In this article
Stage 4: Decomposition
Overview
Decomposition converts finalized product specifications into trackable work items. This stage bridges the gap between planning artifacts and execution by creating structured task hierarchies in Azure DevOps or GitHub Issues.
When You Enter This Stage
You enter Decomposition after completing Stage 3: Product Definition with finalized PRDs and ADRs. TPMs who skipped Product Definition enter directly from Stage 2: Discovery with a sufficient BRD.
NOTE
Prerequisites: PRD or BRD finalized with clear acceptance criteria. Azure DevOps project configured (for ADO work items).
Available Tools
| Tool | Type | How to Invoke | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| functional-planner | Agent | Select functional-planner agent | Plan a work item hierarchy from a PRD, read-only |
| backlog-manager | Agent | Select backlog-manager agent | Work discovery, triage, and backlog management across trackers |
| backlog-plan my-work | Skill | /backlog-plan my-work | Retrieve your assigned work items |
| backlog-plan task-plan | Skill | /backlog-plan task-plan | Enrich assigned work into an implementation handoff |
| backlog-execute run | Skill | /backlog-execute run | Apply a reviewed handoff to the tracker |
| backlog-management | Skill | Auto-loaded by the Backlog Manager | Supplies work item planning conventions |
Role-Specific Guidance
TPMs own Decomposition, creating work item hierarchies that engineers pick up during Sprint Planning. The quality of decomposition directly affects implementation velocity.
Starter Prompts
ADO Work Items
Select functional-planner agent:
Convert the PRD at docs/project-planning/customer-onboarding-v2.md into an Azure
DevOps work item hierarchy plan. Create epics for each major feature area, user
stories for individual capabilities, and tasks for implementation steps. Tag all
items with "onboarding-v2".
The Functional Planner is read-only. It emits a reviewed handoff that a separate execution pass applies to the tracker:
/backlog-execute run
Retrieve the work already assigned to you:
/backlog-plan my-work
Enrich that assigned work into an ordered implementation handoff:
/backlog-plan task-plan
GitHub Issues via RPI Workflow
Select functional-planner agent:
Convert the PRD at docs/project-planning/customer-onboarding-v2.md into a GitHub
issue hierarchy. Create tracking issues for each major feature area, task issues
for implementation steps, and apply the "onboarding-v2" label to all
items.
Review the handoff, then create the issues with /backlog-execute run. After creating issues, add them to a GitHub Project for tracking:
Add all issues labeled "onboarding-v2" to the "Onboarding v2" GitHub
Project. Use the gh CLI to list matching issues and add each one to
the project board.
Stage Outputs and Next Stage
Decomposition produces work item hierarchies in ADO or GitHub Issues, with acceptance criteria traced to PRD requirements. Transition to Stage 5: Sprint Planning when work items are created and prioritized.
Coverage Notes
NOTE
Teams that use GitHub Issues instead of ADO use the same tooling: the backlog-manager agent resolves the backing tracker at runtime. Decomposition is supported by the functional-planner, backlog-plan, and backlog-execute skills.
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