Breaking a project into tasks

Name:

Date:

Class:

Quick Questions

Shade in the A or B circle for each question.

1. Which task is better for a project task list for a school website?

A Write the About Us page text (2 hours)

B Do the website

2. Why do we break a project into small tasks?

A So the project looks longer and more impressive

B So we can track progress as each task gets finished

3. Which task has a clear outcome?

A Design the logo and save it as a PNG

B Work on the logo stuff

4. Which is a useful time estimate for the task 'Test the quiz app'?

A Some time later

B 3 hours

5. Task B (Add the sound effects) can only start after Task A (Build the game level) is finished. What is this called?

A A dependency

B A deadline

Match the Pairs

Draw a line connecting each item on the left to its match on the right.

Left column		Right column
1Task 3: Draw logo (2 hrs)		AThe task is far too big and vague. It has no time estimate and no clear outcome, so progress cannot be tracked.
2Task 5: Test app (needs Task 4)		B1. Write quiz questions 2. Build quiz screen 3. Test quiz with friends
3A task list splits the whole project into small steps, each with a clear outcome		CThe task order is wrong. The site cannot be published before the code is written, so the dependency is ignored.
4A time estimate says how long each small task should take		DA task with a clear outcome and a time estimate
5Task 1: Make the whole game		EA task that depends on another task being finished first
6Task 4: Publish site (1 hr), Task 5: Write site code (6 hrs)		FDesign menu: 3 hrs

Definitions

task breakdown

Fill in the Blanks

Complete each line of code by filling in the missing parts.

Task 1: Draw wireframes ____: 3 hours Depends on: none

Task 2: Build menu page Time: 4 hours __________: Task 1

Task 3: Test the quiz _______: bug list finished Time: 2 hours

Task 1: 3 hours Task 2: 4 hours Total = 3 + 4 = _ hours

Task 1: Write code Task 2: Test code Task 2 depends on Task _

Spot the Error

Shade in the letter of the line that contains an error.

Question 1

A T1 Plan screens 3h

B T2 Code login 4h, after T1

C T3 Test login 2h, after T9

D Total: 9h

Question 2

A T1 Design logo 2h

B T2 Draw poster 3h, after T1

C T3 Print poster 1h, after T2

D Total: 8h

Question 3

A T1 Write quiz questions 2h

B T2 Do the rest 3h, after T1

C T3 Rehearse quiz 1h, after T2

Question 4

A T1 Choose game idea 1h

B T2 Sketch levels 2h, after T1

C T3 Code level 1 5h, after T2

D T4 Playtest, after T3

Question 5

A T1 Cut wood for stand 2h

B T2 Build stand 3h, after T1

C T3 Paint stand 1h, after T1

Answer Key

Breaking a project into tasks

Section A: Quick Questions

A — Write the About Us page text (2 hours)

B — So we can track progress as each task gets finished

A — Design the logo and save it as a PNG

B — 3 hours

A — A dependency

Section B: Match the Pairs

Task 3: Draw logo (2 hrs) → A task with a clear outcome and a time estimate

Task 5: Test app (needs Task 4) → A task that depends on another task being finished first

A task list splits the whole project into small steps, each with a clear outcome → 1. Write quiz questions 2. Build quiz screen 3. Test quiz with friends

A time estimate says how long each small task should take → Design menu: 3 hrs

Task 1: Make the whole game → The task is far too big and vague. It has no time estimate and no clear outcome, so progress cannot be tracked.

Task 4: Publish site (1 hr), Task 5: Write site code (6 hrs) → The task order is wrong. The site cannot be published before the code is written, so the dependency is ignored.

Section C: Definitions

task breakdown — Splitting a whole project into small tasks, each with a clear outcome, a time estimate and an order (dependencies), so you can track progress as the work gets done.

Section D: Fill in the Blanks

Task 1: Draw wireframes
Time: 3 hours
Depends on: none

Task 2: Build menu page
Time: 4 hours
Depends on: Task 1

Task 3: Test the quiz
Outcome: bug list finished
Time: 2 hours

Task 1: 3 hours
Task 2: 4 hours
Total = 3 + 4 = 7 hours

Task 1: Write code
Task 2: Test code
Task 2 depends on Task 1

Section E: Spot the Error

C — There is no task T9 in the plan, so the order is broken. Testing the login page depends on coding it, so it should say 'after T2'.

D — The time estimates add up to 2 + 3 + 1 = 6 hours, so the total should be 6h, not 8h.

B — 'Do the rest' is vague and has no clear outcome. A task needs a specific outcome, such as 'Build slides'.

D — This task has no time estimate. Every task needs one so the total time can be worked out and progress tracked. It should say 'T4 Playtest 2h, after T3'.

C — The stand can't be painted until it has been built. Painting depends on T2 (building), so it should say 'after T2'.