Task Breakdown Strategies for Developers

Large tasks are hard to estimate, track, and complete. They sit in "In Progress" for days, making true progress invisible. Breaking work into smaller pieces enables accurate estimation, visible progress, and the psychological wins of completing tasks. Good breakdown is a skill that improves with practice.

Why Break Down

Breakdown Strategies

Vertical Slices

VERTICAL SLICE BREAKDOWN
════════════════════════

CONCEPT:
─────────────────────────────────────
Instead of: All backend, then all frontend
Do: Thin end-to-end slices

        ┌─────────┐
USER    │ Slice 1 │ Slice 2 │ Slice 3 │
────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┤
FEATURE │   ✓     │   ✓     │         │
────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┤
COMPLETE│   ✓     │   ✓     │         │
        └─────────┴─────────┴─────────┘

EXAMPLE: User Profile Feature
─────────────────────────────────────
Instead of:
├── Task 1: All backend (3 days)
├── Task 2: All frontend (3 days)
├── Task 3: All tests (2 days)
└── Nothing usable until Day 8

Vertical slices:
├── Slice 1: Display name (backend + frontend + tests)
│   └── 1 day, usable feature
├── Slice 2: Profile photo (backend + frontend + tests)
│   └── 1 day, usable feature
├── Slice 3: Bio section (backend + frontend + tests)
│   └── 1 day, usable feature
├── Slice 4: Social links (backend + frontend + tests)
│   └── 1 day, usable feature
└── Each slice is shippable

BENEFITS:
├── Working software after each slice
├── Can reprioritize remaining slices
├── Earlier user feedback
├── Risk spread out
└── Easier to estimate thin slices

Layer-Based Breakdown

LAYER-BASED BREAKDOWN
═════════════════════

WHEN TO USE:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── Different people on different layers
├── Backend API needed before frontend
├── Clear technical boundaries
├── Infrastructure work

EXAMPLE: Payment Integration
─────────────────────────────────────
Layer 1 (Backend):
├── Task: Stripe API integration
├── Task: Payment model + migrations
├── Task: Payment service layer
└── Task: API endpoints

Layer 2 (Frontend):
├── Task: Payment form component
├── Task: Card validation UI
├── Task: Payment confirmation page
└── Task: Error handling UI

Layer 3 (Testing):
├── Task: Unit tests for payment service
├── Task: Integration tests for API
├── Task: E2E payment flow test
└── Task: Edge case testing

Layer 4 (Ops):
├── Task: Webhook handling
├── Task: Monitoring setup
├── Task: Documentation
└── Task: Security review

DEPENDENCIES:
─────────────────────────────────────
Layer 2 needs Layer 1's API.
Make APIs first, mock for frontend dev.
Layer 3 can parallel with Layer 2.

State-Based Breakdown

STATE-BASED BREAKDOWN
═════════════════════

CONCEPT:
─────────────────────────────────────
Break down by states a feature handles.
Each state is a task.

EXAMPLE: Order Status Feature
─────────────────────────────────────
States: Pending → Processing → Shipped → Delivered

Tasks:
├── Task 1: Pending state handling
│   ├── Display pending orders
│   ├── Cancel functionality
│   └── Tests for pending state
│
├── Task 2: Processing state handling
│   ├── Display processing orders
│   ├── Status update functionality
│   └── Tests for processing state
│
├── Task 3: Shipped state handling
│   ├── Display shipped orders
│   ├── Tracking integration
│   └── Tests for shipped state
│
├── Task 4: Delivered state handling
│   ├── Display delivered orders
│   ├── Feedback/review prompt
│   └── Tests for delivered state
│
└── Each state is independent and testable

BENEFITS:
├── Clear scope per task
├── Test each state thoroughly
├── Can prioritize critical states
└── Parallelizable

Scenario-Based Breakdown

SCENARIO-BASED BREAKDOWN
════════════════════════

CONCEPT:
─────────────────────────────────────
Break down by user scenarios.
Each scenario is a task.

EXAMPLE: Login Feature
─────────────────────────────────────
Scenarios:
├── Task 1: Happy path login
│   ├── User enters valid credentials
│   ├── System authenticates
│   ├── User redirected to dashboard
│   └── Tests: Valid login flow
│
├── Task 2: Invalid credentials
│   ├── User enters wrong password
│   ├── System shows error
│   ├── User can retry
│   └── Tests: Invalid creds handling
│
├── Task 3: Forgot password
│   ├── User clicks forgot
│   ├── Reset email sent
│   ├── Reset flow
│   └── Tests: Reset flow
│
├── Task 4: Account locked
│   ├── Too many attempts
│   ├── Lock message shown
│   ├── Unlock process
│   └── Tests: Lock handling
│
├── Task 5: Remember me
│   ├── Checkbox functionality
│   ├── Persistent session
│   └── Tests: Remember me
│
└── Each scenario independent

Task Sizing

Right-Size Tasks

TASK SIZE GUIDELINES
════════════════════

IDEAL SIZE:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── 4-16 hours of work
├── 0.5 to 2 days
├── 1-3 story points
└── One logical unit

TOO LARGE (split it):
─────────────────────────────────────
├── More than 2 days
├── "Implement entire feature"
├── Multiple PRs likely
├── Vague scope
└── Can't describe in one sentence

TOO SMALL (combine it):
─────────────────────────────────────
├── Less than 2 hours
├── "Rename variable"
├── "Fix typo"
├── Overhead exceeds work
└── Unless: tracking bug fixes separately

SIZE TEST:
─────────────────────────────────────
Can you describe exactly what "done" looks like?
├── Yes: Probably right size
├── "It depends...": Too vague, split
├── One line obvious: Maybe too small

Can it be reviewed in one PR?
├── Yes: Good
├── PR would be huge: Split

Breakdown Checklist

TASK BREAKDOWN CHECKLIST
════════════════════════

FOR EACH TASK, VERIFY:
─────────────────────────────────────
□ Clear completion criteria
  "When is this done?"

□ Independent or dependencies explicit
  "What does this need to start?"

□ Single responsibility
  "Does one thing, not many"

□ Estimable
  "Can give reasonable estimate"

□ Testable
  "Can verify it works"

□ Value delivered
  "Why does this matter?"

□ Right size (0.5-2 days)
  "Not too big, not too small"

BAD TASK EXAMPLE:
─────────────────────────────────────
"Implement user authentication"
├── Too vague
├── No clear endpoint
├── Days/weeks of work
├── Multiple systems involved
└── Split into: login, password reset,
    OAuth, session management, etc.

GOOD TASK EXAMPLE:
─────────────────────────────────────
"Implement login endpoint
- POST /api/login
- Accepts email/password
- Returns JWT token
- Returns 401 on invalid creds
- Unit tests for both paths"
├── Clear scope
├── Clear completion criteria
├── Estimable (4-8 hours)
└── One thing

GitScrum Setup

Task Structure

GITSCRUM TASK BREAKDOWN
═══════════════════════

EPIC → STORIES → TASKS:
─────────────────────────────────────
Epic: User Authentication
├── Story: Login functionality
│   ├── Task: Login API endpoint
│   ├── Task: Login form component
│   ├── Task: Login integration tests
│   └── Task: Login error handling
│
├── Story: Password reset
│   ├── Task: Reset request endpoint
│   ├── Task: Reset email sending
│   ├── Task: Reset form
│   └── Task: Reset tests
│
└── Story: OAuth integration
    ├── Task: Google OAuth setup
    ├── Task: GitHub OAuth setup
    └── Task: OAuth UI

CONFIGURATION:
─────────────────────────────────────
Project → Settings → Hierarchy
├── Enable epics
├── Enable stories/features
├── Enable tasks/subtasks
└── Configure relationships

VISIBILITY:
─────────────────────────────────────
Board can show:
├── Task level (daily work)
├── Story level (feature progress)
├── Epic level (initiative progress)
└── Choose appropriate zoom

Best Practices

For Task Breakdown

1. Vertical slices preferred — End-to-end over layers
2. Right-size tasks — 0.5-2 days each
3. Independent completion — Each task stands alone
4. Clear done criteria — Know when finished
5. Break down together — Team refines

Anti-Patterns

BREAKDOWN MISTAKES:
✗ Vague giant tasks
✗ Tasks without done criteria
✗ Dependencies not identified
✗ Too-small task overhead
✗ Only breakdown during planning
✗ "I'll figure it out as I go"
✗ Horizontal-only slicing
✗ No task descriptions

Related Solutions

• Creating effective sprint backlogs
• Estimating task duration accurately
• Writing effective user stories