Breaking Down the Work
Product-first work breakdown (100% rule, no overlaps, dictionary) before folders exist
Test report
- Verdict
- Works with setup
- Score
- Tested
- Jul 15, 2026
- Environment
- Claude Code 2.x (agent harness)
- Upstream re-checked
- Aug 10, 2026 · e320d14
The method itself is sound and self-contained in prose, but the SKILL.md leans on templates/standard/wbs.md, templates/standard/stage-contract.md and docs/02-operating-system/agentic-workflow-architecture.md plus five sibling skills (organizing-project-folders, briefing-an-agent, handing-off-work, staying-on-mission, recording-a-known-good-version) that all live outside skills/breaking-down-the-work/ — a GitHub-only leaf-folder clone leaves those missing.
Scored on four weighted criteria — install, triggering, output vs. baseline, docs. How scoring works
- Installs cleanly 3/5
- Triggers reliably 5/5
- Output vs. baseline 8/10
- Docs & honesty 5/5
What Breaking Down the Work does
Splits an epic or subsystem into a product-first, outline-numbered work breakdown that must sum to exactly 100% of scope with no overlaps, plus a dictionary entry per piece. Triggers when a feature or subsystem needs a defensible split into deliverables before folders or code start; explicitly opts out for one-file edits or already-broken-down backlog items.
How to install Breaking Down the Work
git clone https://github.com/FlyFission/nuclear-grade-context-engineering
cd nuclear-grade-context-engineering
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills
cp -r skills/breaking-down-the-work ~/.claude/skills/breaking-down-the-work
Skills live in ~/.claude/skills/ (global) or .claude/skills/
(per-project). Restart Claude Code after installing.
Commands — how to trigger Breaking Down the Work
-
/breaking-down-the-workProduct-first work breakdown (100% rule, no overlaps, dictionary) before folders exist
It also activates on plain-language prompts like these:
-
Split the user notifications epic into a product-first work breakdown -
I need a breakdown of this subsystem covering 100% of scope before coding -
Give me a deliverable list with no overlaps for the new billing feature
Frequently asked questions
- Is the Breaking Down the Work skill free?
- Yes. The skill itself is free from FlyFission/nuclear-grade-context-engineering. SkillProof publishes the install command and an independent test verdict at no cost.
- Does Breaking Down the Work work with Claude Code?
- We tested it with Claude Code 2.x (agent harness) on Jul 15, 2026. Verdict: Works with setup. The method itself is sound and self-contained in prose, but the SKILL.md leans on templates/standard/wbs.md, templates/standard/stage-contract.md and docs/02-operating-system/agentic-workflow-architecture.md plus five sibling skills (organizing-project-folders, briefing-an-agent, handing-off-work, staying-on-mission, recording-a-known-good-version) that all live outside skills/breaking-down-the-work/ — a GitHub-only leaf-folder clone leaves those missing.
- What is the Breaking Down the Work SkillProof Score?
- 8.4/10 — installs cleanly 3/5, triggers reliably 5/5, output vs. baseline 8/10, docs & honesty 5/5.
- How do I install Breaking Down the Work?
- Copy the install command from this page, run it in your terminal, and restart Claude Code. Skills live in ~/.claude/skills/ (global) or .claude/skills/ inside a project.
- Can I use Breaking Down the Work with Cursor, Copilot, Gemini CLI, Codex or other AI tools?
- The SKILL.md format is native to Claude (Claude Code, Desktop, claude.ai). The instructions inside adapt to other assistants: Cursor rules, GitHub Copilot instructions, Windsurf rules, Custom GPTs, AGENTS.md for OpenAI Codex, and GEMINI.md for Google Gemini CLI — our conversion guides cover each, and the free converter on the tools page does the wrapping for you.