) ✓ Parallelization opportunities identified

✗ Tasks too large or vague ✗ Missing dependencies ✗ Unclear success criteria ✗ Missing quality/testing tasks

Integration with GOAP

Task decomposition is Phase 1 of GOAP:

•Receive request
•Apply decomposition
•Create execution plan
•Execute with monitoring
•Report results