Task Context Brief Template

Version: 1.0.0
Last updated: 2026-07-16

Purpose

Define the minimum complete, authorized context for one unit of model-assisted work.

Why

A task brief converts conversational intent into scope, evidence, acceptance criteria, and verification. It prevents assumptions from becoming hidden requirements.

How

<task_brief id="{{TASK_ID}}" version="{{VERSION}}">
  <objective>{{OBJECTIVE}}</objective>
  <scope>
    <include>{{IN_SCOPE}}</include>
    <exclude>{{OUT_OF_SCOPE}}</exclude>
  </scope>
  <inputs>
    <source id="{{SOURCE_ID}}" revision="{{REVISION}}" trust="{{TRUST_CLASS}}">
      {{AUTHORIZED_INPUT}}
    </source>
  </inputs>
  <acceptance_criteria>
    <criterion id="{{CRITERION_ID}}">{{MEASURABLE_CRITERION}}</criterion>
  </acceptance_criteria>
  <constraints>{{TASK_CONSTRAINTS}}</constraints>
  <verification>{{VERIFICATION_COMMANDS_OR_REVIEW}}</verification>
  <risk_and_approval>{{RISK_TIER_AND_APPROVER}}</risk_and_approval>
</task_brief>

Resolve ambiguities before high-impact execution. Do not request private chain-of-thought; request plans, evidence, and verification results as visible artifacts.

When

Use for implementation, review, research, data changes, and any handoff requiring reproducibility.

Tradeoffs

Benefit	Cost
Clear completion contract	Authoring time
Bounded context	May require follow-up retrieval
Reproducible handoff	Brief can become stale

Anti-Patterns

• “Do what we discussed” without source references.
• Unmeasurable acceptance criteria.
• Including unauthorized data.
• Approval requirements without a named authority.

Enterprise Considerations

Link briefs to change records, classify inputs, record approvers, and retain evidence according to the task's control domain.

Checklist

• All variables are resolved
• Scope and exclusions are explicit
• Inputs are authorized and revision-pinned
• Acceptance criteria are measurable
• Verification and approval are defined

Changelog

• 1.0.0 (2026-07-16): Initial task context brief template.