/agile-workflow

Next Command Reference

Identify the single next best task to work on from the groomed backlog.

Purpose

Select the highest priority ready task, providing just enough information to start implementation.

When Used in Workflow

• Task Cycle: After sync, before implement
• Ad-hoc: When asking "what should I work on?"

Invocation

next                      # Select next task from ready queue

Selection Process

Step 1: Load Ready Tasks

Read context-network/backlog/by-status/ready.md to get available tasks.

Step 2: Selection Logic

Priority Order:

1. Critical Priority tasks (if any)
2. High Priority tasks
3. Medium Priority tasks
4. Low Priority tasks

Within same priority level, prefer:

• Tasks with no dependencies over those with dependencies
• Smaller tasks (trivial/small) over larger ones (medium)
• Tasks that unblock other work
• Tasks in sequence (e.g., TASK-004-2 before TASK-004-3)

Step 3: Output

If ready task found:

**Next Task:** [TASK-ID] - [Task Title]

**Priority:** [Critical/High/Medium/Low]
**Size:** [trivial/small/medium]
**Branch:** [suggested-branch-name]

Start with: implement [TASK-ID]

If no ready tasks:

No tasks are currently ready for implementation.

Run groom to prepare tasks from the planned backlog.

What NOT to Do

• Don't load or display full task details
• Don't show multiple task options
• Don't provide extensive context about the task
• Don't analyze task content in depth
• Don't check dependencies (should already be resolved for ready tasks)

Output Format

Keep it minimal:

• Task ID
• Task title
• Priority and size
• Suggested branch name
• How to start

Orchestration Notes

After next completes:

• CHECKPOINT: TASK_SELECTED - Pause for user confirmation
• User can accept the suggestion or request different task
• On acceptance, proceed to implement with the task ID