6. Units of Work
6.1 Exploration
Time-bounded investigation without full Task formality.
a) Explorations SHOULD be time-bounded (organization defines limit); b) If Exploration yields implementation, a Task SHALL be created before changes are committed; c) Explorations SHOULD be logged with a summary.
6.2 Task
The atomic unit of tracked work.
Required Attributes
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| Goal | What must be accomplished |
| Acceptance Criteria | Verifiable conditions defining done |
| Requirement Link | Link to parent Story, Business Requirement, System Requirement, or Task Requirement (SHALL) |
| Work Type | Functional category (development, architecture, QA, documentation) |
| Scope | The engineering artifacts the Task is permitted to modify (Task Scope, 3.5.1), recorded before work begins (SHALL). Where it is not recorded, 3.5.1 applies and the scope is every artifact the Task in fact modified |
Lifecycle States
| Transition | Gate |
|---|---|
| planning → active | QG-0 |
| active → done | QG-2 |
| done → merged (Team+) | QG-3 |
| merged → released (Team+) | QG-4 |
| active → blocked | None |
| blocked → active | None |
At Team configuration and above, the done state leads to merge review (QG-3) and release approval (QG-4).
6.3 Story
An intermediate grouping of Tasks representing a deliverable visible to stakeholders. Links Tasks to requirements.
Required Attributes
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| Title | One-sentence description of the deliverable |
| Acceptance Criteria | Story-level verifiable conditions defining done (independent of individual Task AC) |
| Linked Tasks | References to all Tasks that compose this Story |
| Requirement Link | Link to parent Business Requirement (BR) or System Requirement (SR) (SHALL) |
Completion Criteria
A Story is complete when all its Tasks have reached the done state AND the story-level Acceptance Criteria have been verified by the Supervisor.
6.4 Session
A time-bounded period of supervised AI work.
a) Organizations SHALL establish and document a maximum Session duration; b) Checkpoints SHALL be performed at intervals documented by the organization; c) Sessions SHALL begin with context loading and end with metrics capture and handoff; d) Ceremonies MAY be automated tooling commands; e) Version control discipline: commits SHALL be atomic; secrets detection SHALL be automated; changes SHALL be reviewed for scope creep (Section 10.6).
6.5 Increment
A scope-bounded batch of work with defined objectives, planned budget, and risk register.
a) Each Increment SHALL have 3–5 measurable objectives; b) Task pool SHOULD be prioritized (WSJF recommended); c) At Team and above, each Increment ends with a Retrospective (7.7). The Quality Sweep is not tied to the Increment boundary: it runs at the cadence 10.5 sets (3.40).