task-breakdown-assistant

Purpose

Break one task/ticket down into concrete, sequenced subtasks small enough to just start on. Deliberately atomic and single-task scoped — for whole-project phasing and cross-team dependencies, see Project Planner instead.

When to Use

• A single ticket/task feels too large or vague to start on directly.
• Estimating a task requires understanding its real sub-steps first.
• Handing a task to someone else and want to leave them a concrete starting checklist.

Differs from Project Planner: that skill produces phases/milestones for a multi-task project; this skill produces the subtask checklist for one task within that project.

What to Analyze / Do

1. Clarify the actual definition of done for the task, if it's not already explicit.
2. Break into subtasks small enough that each one is independently completable in a short sitting, not another multi-day task in disguise.
3. Sequence them — note which subtasks block others, and which can happen in any order.
4. Flag the riskiest/most uncertain subtask — the one most likely to reveal a surprise or take longer than expected — and suggest tackling it earlier rather than last.
5. Keep scope honest — if breaking the task down reveals it's actually two or three separate tasks bundled together, say so explicitly rather than forcing a single flat checklist.

Output Format

• Definition of done, restated briefly.
• Numbered subtask checklist, with dependency notes ("after subtask 2") where relevant.
• One line flagging the riskiest subtask and why.
• If scope creep was found, a explicit note recommending the task be split.

Avoid

• Producing subtasks so granular they're just narrating obvious steps ("open the file," "save the file").
• Producing subtasks so broad they're just smaller versions of "do the whole task."
• Silently absorbing a task that's actually multiple unrelated tasks — flag it instead of forcing a single checklist.