Agent Skills
› AjayIrkal23/agentic-mercy-10x
› planning-and-task-breakdown
planning-and-task-breakdown
GitHub将复杂需求分解为有序、可执行的小任务。适用于需求明确但任务过大、需并行处理或依赖不明的场景。通过只读规划、绘制依赖图和垂直切片，确保每个任务独立可测，避免代码混乱。
Trigger Scenarios
拥有明确规格说明但需要拆解为可实施单元时
任务感觉太大或太模糊无法开始时
需要在多个代理或会话中并行化工作时
需要向人类沟通工作范围时
实现顺序不明显时
Install
npx skills add AjayIrkal23/agentic-mercy-10x --skill planning-and-task-breakdown -g -y
SKILL.md
Frontmatter
{
"name": "planning-and-task-breakdown",
"schema": 1,
"category": "planning",
"surfaces": [
"planning"
],
"triggers": {
"paths": [],
"intents": [
"planning"
],
"keywords": [
"break",
"breakdown",
"breaks",
"clear",
"estimate",
"feels",
"have",
"implementable",
"large",
"need",
"ordered",
"parallel",
"planning",
"possible",
"requirements",
"scope",
"spec",
"start",
"task",
"tasks",
"too",
"work"
]
},
"platforms": [
"linux",
"darwin",
"windows"
],
"token-cost": 1876,
"description": "ALWAYS invoke when you have a spec or clear requirements and need to break work into ordered, implementable tasks. MUST use when a task feels too large to start, when you need to estimate scope, or when parallel work is possible."
}
Planning and Task Breakdown
Overview
Decompose work into small, verifiable tasks with explicit acceptance criteria. Good task breakdown is the difference between an agent that completes work reliably and one that produces a tangled mess. Every task should be small enough to implement, test, and verify in a single focused session.
When to Use
- You have a spec and need to break it into implementable units
- A task feels too large or vague to start
- Work needs to be parallelized across multiple agents or sessions
- You need to communicate scope to a human
- The implementation order isn't obvious
When NOT to use: Single-file changes with obvious scope, or when the spec already contains well-defined tasks.
The Planning Process
Step 1: Enter Plan Mode
Before writing any code, operate in read-only mode:
- Read the spec and relevant codebase sections
- Identify existing patterns and conventions
- Map dependencies between components
- Note risks and unknowns
Do NOT write code during planning. The output is a plan document, not implementation.
Step 2: Identify the Dependency Graph
Map what depends on what:
Database schema
│
├── API models/types
│ │
│ ├── API endpoints
│ │ │
│ │ └── Frontend API client
│ │ │
│ │ └── UI components
│ │
│ └── Validation logic
│
└── Seed data / migrations
Implementation order follows the dependency graph bottom-up: build foundations first.
Render the dependency graph with claude-mermaid:mermaid-diagrams (plugin) — a Mermaid flowchart makes parallelization opportunities and blocking edges obvious at a glance. Call mermaid_preview to iterate, mermaid_save to embed the rendered diagram into the plan file.
Step 3: Slice Vertically
Instead of building all the database, then all the API, then all the UI — build one complete feature path at a time:
Bad (horizontal slicing):
Task 1: Build entire database schema
Task 2: Build all API endpoints
Task 3: Build all UI components
Task 4: Connect everything
Good (vertical slicing):
Task 1: User can create an account (schema + API + UI for registration)
Task 2: User can log in (auth schema + API + UI for login)
Task 3: User can create a task (task schema + API + UI for creation)
Task 4: User can view task list (query + API + UI for list view)
Each vertical slice delivers working, testable functionality.
Step 4: Write Tasks
Each task follows this structure:
## Task [N]: [Short descriptive title]
**Description:** One paragraph explaining what this task accomplishes.
**Acceptance criteria:**
- [ ] [Specific, testable condition]
- [ ] [Specific, testable condition]
**Verification:**
- [ ] Tests pass: `npm test -- --grep "feature-name"`
- [ ] Build succeeds: `npm run build`
- [ ] Manual check: [description of what to verify]
**Dependencies:** [Task numbers this depends on, or "None"]
**Files likely touched:**
- `src/path/to/file.ts`
- `tests/path/to/test.ts`
**Estimated scope:** [Small: 1-2 files | Medium: 3-5 files | Large: 5+ files]
Step 5: Order and Checkpoint
Arrange tasks so that:
- Dependencies are satisfied (build foundation first)
- Each task leaves the system in a working state
- Verification checkpoints occur after every 2-3 tasks
- High-risk tasks are early (fail fast)
Add explicit checkpoints:
## Checkpoint: After Tasks 1-3
- [ ] All tests pass
- [ ] Application builds without errors
- [ ] Core user flow works end-to-end
- [ ] Review with human before proceeding
Task Sizing Guidelines
| Size | Files | Scope | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| XS | 1 | Single function or config change | Add a validation rule |
| S | 1-2 | One component or endpoint | Add a new API endpoint |
| M | 3-5 | One feature slice | User registration flow |
| L | 5-8 | Multi-component feature | Search with filtering and pagination |
| XL | 8+ | Too large — break it down further | — |
If a task is L or larger, it should be broken into smaller tasks. An agent performs best on S and M tasks.
When to break a task down further:
- It would take more than one focused session (roughly 2+ hours of agent work)
- You cannot describe the acceptance criteria in 3 or fewer bullet points
- It touches two or more independent subsystems (e.g., auth and billing)
- You find yourself writing "and" in the task title (a sign it is two tasks)
Plan Document Template
Save location (MANDATORY — both files required):
plan-YYYY-MM-DD-<feature-name>.mdat the project root (primary; committed with the project)docs/superpowers/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-<feature-name>.md(secondary archive copy)
Use the same <feature-name> kebab-case slug in both. See ~/.claude/rules/plan-root-save.md.
# Implementation Plan: [Feature/Project Name]
## Overview
[One paragraph summary of what we're building]
## Phase Flow Diagram
Render with `claude-mermaid:mermaid-diagrams` via `mermaid_preview`. Save with `mermaid_save` when the plan is approved.
```mermaid
flowchart LR
P1[Phase 1: Foundation] --> P2[Phase 2: Core]
P2 --> P3[Phase 3: Polish]
Architecture Decisions
- [Key decision 1 and rationale]
- [Key decision 2 and rationale]
Task List
Phase 1: Foundation
- Task 1: ...
- Task 2: ...
Checkpoint: Foundation
- Tests pass, builds clean
Phase 2: Core Features
- Task 3: ...
- Task 4: ...
Checkpoint: Core Features
- End-to-end flow works
Phase 3: Polish
- Task 5: ...
- Task 6: ...
Checkpoint: Complete
- All acceptance criteria met
- Ready for review
Risks and Mitigations
| Risk | Impact | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|
| [Risk] | [High/Med/Low] | [Strategy] |
Open Questions
- [Question needing human input]
## Parallelization Opportunities
When multiple agents or sessions are available:
- **Safe to parallelize:** Independent feature slices, tests for already-implemented features, documentation
- **Must be sequential:** Database migrations, shared state changes, dependency chains
- **Needs coordination:** Features that share an API contract (define the contract first, then parallelize)
## Common Rationalizations
| Rationalization | Reality |
|---|---|
| "I'll figure it out as I go" | That's how you end up with a tangled mess and rework. 10 minutes of planning saves hours. |
| "The tasks are obvious" | Write them down anyway. Explicit tasks surface hidden dependencies and forgotten edge cases. |
| "Planning is overhead" | Planning is the task. Implementation without a plan is just typing. |
| "I can hold it all in my head" | Context windows are finite. Written plans survive session boundaries and compaction. |
## Red Flags
- Starting implementation without a written task list
- Tasks that say "implement the feature" without acceptance criteria
- No verification steps in the plan
- All tasks are XL-sized
- No checkpoints between tasks
- Dependency order isn't considered
## Verification
Before starting implementation, confirm:
- [ ] Every task has acceptance criteria
- [ ] Every task has a verification step
- [ ] Task dependencies are identified and ordered correctly
- [ ] No task touches more than ~5 files
- [ ] Checkpoints exist between major phases
- [ ] The human has reviewed and approved the plan
Version History
- 581d130 Current 2026-07-19 09:13
