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Task Lifecycle Management

🎯 Live Task Status​

Live Task Lifecycle Status

Last updated: 11/20/2025, 11:40:50 PM
0TODO
0DOING
0BLOCKED
0TESTING
0DONE

The task lifecycle system provides structured progression from initial creation to completion, with automated transitions, quality gates, and approval workflows based on risk assessment.

📋 State Definitions​

TODO​

  • Purpose: Initial state for new tasks
  • Triggers: Task creation, requirement breakdown
  • Requirements: Clear title, description, and acceptance criteria
  • CLI Commands: 
    sc kanban new todo "Task title" --requirement="REQ-001"
    sc kanban list --status=todo

DOING​

  • Purpose: Active development work
  • Triggers: Developer assignment, work start
  • Requirements: Clear understanding of acceptance criteria
  • Best Practices:
    • Update progress regularly
    • Document blockers immediately
    • Link commits to task ID
  • CLI Commands: 
    sc kanban update todo-123 --status=doing
    sc kanban show todo-123

BLOCKED​

  • Purpose: Work cannot proceed due to dependencies
  • Triggers: External dependency, technical blocker, resource constraint
  • Requirements: Document specific blocker and resolution approach
  • Escalation: Automatic escalation after 24 hours
  • CLI Commands: 
    sc kanban update todo-123 --status=blocked --notes="Waiting for API design"
    sc kanban list --status=blocked

TESTING​

  • Purpose: Implementation complete, undergoing verification
  • Triggers: Developer marks implementation complete
  • Requirements: All acceptance criteria met, tests written and passing
  • Validation: Automated test runs, manual verification if needed
  • CLI Commands: 
    sc kanban update todo-123 --status=testing
    sc validate todo-123

NEEDS_APPROVAL​

  • Purpose: Technical review required before completion
  • Triggers: High-risk changes, security implications, architectural decisions
  • Approval Types:
    • Standard: General code review (3 day SLA)
    • High-Risk: Critical system changes (1 day SLA)
    • Security: Security-related changes (4 hour SLA)
  • CLI Commands: 
    sc kanban update todo-123 --status=needs-approval --approval-type=security
    sc kanban list --needs-approval

APPROVED​

  • Purpose: Approved and ready for final completion
  • Triggers: Successful approval process
  • Requirements: All approval criteria met
  • CLI Commands: 
    sc kanban approve todo-123 --approver="lead-dev"

REJECTED​

  • Purpose: Approval failed, requires rework
  • Triggers: Failed approval, feedback provided
  • Requirements: Clear feedback and rework instructions
  • CLI Commands: 
    sc kanban reject todo-123 --feedback="Security concerns need addressing"

DONE​

  • Purpose: Task completed and delivered
  • Triggers: Approval completion or auto-approval
  • Requirements: All acceptance criteria met, tests passing, approved if needed
  • Automation: Automatic progress updates to parent requirement
  • CLI Commands: 
    sc kanban update todo-123 --status=done
    sc kanban archive --status=done --older-than=30days

⚡ Automation Rules​

Automatic Transitions​

  • TODO → DOING: When developer assigns themselves
  • TESTING → DONE: When auto-approval criteria met (low-risk, tests pass)
  • APPROVED → DONE: Automatic completion after approval
  • BLOCKED → DOING: When blocker resolution confirmed

Escalation Triggers​

  • BLOCKED > 24 hours: Notify team lead
  • NEEDS_APPROVAL > SLA: Escalate based on approval type
  • DOING > 7 days: Check for abandonment

Progress Tracking​

  • Requirement Progress: Calculated from child task states
  • Epic Progress: Rolled up from requirement completion
  • Velocity Metrics: Historical completion times by state

🔄 State Transition Commands​

Starting Work​

# Assign and start a task
sc kanban assign todo-123 --to=me
sc kanban update todo-123 --status=doing

Handling Blockers​

# Mark as blocked with details
sc kanban block todo-123 --reason="Waiting for API endpoint" --owner="api-team"

# Resolve blocker
sc kanban unblock todo-123 --resolution="API endpoint ready"

Testing and Approval​

# Move to testing
sc kanban test todo-123

# Request specific approval
sc kanban request-approval todo-123 --type=security --notes="New auth flow"

# Approve with comments
sc kanban approve todo-123 --comments="LGTM after security review"

Completion​

# Mark as done
sc kanban complete todo-123

# Complete with metrics
sc kanban complete todo-123 --hours=8 --complexity=medium

📊 Live Metrics and Reporting​

Real-Time Task Metrics​

The live dashboard above shows current task distribution across all states. Key metrics include:

  • Cycle Time: TODO → DONE duration (currently averaging 2.3 days)
  • Lead Time: Creation → DONE duration
  • Blocked Time: Total time in BLOCKED state (average 1.2 days resolution)
  • Approval Time: NEEDS_APPROVAL → APPROVED duration

Team Metrics​

  • Throughput: Tasks completed per sprint
  • Work in Progress: Active DOING tasks (shown in live counter above)
  • Blocker Rate: Percentage of tasks that become BLOCKED
  • Approval Efficiency: Average approval turnaround time

Quality Metrics​

  • Rework Rate: REJECTED → DOING transitions
  • Test Coverage: Tasks with automated tests
  • Defect Rate: Tasks requiring post-completion fixes

🚨 Exception Handling​

Abandoned Tasks​

  • Detection: DOING state > 7 days without updates
  • Action: Automatic reassignment or return to TODO
  • Notification: Team lead and original assignee

Stuck Approvals​

  • Detection: NEEDS_APPROVAL beyond SLA
  • Action: Escalate to next approval level
  • Fallback: Auto-approve for low-risk after extended delay

Circular Dependencies​

  • Detection: Task blocked by dependent task
  • Action: Dependency graph analysis and resolution suggestions
  • Prevention: Validation during task creation

🔗 Integration with Git Workflow​

The task lifecycle integrates seamlessly with the Git workflow system:

  • Branch Creation: Automatic feature branch creation when task moves to DOING
  • Commit Linking: All commits must reference task ID for traceability
  • Merge Approval: High-risk tasks require additional git-based approval
  • Completion Hooks: DONE status triggers automatic git metadata updates

🎯 Next Steps​

This lifecycle ensures consistent task management while providing flexibility for different types of work and approval requirements. The live dashboard above provides real-time visibility into current project state.