task-coordination-strategies

# Task Coordination Strategies Strategies for decomposing complex tasks into parallelizable units, designing dependency graphs, writing effective task descriptions, and monitoring workload across agent teams. ## When to Use This Skill - Breaking down a complex task for parallel execution - Designing task dependency relationships (blockedBy/blocks) - Writing task descriptions with clear acceptance criteria - Monitoring and rebalancing workload across teammates - Identifying the critical path in a multi-task workflow ## Task Decomposition Strategies ### By Layer Split work by architectural layer: - Frontend components - Backend API endpoints - Database migrations/models - Test suites **Best for**: Full-stack features, vertical slices ### By Component Split work by functional component: - Authentication module - User profile module - Notification module **Best for**: Microservices, modular architectures ### By Concern Split work by cross-cutting concern: - Security review - Performance review - Architecture review **Best for**: Code reviews, audits ### By File Ownership Split work by file/directory boundaries: - `src/components/` — Implementer 1 - `src/api/` — Implementer 2 - `src/utils/` — Implementer 3 **Best for**: Parallel implementation, conflict avoidance ## Dependency Graph Design ### Principles 1. **Minimize chain depth** — Prefer wide, shallow graphs over deep chains 2. **Identify the critical path** — The longest chain determines minimum completion time 3. **Use blockedBy sparingly** — Only add dependencies that are truly required 4. **Avoid circular dependencies** — Task A blocks B blocks A is a deadlock ### Patterns **Independent (Best parallelism)**: ``` Task A ─┐ Task B ─┼─→ Integration Task C ─┘ ``` **Sequential (Necessary dependencies)**: ``` Task A → Task B → Task C ``` **Diamond (Mixed)**: ``` ┌→ Task B ─┐ Task A ─┤ ├→ Task D └→ Task C ─┘ ``` ### Using blockedBy/blocks ``` TaskCreate: { subject: "Build API endpoints" } → Task #1 TaskCreate: { subject: "Build frontend components" } → Task #2 TaskCreate: { subject: "Integration testing" } → Task #3 TaskUpdate: { taskId: "3", addBlockedBy: ["1", "2"] } → #3 waits for #1 and #2 ``` ## Task Description Best Practices Every task should include: 1. **Objective** — What needs to be accomplished (1-2 sentences) 2. **Owned Files** — Explicit list of files/directories this teammate may modify 3. **Requirements** — Specific deliverables or behaviors expected 4. **Interface Contracts** — How this work connects to other teammates' work 5. **Acceptance Criteria** — How to verify the task is done correctly 6. **Scope Boundaries** — What is explicitly out of scope ### Template ``` ## Objective Build the user authentication API endpoints. ## Owned Files - src/api/auth.ts - src/api/middleware/auth-middleware.ts - src/types/auth.ts (shared — read only, do not modify) ## Requirements - POST /api/login — accepts email/password, returns JWT - POST /api/register — creates new user, returns JWT - GET /api/me — returns current user profile (requires auth) ## Interface Contract - Import User type from src/types/auth.ts (owned by implementer-1) - Export AuthResponse type for frontend consumption ## Acceptance Criteria - All endpoints return proper HTTP status codes - JWT tokens expire after 24 hours - Passwords are hashed with bcrypt ## Out of Scope - OAuth/social login - Password reset flow - Rate limiting ``` ## Workload Monitoring ### Indicators of Imbalance | Signal | Meaning | Action | | -------------------------- | ------------------- | --------------------------- | | Teammate idle, others busy | Uneven distribution | Reassign pending tasks | | Teammate stuck on one task | Possible blocker | Check in, offer help | | All tasks blocked | Dependency issue | Resolve critical path first | | One teammate has 3x others | Overloaded | Split tasks or reassign | ### Rebalancing Steps 1. Call `TaskList` to assess current state 2. Identify idle or overloaded teammates 3. Use `TaskUpdate` to reassign tasks 4. Use `SendMessage` to notify affected teammates 5. Monitor for improved throughput