Spec-Kit AI-Ready - Tasks Template

AI Driven Code Developement
Spec-kit
Tasks
Author

Gary Newport

Published

Monday, February 2, 2026

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.

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 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):

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]

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

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

Implementation for User Story 1

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) ⚠️

Implementation for User Story 2

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) ⚠️

Implementation for User Story 3

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

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

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