Task Breakdown Phase: Standard Operating Procedure

Training Guide: Step-by-step procedures for executing the /tasks command with emphasis on right-sized tasks and clear acceptance criteria.

Supporting references:

• reference.md - Task sizing guidelines, acceptance criteria templates, sequencing patterns
• examples.md - Good tasks (0.5-1 day, clear AC) vs bad tasks (>2 days, vague AC)

Phase Overview

Purpose: Transform implementation plan into concrete, test-driven tasks with clear acceptance criteria and proper sequencing.

Inputs:

• specs/NNN-slug/plan.md - Implementation plan
• specs/NNN-slug/spec.md - Feature specification
• Architecture and component definitions

Outputs:

• specs/NNN-slug/tasks.md - Detailed task breakdown (20-30 tasks)
• Updated workflow-state.yaml

Expected duration: 10-20 minutes

Prerequisites

Environment checks:

• Planning phase completed (plan.md exists)
• Architecture components defined
• Reuse strategy documented
• Git working tree clean

Knowledge requirements:

• Task sizing guidelines (0.5-1 day per task)
• Acceptance criteria best practices
• TDD workflow (test-first development)
• Task sequencing (dependencies and parallel paths)

Execution Steps

Step 1: Analyze Plan and Architecture

Actions:

1. Read plan.md to extract:

   • Components to implement
   • Data model changes
   • API endpoints
   • UI components (if HAS_UI=true)
   • Testing requirements

2. Map dependencies:

   • Which components depend on others?
   • What must be implemented first?
   • What can be parallelized?

Quality check: Do you understand all components that need tasks?

Step 2: Generate Foundation Tasks

Actions: Create tasks for foundational work that other tasks depend on:

1. Database tasks (if needed):

   • Task: Create database migration for [tables]
   • Task: Add indexes for performance
   • Task: Create seed data for development/testing

2. Model/Schema tasks:

   • Task: Implement [ModelName] with base fields
   • Task: Add validation rules to [ModelName]
   • Task: Write unit tests for [ModelName]

3. Configuration tasks (if HAS_DEPLOYMENT_IMPACT):

   • Task: Add environment variables to .env.example
   • Task: Update deployment configuration
   • Task: Document new configuration in README

Task template:

### Task N: Create Database Migration for Time Logs

**Complexity**: Low (2-4 hours)

**Description**: Create Alembic migration to add `time_logs` table with student_id, lesson_id, time_spent fields.

**Implementation steps**:
1. Generate migration file
2. Define table schema with foreign keys
3. Add indexes on (student_id, lesson_id)
4. Test migration up/down locally

**Acceptance criteria**:
- [ ] Migration runs successfully on clean database
- [ ] Foreign keys enforce referential integrity
- [ ] Rollback works without errors
- [ ] Migration documented in migrations/README.md

**Dependencies**: None
**Blocks**: Task 4 (StudentProgress model)

Quality check: Foundation tasks have no dependencies and are clearly testable.

Step 3: Generate Business Logic Tasks (TDD-First)

Actions: For each service/utility in the plan, create tasks using TDD workflow:

TDD task structure (3 tasks per component):

1. Task N: Write tests for [Component] ← RED phase
2. Task N+1: Implement [Component] ← GREEN phase
3. Task N+2: Refactor [Component] ← REFACTOR phase

Example:

### Task 8: Write Unit Tests for StudentProgressService

**Complexity**: Medium (4-6 hours)

**Description**: Write comprehensive unit tests for StudentProgressService before implementation.

**Test cases to implement**:
1. calculateProgress() with valid student (expects completion rate)
2. calculateProgress() with no lessons (expects 0%)
3. calculateProgress() with student not found (expects error)
4. getRecentActivity() returns last 10 activities
5. getRecentActivity() with no activity (expects empty array)

**Acceptance criteria**:
- [ ] 5 test cases implemented (all failing initially)
- [ ] Tests cover happy path + edge cases
- [ ] Mocks used for Student/Lesson/TimeLog models
- [ ] Test coverage ≥90% for service interface

**Dependencies**: Task 4 (models created)
**Blocks**: Task 9 (implementation)

---

### Task 9: Implement StudentProgressService

**Complexity**: Medium (6-8 hours)

**Description**: Implement StudentProgressService to make tests pass.

**Implementation steps**:
1. Create service class with calculateProgress() method
2. Query time_logs with student_id filter
3. Calculate completion rate = completed / total lessons
4. Implement getRecentActivity() with limit 10
5. Run tests until all pass

**Acceptance criteria**:
- [ ] All 5 unit tests from Task 8 pass
- [ ] No code duplication (reuses existing utilities)
- [ ] Follows existing service patterns (see BaseService)
- [ ] Type hints on all methods

**Dependencies**: Task 8 (tests written)
**Blocks**: Task 10 (refactor)

Quality check: Every business logic component has test → implement → refactor tasks.

Step 4: Generate API Endpoint Tasks (TDD-First)

Actions: For each API endpoint in plan, create test-first tasks:

### Task 15: Write Integration Tests for Progress API Endpoint

**Complexity**: Medium (4-6 hours)

**Description**: Write integration tests for GET /api/v1/students/{id}/progress before implementation.

**Test scenarios**:
1. Valid student ID returns 200 with progress data
2. Invalid student ID returns 404
3. Unauthorized user returns 403
4. Invalid period parameter returns 400
5. Response schema validation

**Acceptance criteria**:
- [ ] 5 integration tests implemented (all failing initially)
- [ ] Tests use real database (test fixtures)
- [ ] Authentication tested (valid token, invalid token, missing token)
- [ ] Response matches OpenAPI schema

**Dependencies**: Task 9 (StudentProgressService implemented)
**Blocks**: Task 16 (endpoint implementation)

---

### Task 16: Implement GET /api/v1/students/{id}/progress

**Complexity**: Medium (4-6 hours)

**Description**: Implement API endpoint to make integration tests pass.

**Implementation steps**:
1. Create route in routes/students.py
2. Add authentication decorator
3. Validate path/query parameters
4. Call StudentProgressService.calculateProgress()
5. Format response per schema
6. Handle errors (404, 403, 400)

**Acceptance criteria**:
- [ ] All 5 integration tests from Task 15 pass
- [ ] Response time <500ms (95th percentile with 500 lessons)
- [ ] Follows API versioning convention (/api/v1/)
- [ ] Error responses include error codes + messages

**Dependencies**: Task 15 (tests written), Task 9 (service ready)

Quality check: All endpoints have test → implement task pairs.

Step 5: Generate UI Component Tasks (if HAS_UI=true, TDD-First)

Actions: For each UI component, create test-first tasks:

### Task 22: Write Component Tests for ProgressDashboard

**Complexity**: Medium (4-6 hours)

**Description**: Write React Testing Library tests for ProgressDashboard before implementation.

**Test scenarios**:
1. Renders loading state while fetching data
2. Renders progress chart with valid data
3. Renders error message on API failure
4. Date filter updates chart data
5. Accessibility: keyboard navigation works

**Acceptance criteria**:
- [ ] 5 component tests implemented (all failing initially)
- [ ] Tests use MSW to mock API responses
- [ ] Tests check ARIA labels for accessibility
- [ ] Tests verify chart renders (mocked with jest.mock)

**Dependencies**: Task 16 (API endpoint ready)
**Blocks**: Task 23 (component implementation)

---

### Task 23: Implement ProgressDashboard Component

**Complexity**: Medium (6-8 hours)

**Description**: Implement ProgressDashboard React component to make tests pass.

**Implementation steps**:
1. Create component file src/pages/ProgressDashboard.tsx
2. Add useApiData hook for data fetching
3. Render ProgressChart component (reuse from library)
4. Add date filter dropdown
5. Handle loading/error states
6. Add ARIA labels for accessibility

**Acceptance criteria**:
- [ ] All 5 component tests from Task 22 pass
- [ ] Lighthouse accessibility score ≥95
- [ ] Reuses ProgressChart from shared components
- [ ] Date filter persists in URL query params

**Dependencies**: Task 22 (tests written)

Quality check: All UI components have test → implement task pairs.

Step 6: Generate Integration and E2E Test Tasks

Actions: Create tasks for higher-level testing:

### Task 27: Write E2E Test for Progress Dashboard Flow

**Complexity**: Medium (4-6 hours)

**Description**: Write Playwright E2E test for complete user journey.

**Test flow**:
1. User logs in as teacher
2. Navigates to student list
3. Clicks "View Progress" for student
4. Sees progress dashboard load
5. Filters by 7-day period
6. Verifies chart updates

**Acceptance criteria**:
- [ ] E2E test runs in headless mode
- [ ] Test passes on local dev server
- [ ] Screenshots captured on failure
- [ ] Test completes in <30 seconds

**Dependencies**: All implementation tasks (18-26)

Quality check: E2E tests cover top 3 user journeys from spec.

Step 7: Sequence Tasks by Dependencies

Actions:

1. Create dependency graph:

   • List tasks with dependencies
   • Identify parallel paths
   • Mark critical path (longest dependency chain)

2. Assign task numbers based on sequence:

   • Foundation tasks: 1-5
   • Data layer: 6-10
   • Business logic: 11-15
   • API layer: 16-20
   • UI layer: 21-26 (if HAS_UI)
   • Integration/E2E: 27-30

Example dependency graph:

Task 1 (Migration) → Task 4 (Models) → Task 8 (Service Tests) → Task 9 (Service) → Task 15 (API Tests) → Task 16 (API)
                                                                                                               ↓
                                                                                          Task 22 (UI Tests) → Task 23 (UI) → Task 27 (E2E)

Quality check: No circular dependencies, clear parallel paths identified.

Step 8: Validate Task Sizes

Actions: For each task, verify size is 0.5-1 day (4-8 hours):

Too large (>1 day): Split into subtasks

❌ Task: Implement entire progress dashboard feature (3 days)

✅ Split into:
- Task 22: Write component tests (4-6 hours)
- Task 23: Implement dashboard layout (6-8 hours)
- Task 24: Add chart integration (4-6 hours)
- Task 25: Add filter controls (4-6 hours)

Too small (<2 hours): Combine with related tasks

❌ Task: Add ARIA label to button (30 minutes)

✅ Combine into:
- Task 23: Implement dashboard component (includes accessibility)

Quality check: 90% of tasks are 0.5-1 day, no tasks >1.5 days.

Step 9: Define Clear Acceptance Criteria

Actions: For each task, add 2-4 testable acceptance criteria:

Good acceptance criteria:

• Specific and measurable
• Can be verified by tests
• Include success metrics where applicable
• Cover happy path + edge cases

Example:

**Acceptance criteria**:
- [ ] API returns 200 with valid student ID (tested)
- [ ] Response time <500ms for 500 lessons (measured)
- [ ] Returns 404 for invalid student ID (tested)
- [ ] Follows API schema from plan.md (validated)

Bad acceptance criteria to avoid:

❌ [ ] Code works correctly
❌ [ ] API is implemented
❌ [ ] Tests pass

Quality check: Every task has 2-4 checkboxes, all are testable.

Step 10: Add Implementation Notes

Actions: For complex tasks, add implementation hints:

**Implementation notes**:
- Reuse BaseService pattern (see api/app/services/base.py)
- Follow TDD: Write test first, implement minimal code, refactor
- Use existing time_spent calculation utility
- Refer to plan.md section "StudentProgressService" for details

Quality check: Complex tasks have helpful hints without over-specifying.

Step 11: Generate tasks.md

Actions:

1. Render tasks.md from template with:

   • Overview (total tasks, estimated duration)
   • Task list (numbered, sequenced by dependencies)
   • Each task includes: Complexity, Description, Steps, AC, Dependencies

2. Add summary section:

   markdownCopy

   ## Task Summary
   
   **Total tasks**: 28
   **Estimated duration**: 4-5 days
   **Critical path**: Tasks 1 → 4 → 8 → 9 → 15 → 16 → 22 → 23 → 27 (15 hours)
   **Parallel paths**: UI tasks (21-26) can run parallel to API tasks (16-20)
   
   **Task distribution**:
   - Foundation: 3 tasks
   - Data layer: 4 tasks
   - Business logic: 6 tasks (TDD: test + implement + refactor)
   - API layer: 6 tasks (TDD: test + implement)
   - UI layer: 6 tasks (TDD: test + implement)
   - Testing: 3 tasks (integration + E2E)
   

Quality check: tasks.md is complete and ready for /implement phase.

Step 12: Validate and Commit

Actions:

1. Run validation checks:

   • 20-30 tasks total (appropriate for feature complexity)
   • All tasks ≤1.5 days (most 0.5-1 day)
   • All tasks have 2-4 acceptance criteria
   • TDD workflow followed (test-first tasks)
   • Dependencies clearly documented
   • No circular dependencies

2. Commit tasks:

   bashCopy

   git add specs/NNN-slug/tasks.md
   git commit -m "feat: add task breakdown for <feature-name>
   
   Generated 28 tasks with TDD workflow:
   - Foundation: 3 tasks
   - Data layer: 4 tasks
   - Business logic: 6 tasks
   - API layer: 6 tasks
   - UI layer: 6 tasks
   - Testing: 3 tasks
   
   Estimated duration: 4-5 days
   

Quality check: Tasks committed, workflow-state.yaml updated to tasks phase completed.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

🚫 Tasks Too Large (>1 Day)

Impact: Blocks progress, unclear completion, hard to estimate

Scenario:

Task: Implement entire student progress dashboard
Complexity: Very High (3 days)
Result: Unclear when 50% complete, hard to test incrementally

Prevention:

• Target: 0.5-1 day per task (4-8 hours)
• If task >1 day: Decompose into subtasks
• Use TDD: Separate test/implement/refactor into distinct tasks

If encountered: Split into smaller tasks (e.g., test task + implement task)

🚫 Missing or Vague Acceptance Criteria

Impact: Unclear when done, rework risk, merge conflicts

Bad examples:

❌ [ ] Code works correctly
❌ [ ] Feature is implemented
❌ [ ] Tests pass

Good examples:

✅ [ ] API returns 200 with completion_rate field (tested)
✅ [ ] Response time <500ms with 500 lessons (measured)
✅ [ ] Returns 404 for invalid student ID (tested)

Prevention:

• Each task has 2-4 testable acceptance criteria
• Use "Given-When-Then" format for clarity
• Include success metrics where applicable (response time, coverage %)

🚫 Not Following TDD Workflow

Impact: Tests written after code, poor test coverage, missed edge cases

Bad task order:

Task 8: Implement StudentProgressService
Task 9: Write tests for StudentProgressService

Good task order (TDD):

Task 8: Write unit tests for StudentProgressService (RED)
Task 9: Implement StudentProgressService to pass tests (GREEN)
Task 10: Refactor StudentProgressService (REFACTOR)

Prevention: Always create test task before implementation task

🚫 Unclear Dependencies

Impact: Tasks blocked, parallel work impossible, critical path unclear

Bad example:

Task 15: Implement API endpoint
Dependencies: Other tasks

Good example:

Task 15: Implement GET /api/v1/students/{id}/progress
Dependencies: Task 9 (StudentProgressService), Task 14 (API tests)
Blocks: Task 22 (UI component)

Prevention: Explicitly list task numbers for dependencies and blocked tasks

🚫 Mixing Implementation Details in Acceptance Criteria

Impact: Couples task to specific implementation, reduces flexibility

Bad example:

❌ [ ] Uses Redis for caching
❌ [ ] Implements with React hooks
❌ [ ] Uses PostgreSQL indexes

Good example (outcome-focused):

✅ [ ] Cache hit rate >80% for repeat requests
✅ [ ] Component re-renders <3 times on filter change
✅ [ ] Query executes in <100ms with 10k records

Prevention: Focus on outcomes, not implementation mechanisms

🚫 No Task Sequencing

Impact: Developers unsure what to start with, dependencies unclear

Prevention:

• Number tasks in dependency order
• Mark critical path
• Identify parallel work opportunities
• Document dependencies explicitly

Best Practices

✅ Right-Sized Task Example

Good task structure:

### Task 15: Implement GET /api/v1/students/{id}/progress

**Complexity**: Medium (6-8 hours)

**Description**: Implement API endpoint to make integration tests from Task 14 pass.

**Implementation steps**:
1. Create route in routes/students.py
2. Add authentication decorator (@require_teacher)
3. Validate student_id and period parameters
4. Call StudentProgressService.calculateProgress()
5. Format response per OpenAPI schema
6. Handle errors (404, 403, 400)

**Acceptance criteria**:
- [ ] All 5 integration tests from Task 14 pass
- [ ] Response time <500ms (95th percentile, 500 lessons)
- [ ] Follows API versioning (/api/v1/)
- [ ] Error responses include error codes

**Dependencies**: Task 14 (API tests), Task 9 (StudentProgressService)
**Blocks**: Task 22 (UI component)
**Files**: api/app/routes/students.py

Why it's good:

• Clear scope (single endpoint)
• Sized appropriately (6-8 hours)
• Test-driven (depends on test task 14)
• Measurable AC (4 checkboxes, all testable)
• Dependencies explicit

✅ TDD Task Triplet Pattern

For every component, create 3 tasks:

1. RED: Write failing tests
2. GREEN: Implement to pass tests
3. REFACTOR: Clean up while keeping tests green

Example:

Task 8: Write unit tests for StudentProgressService
→ Task 9: Implement StudentProgressService
→ Task 10: Refactor StudentProgressService

Result: Enforces TDD discipline, ensures test coverage, encourages refactoring

✅ Acceptance Criteria Templates

Use consistent format:

API endpoint AC:

- [ ] Returns {status_code} with {field} in response (tested)
- [ ] Response time <{threshold}ms (measured)
- [ ] Returns {error_code} for {error_condition} (tested)
- [ ] Follows {schema} from plan.md (validated)

UI component AC:

- [ ] Renders {element} with {prop} (tested)
- [ ] {interaction} updates {state} (tested)
- [ ] Lighthouse accessibility score ≥{threshold}
- [ ] Reuses {component} from shared library

Database migration AC:

- [ ] Migration runs successfully on clean database
- [ ] Rollback works without errors
- [ ] Indexes improve query performance (measured)
- [ ] Foreign keys enforce referential integrity

Phase Checklist

Pre-phase checks:

• Planning phase completed (plan.md exists)
• Architecture components defined
• Reuse strategy documented
• Git working tree clean

During phase:

• Foundation tasks created (database, models, config)
• Business logic tasks follow TDD (test → implement → refactor)
• API tasks follow TDD (test → implement)
• UI tasks follow TDD (test → implement) - if HAS_UI
• Integration/E2E tasks created
• Task sizes validated (90% are 0.5-1 day)
• Acceptance criteria clear (2-4 per task, all testable)
• Dependencies documented
• Tasks sequenced by dependencies

Post-phase validation:

• tasks.md created with 20-30 tasks
• Task summary includes totals and critical path
• All tasks ≤1.5 days
• All tasks have clear AC
• TDD workflow followed
• Tasks committed to git
• workflow-state.yaml updated

Quality Standards

Task breakdown quality targets:

• Total tasks: 20-30 (adjust for feature complexity)
• Avg task size: 0.5-1 day (4-8 hours)
• Tasks with clear AC: 100%
• Tasks following TDD: 100% for business logic + API + UI
• Task rework rate: <5%

What makes a good task breakdown:

• Right-sized tasks (0.5-1 day each)
• Clear, testable acceptance criteria (2-4 per task)
• TDD workflow (test tasks before implementation tasks)
• Explicit dependencies (task numbers listed)
• Helpful implementation notes (without over-specifying)

What makes a bad task breakdown:

• Tasks >1.5 days (too large, hard to estimate)
• Vague AC ("code works", "feature done")
• No TDD workflow (tests after implementation)
• Unclear dependencies ("depends on other tasks")
• Missing implementation hints for complex tasks

Completion Criteria

Phase is complete when:

• All pre-phase checks passed
• All execution steps completed
• All post-phase validations passed
• Tasks committed to git
• workflow-state.yaml shows currentPhase: tasks and status: completed

Ready to proceed to next phase (/implement):

• 20-30 concrete tasks defined
• All tasks have clear AC
• Dependencies mapped
• TDD workflow established

Troubleshooting

Issue: Tasks too large (>1.5 days) Solution: Split into subtasks using TDD triplet (test + implement + refactor)

Issue: Acceptance criteria vague Solution: Use AC templates from best practices, ensure all are testable

Issue: Dependencies unclear Solution: Create dependency graph, list task numbers explicitly

Issue: Not enough tasks for complexity Solution: Review plan.md components, ensure each has test + implement tasks

Issue: Too many tasks (>40) Solution: Review for granularity, combine trivial tasks, verify feature scope

This SOP guides the task breakdown phase. Refer to reference.md for sizing guidelines and examples.md for task patterns.