epic-breakdown-advisor skill

Purpose

Guide product managers through breaking down epics into user stories using Richard Lawrence's complete Humanizing Work methodology—a systematic, flowchart-driven approach that applies 9 splitting patterns sequentially. Use this to identify which pattern applies, split while preserving user value, and evaluate splits based on what they reveal about low-value work you can eliminate. This ensures vertical slicing (end-to-end value) rather than horizontal slicing (technical layers).

This is not arbitrary slicing—it's a proven, methodical process that starts with validation, walks through patterns in order, and evaluates results strategically.

Input

Works best with: The epic or large story you need to break down — paste it as written in your backlog. Also useful: Team context (sprint length, estimation ceiling) and what's blocking delivery (too big to estimate, sequence, or release).

Anything supplied with the invocation itself — text after the skill name, a pasted context dump, or an appended ARGUMENTS: line — counts as answers already given. Use it and skip whatever it covers; don't re-ask.

Arriving empty-handed? That works too. The advisor opens by asking for the epic text, then walks the Humanizing Work pattern flowchart against it.

Example invocation: Break this down: 'As a finance admin, I can export any report to Excel, PDF, or CSV with custom date ranges and saved templates.'

Key Concepts

Core Principles: Vertical Slices Preserve Value

A user story is "a description of a change in system behavior from the perspective of a user." Splitting must maintain vertical slices—work that touches multiple architectural layers and delivers observable user value—not horizontal slices addressing single components (e.g., "front-end story" + "back-end story").

The Three-Step Process

1. Pre-Split Validation: Check if story satisfies INVEST criteria (except "Small")
2. Apply Splitting Patterns: Work through 9 patterns sequentially until one fits
3. Evaluate Splits: Choose the split that reveals low-value work or produces equal-sized stories

The 9 Splitting Patterns (In Order)

1. Workflow Steps — Thin end-to-end slices, not step-by-step
2. Operations (CRUD) — Create, Read, Update, Delete as separate stories
3. Business Rule Variations — Different rules = different stories
4. Data Variations — Different data types/structures
5. Data Entry Methods — Simple UI first, fancy UI later
6. Major Effort — "Implement one + add remaining"
7. Simple/Complex — Core simplest version first, variations later
8. Defer Performance — "Make it work" before "make it fast"
9. Break Out a Spike — Time-box investigation when uncertainty blocks splitting

Meta-Pattern (Applies Across All Patterns)

1. Identify the core complexity
2. List all variations
3. Reduce variations to one complete slice
4. Make other variations separate stories

Why This Works

• Prevents arbitrary splitting: Methodical checklist prevents guessing
• Preserves user value: Every story delivers observable value
• Reveals waste: Good splits expose low-value work you can deprioritize
• Repeatable: Apply to any epic consistently

Facilitation Source of Truth

Use workshop-facilitation as the default interaction protocol for this skill.

It defines:

• session heads-up + entry mode (Guided, Context dump, Best guess)
• one-question turns with plain-language prompts
• progress labels (for example, Context Qx/8 and Scoring Qx/5)
• interruption handling and pause/resume behavior
• numbered recommendations at decision points
• quick-select numbered response options for regular questions (include Other (specify) when useful)

This file defines the domain-specific assessment content. If there is a conflict, follow this file's domain logic.

Application

Step 0: Provide Epic Context

Agent asks:

Please share your epic:

• Epic title/ID
• Description or hypothesis
• Acceptance criteria (especially multiple "When/Then" pairs)
• Target persona
• Rough estimate

You can paste from Jira, Linear, or describe briefly.

Step 1: Pre-Split Validation (INVEST Check)

Before splitting, verify your story satisfies INVEST criteria (except "Small"):

Agent asks questions sequentially:

1. Independent? "Can this story be prioritized and developed without hard technical dependencies on other stories?"

Options:

• Yes — No blocking dependencies
• No — Requires other work first (flag this)

2. Negotiable? "Does this story leave room for the team to discover implementation details collaboratively, rather than prescribing exact solutions?"

Options:

• Yes — It's a conversation starter, not a spec
• No — It's too prescriptive (may need reframing)

3. Valuable? "Does this story deliver observable value to a user? (If not, combine it with related work rather than splitting.)"

Options:

• Yes — Users see/experience something different
• No — It's a technical task (not a user story—don't split, reframe)

⚠️ Critical Check: If story fails "Valuable," STOP. Don't split. Instead, combine with other work to create a meaningful increment.

4. Estimable? "Can your team size this story relatively (even if roughly)?"

Options:

• Yes — Team can estimate days/points
• No — Too much uncertainty (may need spike first)

5. Testable? "Does this story have concrete acceptance criteria that QA can verify?"

Options:

• Yes — Clear pass/fail conditions
• No — Needs clearer acceptance criteria (refine before splitting)

If story passes all checks → Proceed to Step 2 (Splitting Patterns) If story fails any check → Fix the issue before splitting

Step 2: Apply Splitting Patterns Sequentially

Work through patterns in order. For each pattern, ask "Does this apply?"

Pattern 1: Workflow Steps

Key insight: Split into thin end-to-end slices, not step-by-step. Start with a simple case covering the full workflow, then add intermediate steps as separate stories.

Agent asks: "Does your epic involve a multi-step workflow where you could deliver a simple case first, then add intermediate steps later?"

Example:

• Original: "Publish content (requires editorial review, legal approval, staging)"
• ❌ Wrong split (step-by-step): Story 1 = Editorial review, Story 2 = Legal approval, Story 3 = Publish
• ✅ Right split (thin end-to-end):
• Story 1: Publish content (simple path: author uploads, content goes live immediately—no reviews)
• Story 2: Add editorial review step (now content waits for editor approval before going live)
• Story 3: Add legal approval step (content waits for legal + editorial before going live)

Each story delivers full workflow, just with increasing sophistication.

Options:

1. Yes, multi-step workflow → "Describe the workflow steps"
2. No, single step → Continue to Pattern 2