ticket-breakdown

name	ticket-breakdown
description	Decompose a Jira epic or story into estimated subtasks including hidden work. Markdown-first saved artifacts (subtask lists are mostly tables/bullets); HTML companion only when the breakdown has substantial visual content (timeline SVG, dependency graph). Uses calibration data for realistic estimates. Optionally creates subtasks in Jira.
metadata	{"workbench.argument-hint":"<ticket-id>"}

Path resolution: This skill may run from any repo. All context/ and config.yaml paths are relative to the workbench root, not the current working directory. Read ~/.codex/workbench-root or ~/.claude/workbench-root to get the absolute workbench path, then prepend it to all context/ and config.yaml references. See PATHS.md.

Ticket Breakdown

Decompose a Jira epic or story into estimated implementation subtasks, including the hidden work that people always forget.

Input

The user provides a Jira ticket ID. Optionally they may specify:

• Whether to create subtasks in Jira (default: no, just show the plan)
• Focus area (if only part of the epic needs decomposition)

Process

Step 1: Gather Full Context

1. Fetch the ticket using mcp__claude_ai_Atlassian__getJiraIssue
2. Read linked Confluence docs if any are referenced
3. Check for linked tickets (dependencies, related work)
4. Search Slack for recent discussion about this ticket
5. If the ticket, links, branch names, or current directory imply affected repos/services, invoke the repo-context skill. Use its bundled helper for deterministic output:
   • python3 <workbench-root>/.agents/skills/repo-context/scripts/repo_context.py explain --repo <repo> --include-adjacent
   • or python3 <workbench-root>/.agents/skills/repo-context/scripts/repo_context.py explain --service <service> --include-adjacent
   • or python3 <workbench-root>/.agents/skills/repo-context/scripts/repo_context.py explain --current --include-adjacent Use this to identify adjacent repos, validation profiles, App Insights hints, and repo-specific rule entrypoints before estimating.

Step 2: Understand the Scope

Identify: what needs to be built/changed, which systems/repos are affected, who else is involved, what's unclear.

Record repo-context output in the breakdown when saved: primary/context/optional repos, services, product flows, repo-specific rules to read, and validation profiles. If a target repo has an instruction directory, count reading the relevant instructions as part of hidden/context-gathering work.

Step 3: Decompose into Subtasks

Break into all categories:

Implementation tasks: discrete code changes, DB changes, API changes, UI changes

Quality tasks: unit tests, integration tests, manual testing

Coordination tasks: design review, Slack discussions, cross-team coordination

Hidden work (always include): context gathering, PR creation, review cycles (1-2 rounds), merge conflicts, deploy + verification, documentation

Step 4: Estimate Each Subtask

1. Read context/calibration.md for calibrated multipliers and pace factor
2. Assign raw hour estimates, classify familiarity, note which repo
3. Apply appropriate multiplier
4. Apply pace factor if below 1.0

Step 5: Produce the Breakdown

If the breakdown is being saved, shared, used as an implementation plan, or is large enough that the user will review it later, read context/standards/html-plan-standard.md and produce an HTML-first breakdown artifact named ticket-breakdown.html or <ticket-id>-breakdown.html. Use a concise Markdown summary only for chat or Jira compatibility.

## Ticket Breakdown: [TICKET-ID] — [Title]

### Context
- Epic/Story: [title]
- Systems affected: [repos]
- Open questions / Dependencies

### Subtask Breakdown
| # | Subtask | Category | Raw Est | Multiplier | Adjusted | Notes |
|---|---------|----------|---------|------------|----------|-------|

### Summary
- Raw total / Adjusted total / Calendar days / Confidence range

### Risks
- [Risk that could blow up the estimate]

### Recommended Sequencing
1. Start with X because...

Step 6 (Optional): Create in Jira

If the user asks, create subtasks via mcp__claude_ai_Atlassian__createJiraIssue, link to parent, and set estimates.

Important Notes

• The "hidden work" section is non-negotiable.
• If the ticket is vague, flag it as "needs refinement" and estimate the refinement work.
• Cross-repo changes multiply complexity.
• Note the calibration category for each subtask so actuals can be tracked later.