dnshelper/.specify/templates/tasks-template.md

description

description
Task list template for feature implementation

Tasks: [FEATURE NAME]

Input: Design documents from /specs/[###-feature-name]/ Prerequisites: plan.md (required), spec.md (required for user stories), research.md, data-model.md, contracts/

Tests: The examples below include test tasks. Tests are OPTIONAL - only include them if explicitly requested in the feature specification.

Organization: Tasks are grouped by user story to enable independent implementation and testing of each story.

Self-Containment: Tasks will be executed by a DIFFERENT model than the one generating them. The generating model has deep reasoning capability and can infer implementation details from sparse descriptions. The implementing model does NOT — it needs explicit, self-contained context embedded directly in each task. Every non-trivial task must include an indented Context block (see examples below).

Format: [ID] [P?] [Story] Description

• [P]: Can run in parallel (different files, no dependencies)
• [Story]: Which user story this task belongs to (e.g., US1, US2, US3)
• Include exact file paths in descriptions

Path Conventions

• Single project: src/, tests/ at repository root
• Web app: backend/src/, frontend/src/
• Mobile: api/src/, ios/src/ or android/src/
• Paths shown below assume single project - adjust based on plan.md structure

Phase 1: Setup (Shared Infrastructure)

Purpose: Project initialization and basic structure

Phase Context:

• Files modified in this phase: package.json (project manifest), src/ (directory structure), .eslintrc (linting config)

• Key types/interfaces used: None yet — this phase creates the foundation

• Codebase conventions to follow: [Reference project guidelines or existing patterns]

• T001 Create project structure per implementation plan

• T002 Initialize [language] project with [framework] dependencies

• T003 [P] Configure linting and formatting tools

---

Phase 2: Foundational (Blocking Prerequisites)

Purpose: Core infrastructure that MUST be complete before ANY user story can be implemented

⚠️ CRITICAL: No user story work can begin until this phase is complete

Examples of foundational tasks (adjust based on your project):

• T004 Setup database schema and migrations framework
• T005 [P] Implement authentication/authorization framework
• T006 [P] Setup API routing and middleware structure
• T007 Create base models/entities that all stories depend on
• T008 Configure error handling and logging infrastructure
• T009 Setup environment configuration management

Checkpoint: Foundation ready - user story implementation can now begin in parallel

---

Phase 3: User Story 1 - [Title] (Priority: P1) 🎯 MVP

Goal: [Brief description of what this story delivers]

Independent Test: [How to verify this story works on its own]

Phase Context:

• Files modified in this phase: [Full paths with one-line description of each file's current purpose]
• Key types/interfaces used: [Quoted signatures of types that tasks in this phase depend on]
• Codebase conventions to follow: [Naming patterns, error handling style, import grouping, test patterns — reference specific files as examples]

Tests for User Story 1 (OPTIONAL - only if tests requested) ⚠️

NOTE: Write these tests FIRST, ensure they FAIL before implementation

• T010 [P] [US1] Contract test for [endpoint] in tests/contract/test_[name].py
• T011 [P] [US1] Integration test for [user journey] in tests/integration/test_[name].py

Implementation for User Story 1

• T012 [P] [US1] Create [Entity1] model in src/models/[entity1].py

  Context:

  • Existing code references: [Quote the exact interface/base class this model must implement, with fenced code block]
  • Target file state: src/models/ directory exists after T001; no other models present yet
  • Expected implementation pattern: [Show code skeleton or reference similar pattern in codebase, e.g., "Follow the same pattern as BaseEntity in src/models/base.py lines 10-45"]
  • Key decisions and gotchas: [Non-obvious constraints from spec/research, e.g., "Must use UUID for primary key per spec NFR-3" or "Field name has max length 255 per data-model.md"]
  • Acceptance signal: [Concrete verification, e.g., "python -m pytest tests/unit/test_entity1.py passes" or "File imports successfully with no errors"]

• T013 [P] [US1] Create [Entity2] model in src/models/[entity2].py

• T014 [US1] Implement [Service] in src/services/[service].py (depends on T012, T013)

• T015 [US1] Implement [endpoint/feature] in src/[location]/[file].py

• T016 [US1] Add validation and error handling

• T017 [US1] Add logging for user story 1 operations

Checkpoint: At this point, User Story 1 should be fully functional and testable independently

---

Phase 4: User Story 2 - [Title] (Priority: P2)

Goal: [Brief description of what this story delivers]

Independent Test: [How to verify this story works on its own]

Tests for User Story 2 (OPTIONAL - only if tests requested) ⚠️

• T018 [P] [US2] Contract test for [endpoint] in tests/contract/test_[name].py
• T019 [P] [US2] Integration test for [user journey] in tests/integration/test_[name].py

Implementation for User Story 2

• T020 [P] [US2] Create [Entity] model in src/models/[entity].py
• T021 [US2] Implement [Service] in src/services/[service].py
• T022 [US2] Implement [endpoint/feature] in src/[location]/[file].py
• T023 [US2] Integrate with User Story 1 components (if needed)

Checkpoint: At this point, User Stories 1 AND 2 should both work independently

---

Phase 5: User Story 3 - [Title] (Priority: P3)

Goal: [Brief description of what this story delivers]

Independent Test: [How to verify this story works on its own]

Tests for User Story 3 (OPTIONAL - only if tests requested) ⚠️

• T024 [P] [US3] Contract test for [endpoint] in tests/contract/test_[name].py
• T025 [P] [US3] Integration test for [user journey] in tests/integration/test_[name].py

Implementation for User Story 3

• T026 [P] [US3] Create [Entity] model in src/models/[entity].py
• T027 [US3] Implement [Service] in src/services/[service].py
• T028 [US3] Implement [endpoint/feature] in src/[location]/[file].py

Checkpoint: All user stories should now be independently functional

---

[Add more user story phases as needed, following the same pattern]

---

Phase N: Polish & Cross-Cutting Concerns

Purpose: Improvements that affect multiple user stories

• TXXX [P] Documentation updates in docs/
• TXXX Code cleanup and refactoring
• TXXX Performance optimization across all stories
• TXXX [P] Additional unit tests (if requested) in tests/unit/
• TXXX Security hardening
• TXXX Run quickstart.md validation

---

Dependencies & Execution Order

Phase Dependencies

• Setup (Phase 1): No dependencies - can start immediately
• Foundational (Phase 2): Depends on Setup completion - BLOCKS all user stories
• User Stories (Phase 3+): All depend on Foundational phase completion
  • User stories can then proceed in parallel (if staffed)
  • Or sequentially in priority order (P1 → P2 → P3)
• Polish (Final Phase): Depends on all desired user stories being complete

User Story Dependencies

• User Story 1 (P1): Can start after Foundational (Phase 2) - No dependencies on other stories
• User Story 2 (P2): Can start after Foundational (Phase 2) - May integrate with US1 but should be independently testable
• User Story 3 (P3): Can start after Foundational (Phase 2) - May integrate with US1/US2 but should be independently testable

Within Each User Story

• Tests (if included) MUST be written and FAIL before implementation
• Models before services
• Services before endpoints
• Core implementation before integration
• Story complete before moving to next priority

Parallel Opportunities

• All Setup tasks marked [P] can run in parallel
• All Foundational tasks marked [P] can run in parallel (within Phase 2)
• Once Foundational phase completes, all user stories can start in parallel (if team capacity allows)
• All tests for a user story marked [P] can run in parallel
• Models within a story marked [P] can run in parallel
• Different user stories can be worked on in parallel by different team members

---

Parallel Example: User Story 1

# Launch all tests for User Story 1 together (if tests requested):
Task: "Contract test for [endpoint] in tests/contract/test_[name].py"
Task: "Integration test for [user journey] in tests/integration/test_[name].py"

# Launch all models for User Story 1 together:
Task: "Create [Entity1] model in src/models/[entity1].py"
Task: "Create [Entity2] model in src/models/[entity2].py"

---

Implementation Strategy

MVP First (User Story 1 Only)

1. Complete Phase 1: Setup
2. Complete Phase 2: Foundational (CRITICAL - blocks all stories)
3. Complete Phase 3: User Story 1
4. STOP and VALIDATE: Test User Story 1 independently
5. Deploy/demo if ready

Incremental Delivery

1. Complete Setup + Foundational → Foundation ready
2. Add User Story 1 → Test independently → Deploy/Demo (MVP!)
3. Add User Story 2 → Test independently → Deploy/Demo
4. Add User Story 3 → Test independently → Deploy/Demo
5. Each story adds value without breaking previous stories

Parallel Team Strategy

With multiple developers:

1. Team completes Setup + Foundational together
2. Once Foundational is done:
   • Developer A: User Story 1
   • Developer B: User Story 2
   • Developer C: User Story 3
3. Stories complete and integrate independently

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Notes

• [P] tasks = different files, no dependencies
• [Story] label maps task to specific user story for traceability
• Each user story should be independently completable and testable
• Verify tests fail before implementing
• Commit after each task or logical group
• Stop at any checkpoint to validate story independently
• Avoid: vague tasks, same file conflicts, cross-story dependencies that break independence
• Every non-trivial task MUST include an indented Context block with: existing code references (quoted signatures), target file state, expected implementation pattern (code skeleton or analogous pattern reference), key decisions/gotchas, and a concrete acceptance signal
• Every phase MUST include a Phase Context summary listing: files modified, key types/interfaces used, and codebase conventions to follow
• Context blocks should source information from plan artifacts (contracts, data-model, research, quickstart) first, and only read source files when the plan references an existing pattern that needs to be matched