AGENTS/skills/basecamp-project/references/tasklist-rules.md

Tasklist Rules

Default Work Structure

Use Basecamp To-dos as the default structure for planned project work. A To-do is the right unit when work has a clear action, owner, timing, and completion definition.

Use Card Table only for reactive or pipeline work, such as incoming requests, intake queues, review stages, sales-style pipelines, support flows, or work that moves through repeatable status columns before it is ready for a committed To-do list.

Assignment Rules

Every task set needs a named directly responsible individual (DRI). The DRI is accountable for keeping the task list coherent, resolving unclear ownership, and making sure work moves forward.

Use hybrid assignment:

• Near-term tasks need named owners.
• Dependency-critical tasks need named owners.
• Client-facing or approval-heavy tasks need named owners.
• Later uncertain work may use role placeholders, such as Designer, Developer, Client reviewer, or Legal reviewer.
• Each role placeholder needs a staffing-resolution task with a named owner and a date or milestone-relative trigger.

Due Date Rules

Use hybrid due dates:

• Use fixed dates for near-term work, dependency-critical work, launch-critical work, meetings, reviews, and external commitments.
• Use milestone-relative timing for later uncertain work, such as 3 business days after content approval or 1 week before launch.
• Convert all milestone-relative timing to fixed Basecamp due dates before creating the final Basecamp To-dos.
• If timing is uncertain, name the decision point that will convert relative timing into fixed dates.

Task Output Contract

Each task should include:

• Title: Action-oriented, specific, and short.
• Owner: Named person or role placeholder.
• Owner type: named DRI, named owner, or role placeholder.
• Timing type: fixed date, milestone-relative, or sequence-only.
• Due or relative timing: Date, milestone-relative timing, or ordering note.
• Description: Context needed to do the work without rereading the full plan.
• Done means: Observable completion condition.
• Dependency: Upstream task, decision, asset, approval, or none.
• Confidence: high, medium, or low, based on clarity of scope, owner, and timing.

Task Quality Checklist

Before creating To-dos in Basecamp, confirm that:

• To-dos are used for committed planned work.
• Card Table is reserved for reactive or pipeline work.
• A named DRI exists for the task list or project area.
• Near-term and dependency-critical tasks have named owners.
• Role placeholders are limited to later uncertain work.
• Every role placeholder has a staffing-resolution task.
• Fixed dates are used where commitments or dependencies require them.
• Milestone-relative timing has a clear conversion trigger.
• All Basecamp-ready tasks have fixed due dates where Basecamp dates are required.
• Each task states what done means.
• Dependencies are explicit or marked as none.
• Low-confidence tasks identify what must be clarified next.