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
Main Goal
├─ Sub-goal 1
│ ├─ Task 1.1 (atomic)
│ └─ Task 1.2 (atomic)
├─ Sub-goal 2
└─ Sub-goal 33. 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