task-estimation

name	task-estimation
description	Turn fuzzy work into one honest estimate packet by choosing the right sizing horizon, naming confidence and uncertainty, and separating discovery from delivery before anyone treats the number like a promise. Use when the user needs story points, t-shirt sizing, planning-poker prep, forecast-safe language, split-or-spike guidance, or cross-functional sizing across developer workflow, web/fullstack, product/ops, marketing/GTM, or game work. Route decomposition to `task-planning`, daily coordination to `standup-meeting`, and retrospective process learning to `sprint-retrospective`.
allowed-tools	Bash Read Write Edit Glob Grep
compatibility	Best for backlog items, specs, issue lists, PRDs, GDDs, launch notes, support requests, and roadmap slices that need relative sizing and uncertainty language. This is an estimation and forecast-support workflow, not a deadline generator or commitment engine.
license	MIT
metadata	{"tags":"task-estimation, story-points, t-shirt-sizing, planning-poker, forecasting, uncertainty, project-management, game-development","platforms":"Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Codex","version":"2.0.0","source":"akillness/oh-my-skills","modernization":"2026-04-12T00:00:00.000Z","hardening":"2026-04-19T00:00:00.000Z"}

Task Estimation

Use this skill when the job is to turn messy scope into one estimate packet with the right horizon, honest uncertainty, and one next move.

task-estimation owns:

• relative sizing before commitment
• choosing the lightest credible estimate unit
• confidence / uncertainty language
• split-or-spike decisions
• short forecast-safe translation notes
• cross-functional burden visibility for launch or game work

Read these support docs before unusual cases or when the request starts to sprawl:

• references/estimation-modes.md
• references/intake-packets-and-route-outs.md
• references/boundary-guide.md

When to use this skill

• A user asks “how big is this?”, “how risky is this?”, or “how should we estimate this?”
• A team needs story points, t-shirt sizing, planning-poker preparation, or confidence framing before a sprint or milestone discussion.
• A roadmap item, bug cluster, launch task, or game milestone needs an estimate without pretending it is already schedule-safe.
• Work is mixed enough that the first useful output is an estimate packet plus split/spike guidance.
• The estimate must surface dependencies, approvals, QA, release, content, or live-ops burden rather than only code effort.

When not to use this skill

• The main job is decomposition into execution-ready slices → task-planning.
• The main job is daily status, blockers, or team synchronization → standup-meeting.
• The main job is reviewing how the process went after delivery → sprint-retrospective.
• The user wants a hard ship date, fixed commitment, or executive promise with no uncertainty language.
• The only honest estimate is discovery itself. In that case, estimate the spike/prototype/vertical-slice work, not the fantasy final implementation.

Instructions

Step 1: Classify one primary estimation mode

Normalize the request before assigning any numbers.

estimation_intake:
  primary_mode: coarse-triage |