Define Items

Items break down your Statement of Work into organized, manageable pieces using two types: Requirements for high-level organization and Task Items for specific work. This two-tier approach provides clear structure while maintaining focus on testable outcomes.

Quick Steps

1. Navigate to your Statement of Work
2. Click + Add Item
3. Choose Item Type:
   • 🔷 Requirement: For organizing work areas (e.g., "User Authentication System")
   • 📋 Task Item: For specific work (e.g., "Implement OAuth login")
4. Fill in the essential details:
   • Title: Clear, specific description
   • Description: Detailed explanation
   • Parent Item: Optional, for hierarchical organization
5. Click Save Item

Item Types

Requirements (🔷)

Use for high-level work organization:

• Major feature areas
• Project phases
• Deliverable categories
• Work packages

Examples: "Payment System", "User Management", "Admin Dashboard"

Task Items (📋)

Use for specific, testable work:

• Individual features
• Bug fixes
• Specific implementations
• Configurations

Examples: "Add payment form", "Implement user login", "Configure email notifications"

Hierarchy & Organization

Effective Structure

🔷 User Authentication (requirement)
  ├── 📋 User registration (task_item)
  ├── 📋 Login functionality (task_item)
  └── 📋 Password reset (task_item)

🔷 Payment Processing (requirement)  
  ├── 📋 Stripe integration (task_item)
  ├── 📋 Invoice generation (task_item)
  └── 📋 Subscription management (task_item)

Organization Tips

• Start with requirements to establish structure
• Break requirements into specific task items
• Use drag-and-drop to reorder items
• Maintain logical grouping and clear hierarchy
• Avoid excessive nesting (typically 2-3 levels)

Best Practices

For Requirements

• Broad Scope: Organize major work areas, not specific tasks
• Logical Grouping: Group related task items under common themes
• Stakeholder Focus: Use terms that stakeholders understand

For Task Items

• Be Specific: Each item should represent ONE clear task
• Action-Oriented: Use verbs ("Implement...", "Add...", "Configure...")
• Testable: Ensure each item can be verified through criteria
• Appropriate Size: Detailed enough to be actionable, not micromanagement

General Guidelines

• Use consistent naming conventions
• Include complete information in descriptions
• Consider dependencies between items
• Plan for testing at the task item level

Testing Considerations

• Requirements: Cannot have direct tests; status aggregated from child task items
• Task Items: Can have acceptance criteria and tests for verification
• Planning: Think about how you'll verify completion while creating items

What's Next?

Once you've organized your work with Requirements and Task Items, the next step is to define Criterion for your Task Items. Remember: only Task Items can have acceptance criteria and tests.