Task Coordination Strategies

When to use this skill

Use Task Coordination Strategies when an AI agent needs a reusable SKILL.md workflow for this job: Decompose complex tasks, design dependency graphs, and coordinate multi-agent work with proper task descriptions and workload balancing. Use this skill when breaking down work for agent teams, managing task dependencies, or monitoring team progress.

When not to use it

Skip Task Coordination Strategies when the task is outside the coding category, or when a more specific skill in this directory already covers the same workflow with clearer triggers.

How to install

1. Personal install: create ~/.claude/skills/task-coordination-strategies/SKILL.md (and any bundled scripts) so Claude Code, Claude Desktop, and compatible agents can load it in every project.
2. Project install: commit the same folder at .claude/skills/task-coordination-strategies/ so teammates get the skill with the repo.
3. Restart the agent session after copying files so it re-scans the skills directory, then ask for the task in words that match the skill description.

Full install guide for Claude, Cursor, and Codex

What this skill does

# 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

Intended uses

• 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