Subtask
Also known as: sub-task · task decomposition
A subtask is a smaller piece of work that an agent breaks a larger goal into — the unit of planning that makes big tasks tractable.
- Decompose: “build a report” → gather data, analyze, draft, format.
- Each subtask is independently checkable.
- Completion of all subtasks = completion of the task.
Why decompose: a model does short, concrete steps far better than one giant leap. Subtasks give it checkpoints to verify against — that's where reliability comes from.