triaging-overdue-work

Triaging Overdue Work

Read first, decide, then act. The goal is to turn a pile of late tasks into a short list of concrete decisions the user signs off on — not to silently mutate the board.

Workflow

1. Pull the overdue picture

   • astravue_list_overdue_tasks — the late tasks with how far past due
   • astravue_get_task_counts — overall status distribution for context

   Confirm the project scope first if it isn't clear (astravue_list_projects).

2. Assess each overdue task

   For each, work out why it's late and what should happen:

   • Is it blocked? Check astravue_list_dependencies — a blocked task can't just be rescheduled; the blocker must move first.
   • Is it still relevant? Stale tasks may be closeable.
   • Is the owner overloaded? Group by assignee to spot pile-ups.
   • Is it genuinely just late? Then it needs a realistic new due date.

   Categorize each into: reschedule, reassign, deprioritize, or close.

3. Propose a triage plan and confirm

   Present the tasks grouped by recommended action, each with a one-line reason. Ask the user to approve, adjust, or drop items. Do not change any task before approval — rescheduling and reassigning are visible to the whole team.

4. Apply after approval

   • astravue_bulk_update_tasks — apply due-date, status, priority, or assignee changes in one pass
   • astravue_mark_notification_read / notification tools — only if the user wants to clear related noise

   Report what changed, and note any blocked tasks that still need their blocker resolved.

Important

• Read and propose before mutating — these changes are team-visible.
• A blocked task's blocker must move first; don't just push the blocked task's date.
• Don't auto-close stale tasks — surface them and let the user decide.
• Give every proposed action a concrete reason, not just "overdue".