our-claude-skills/official-skills/notion-spec-to-implementation/reference/task-creation.md

Task Creation from Specs

Finding the Task Database

Before creating tasks, locate the task database:

1. Search for task database:
   Notion:notion-search
   query: "Tasks" or "Task Management" or "[Project] Tasks"
   
2. Fetch database schema:
   Notion:notion-fetch
   id: "database-id-from-search"
   
3. Identify data source:
   - Look for <data-source url="collection://..."> tags
   - Extract collection ID for parent parameter
   
4. Note schema:
   - Required properties
   - Property types and options
   - Relation properties for linking

Example:
Notion:notion-search
query: "Engineering Tasks"
query_type: "internal"

Notion:notion-fetch
id: "tasks-database-id"

Result: collection://abc-123-def for use as parent

Task Breakdown Strategy

Size Guidelines

Good task size:

• Completable in 1-2 days
• Single clear deliverable
• Independently testable
• Minimal dependencies

Too large:

• Takes > 3 days
• Multiple deliverables
• Many dependencies
• Break down further

Too small:

• Takes < 2 hours
• Too granular
• Group with related work

Granularity by Phase

Early phases: Larger tasks acceptable

• "Design database schema"
• "Set up API structure"

Middle phases: Medium-sized tasks

• "Implement user authentication"
• "Build dashboard UI"

Late phases: Smaller, precise tasks

• "Fix validation bug in form"
• "Add loading state to button"

Task Creation Pattern

For each requirement or work item:

1. Identify the work
2. Determine task size
3. Create task in database
4. Set properties
5. Write task description
6. Link to spec/plan

Creating Task

Use Notion:notion-create-pages:

parent: {
  type: "data_source_id",
  data_source_id: "collection://tasks-db-uuid"
}

properties: {
  "[Title Property]": "Task: [Clear task name]",
  "Status": "To Do",
  "Priority": "[High/Medium/Low]",
  "[Project/Related]": ["spec-page-id", "plan-page-id"],
  "Assignee": "[Person]" (if known),
  "date:Due Date:start": "[Date]" (if applicable),
  "date:Due Date:is_datetime": 0
}

content: "[Task description using template]"

Task Description Template

# [Task Name]

## Context
Implementation task for <mention-page url="...">Feature Spec</mention-page>

Part of <mention-page url="...">Implementation Plan</mention-page> - Phase [N]

## Objective
[What this task accomplishes]

## Requirements
Based on spec requirements:
- [Relevant requirement 1]
- [Relevant requirement 2]

## Acceptance Criteria
- [ ] [Specific, testable criterion]
- [ ] [Specific, testable criterion]
- [ ] [Specific, testable criterion]

## Technical Approach
[Suggested implementation approach]

### Components Affected
- [Component 1]
- [Component 2]

### Key Decisions
- [Decision point 1]
- [Decision point 2]

## Dependencies

### Blocked By
- <mention-page url="...">Prerequisite Task</mention-page> or None

### Blocks
- <mention-page url="...">Dependent Task</mention-page> or None

## Resources
- [Link to design mockup]
- [Link to API spec]
- [Link to relevant code]

## Estimated Effort
[Time estimate]

## Progress
[To be updated during implementation]

Task Types

Infrastructure/Setup Tasks

Title: "Setup: [What's being set up]"
Examples:
- "Setup: Configure database connection pool"
- "Setup: Initialize authentication middleware"
- "Setup: Create CI/CD pipeline"

Focus: Getting environment/tooling ready

Feature Implementation Tasks

Title: "Implement: [Feature name]"
Examples:
- "Implement: User login flow"
- "Implement: File upload functionality"
- "Implement: Dashboard widget"

Focus: Building specific functionality

Integration Tasks

Title: "Integrate: [What's being integrated]"
Examples:
- "Integrate: Connect frontend to API"
- "Integrate: Add payment provider"
- "Integrate: Link user profile to dashboard"

Focus: Connecting components

Testing Tasks

Title: "Test: [What's being tested]"
Examples:
- "Test: Write unit tests for auth service"
- "Test: E2E testing for checkout flow"
- "Test: Performance testing for API"

Focus: Validation and quality assurance

Documentation Tasks

Title: "Document: [What's being documented]"
Examples:
- "Document: API endpoints"
- "Document: Setup instructions"
- "Document: Architecture decisions"

Focus: Creating documentation

Bug Fix Tasks

Title: "Fix: [Bug description]"
Examples:
- "Fix: Login error on Safari"
- "Fix: Memory leak in image processing"
- "Fix: Race condition in payment flow"

Focus: Resolving issues

Refactoring Tasks

Title: "Refactor: [What's being refactored]"
Examples:
- "Refactor: Extract auth logic to service"
- "Refactor: Optimize database queries"
- "Refactor: Simplify component hierarchy"

Focus: Code quality improvement

Sequencing Tasks

Critical Path

Identify must-happen-first tasks:

1. Database schema
2. API foundation
3. Core business logic
4. Frontend integration
5. Testing
6. Deployment

Parallel Tracks

Tasks that can happen simultaneously:

Track A: Backend development
- API endpoints
- Business logic
- Database operations

Track B: Frontend development
- UI components
- State management
- Routing

Track C: Infrastructure
- CI/CD setup
- Monitoring
- Documentation

Phase-Based Sequencing

Group by implementation phase:

Phase 1 (Foundation):
- Setup tasks
- Infrastructure tasks

Phase 2 (Core):
- Feature implementation tasks
- Integration tasks

Phase 3 (Polish):
- Testing tasks
- Documentation tasks
- Optimization tasks

Priority Assignment

P0/Critical

• Blocks everything else
• Core functionality
• Security requirements
• Data integrity

P1/High

• Important features
• User-facing functionality
• Performance requirements

P2/Medium

• Nice-to-have features
• Optimizations
• Minor improvements

P3/Low

• Future enhancements
• Edge case handling
• Cosmetic improvements

Estimation

Story Points

If using story points:

• 1 point: Few hours
• 2 points: Half day
• 3 points: Full day
• 5 points: 2 days
• 8 points: 3-4 days (consider breaking down)

Time Estimates

Direct time estimates:

• 2-4 hours: Small task
• 1 day: Medium task
• 2 days: Large task
• 3+ days: Break down further

Estimation Factors

Consider:

• Complexity
• Unknowns
• Dependencies
• Testing requirements
• Documentation needs

Task Relationships

Parent Task Pattern

For large features:

Parent: "Feature: User Authentication"
Children:
- "Setup: Configure auth library"
- "Implement: Login flow"
- "Implement: Password reset"
- "Test: Auth functionality"

Dependency Chain Pattern

For sequential work:

Task A: "Design database schema"
↓ (blocks)
Task B: "Implement data models"
↓ (blocks)
Task C: "Create API endpoints"
↓ (blocks)
Task D: "Integrate with frontend"

Related Tasks Pattern

For parallel work:

Central: "Feature: Dashboard"
Related:
- "Backend API for dashboard data"
- "Frontend dashboard component"
- "Dashboard data caching"

Bulk Task Creation

When creating many tasks:

For each work item in breakdown:
  1. Determine task properties
  2. Create task page
  3. Link to spec/plan
  4. Set relationships

Then:
  1. Update plan with task links
  2. Review sequencing
  3. Assign tasks (if known)

Task Naming Conventions

Be specific: ✓ "Implement user login with email/password" ✗ "Add login"

Include context: ✓ "Dashboard: Add revenue chart widget" ✗ "Add chart"

Use action verbs:

• Implement, Build, Create
• Integrate, Connect, Link
• Fix, Resolve, Debug
• Test, Validate, Verify
• Document, Write, Update
• Refactor, Optimize, Improve

Validation Checklist

Before finalizing tasks:

☐ Each task has clear objective ☐ Acceptance criteria are testable ☐ Dependencies identified ☐ Appropriate size (1-2 days) ☐ Priority assigned ☐ Linked to spec/plan ☐ Proper sequencing ☐ Resources noted