Extend Task Workflow

Purpose

Add new missions to an existing task after initial missions have been completed. This is useful when:

• Requirements change during development
• New features need to be added to an ongoing task
• Additional functionality is discovered after initial planning
• User wants to expand the scope of a task

Critical Step

ALWAYS check .ab-method/structure/index.yaml FIRST to find where task documents are stored.

Process

1. Identify Task to Extend

Ask user: "Which task would you like to extend? Please provide the task name."

2. Locate and Review Task Progress

Based on .ab-method/structure/index.yaml, find and read:

tasks/[task-name]/
  progress-tracker.md
  mission-*.md (all existing missions)

3. Display Current Task State

Show user the current task status:

Extending Task: [Task Name]
========================
Task Status: [Current Status]

Current Missions:
✓ Mission 1: [Name] - COMPLETED
✓ Mission 2: [Name] - COMPLETED
⏳ Mission 3: [Name] - [Status]
○ Mission 4: [Name] - [Status]

[Show mission summaries from progress tracker if available]

4. Gather New Mission Requirements

Ask user: "What new missions would you like to add to this task? Please describe what needs to be accomplished."

If user provides clear instructions:

• ✅ Follow them exactly
• ✅ Create missions based on their description
• ✅ Don't ask unnecessary clarifying questions

If user's description is vague:

• Ask clarifying questions similar to create-mission workflow:
  • "What specific functionality should be working when this mission is complete?"
  • "What should I be able to test or demo after this mission?"
  • For backend: "Which specific API endpoints need to be created/modified?"
  • For frontend: "Which specific components need to be created/modified?"

5. Determine Mission Numbers

Check existing missions in progress tracker to determine the next mission number:

• If Mission 5 is the last → New missions start at Mission 6
• Ensure sequential numbering

6. Create New Mission Documents

For each new mission, create mission-N-[description].md in the task folder following the same format as create-mission workflow:

# Mission N: [Description]

## Status
Current: Brainstormed

## Objective
[SPECIFIC objective from user requirements]

## Detailed Requirements
[ALL requirements from user]

### Acceptance Criteria
- [ ] [Specific testable outcome 1]
- [ ] [Specific testable outcome 2]
- [ ] [Specific testable outcome 3]

### Technical Specifications
- **Files to Create/Modify**: [Specific file paths]
- **Patterns to Follow**: [Existing patterns]
- **Integration Points**: [How this connects to other parts]
- **Constraints**: [Any limitations or requirements]

## Dependencies
- Previous missions: [What we're building on]
- External: [APIs, packages, etc.]

## Architecture Plan
(To be filled by architect agent if needed)

## Implementation
(To be filled by developer agent)

## Files Modified
(Updated during development)

## Testing
(Test results and validation)

7. Update Progress Tracker

Add new missions to the progress tracker:

## Missions
- [x] Mission 1: [Name] - COMPLETED
- [x] Mission 2: [Name] - COMPLETED
- [ ] Mission 3: [Name] - [Status]
- [ ] Mission 4: [Name] - [Status]
- [ ] Mission 5: [New Mission Name] - Brainstormed  ← NEW
- [ ] Mission 6: [New Mission Name] - Brainstormed  ← NEW

8. Update Task Status

If task was marked as "Completed", change status to "In dev" or "Validated" (depending on whether missions are validated).

9. Validate Before Proceeding

Show user summary of new missions:

Task extended with the following new missions:

## New Missions Added:
- **Mission N**: [Description]
  - Objective: [Objective]
  - Key Files: [Files that will be created/modified]
  - Acceptance Criteria: [List outcomes]

- **Mission N+1**: [Description]
  - [Same details]

## Updated Task Status:
- Previous status: [Old Status]
- New status: [New Status]
- Total missions: [Count]

Ready to proceed with Mission N?

10. Load Context for New Missions

CRITICAL: Read mission summaries from progress tracker to understand what was built in previous missions:

• Use completed mission summaries for context
• Only read full mission docs if summaries insufficient
• Gather architecture context similar to create-mission workflow

11. Determine Mission Types

Based on requirements, determine mission types:

• Backend Mission → Will use .ab-method/utils/backend-mission.md
• Frontend Mission → Will use .ab-method/utils/frontend-mission.md
• Planning Mission → Will use .ab-method/utils/planning-mission.md

12. Load Utils Files and Architecture Context

For each new mission:

1. Read the relevant utils file (backend-mission.md, frontend-mission.md, or planning-mission.md)
2. Check .ab-method/structure/index.yaml for architecture doc paths
3. Load relevant architecture documentation as specified by utils file
4. Use context from previous missions (from summaries)

13. Enhance Mission Documents with Context

Update mission documents with:

• Dependencies from previous missions
• Integration points with existing code
• Patterns to follow from architecture docs
• Technical constraints from previous work

Key Principles

• Respect user instructions - If user is clear, follow exactly what they said
• Maintain context - Use previous mission summaries to understand what exists
• Sequential numbering - Ensure missions are numbered correctly
• Update status - Change task status appropriately when extending
• Validation checkpoint - User should validate new missions before implementation
• Read summaries first - Check progress tracker mission summaries before reading full docs
• One mission at a time - Complete missions sequentially, even when extending

Important Notes

• Always check .ab-method/structure/index.yaml for paths
• Use mission summaries from progress tracker for context
• Only read full mission docs if summaries insufficient
• Maintain sequential mission numbering
• Update task status when extending completed tasks
• Follow same mission creation pattern as create-mission workflow

Example Flow

1. User: "/extend-task"
2. System: "Which task would you like to extend?"
3. User: "todo-management"
4. System:
   • Reads progress-tracker.md
   • Shows current missions (1-4 completed)
   • "What new missions would you like to add?"
5. User: "Add Mission 5: Add filtering and sorting to the todo table, Mission 6: Add bulk actions"
6. System:
   • Creates mission-5-filtering-sorting.md
   • Creates mission-6-bulk-actions.md
   • Updates progress tracker
   • Shows summary: "Added 2 new missions. Ready to start Mission 5?"
7. User: "Yes"
8. System: Proceeds with Mission 5 using create-mission workflow logic

Remember

• Always ask for task name if not provided
• Show current mission progress before extending
• Use mission summaries for context, not full docs
• Maintain sequential mission numbering
• Update task status appropriately
• Follow create-mission pattern for mission creation
• Validate new missions before implementation