Estate Task Automation

Instructions

Generate and manage jurisdiction-aware task workflows for estate administration. Combine jurisdiction rules, estate characteristics, and dependency logic to produce actionable task lists with calculated deadlines.

Task Template System

Task templates are parameterized by jurisdiction and estate type. Each template contains:

• template_id: unique identifier
• title: human-readable task name with template variables (e.g., “File {form_name} with {court_name}”)
• category: filing | notice | valuation | distribution | tax | administrative
• jurisdictions: array of jurisdiction codes where this task applies, or "*" for universal
• estate_types: testate | intestate | trust | small_estate | *
• deadline_rule: calculation rule (see Deadline Calculation below)
• dependencies: array of template_ids that must complete before this task can start
• assignable_roles: executor | attorney | accountant | appraiser | beneficiary
• documents_required: array of document types needed to complete the task
• instructions: step-by-step guidance for completing the task
• statute_reference: citation to the governing statute

Task Generation Engine

Given a jurisdiction code and estate profile, generate the full task list:

1. Filter templates by jurisdiction and estate type
2. Resolve template variables: substitute court name, form numbers, entity names
3. Calculate deadlines from the date of death and date of appointment
4. Build dependency graph: topological sort to determine execution order
5. Identify critical path: the longest chain of dependent tasks determines minimum administration time
6. Flag time-sensitive tasks: any task with a deadline within 30 days gets priority flagging

Deadline Calculation

Deadline rules use a formula: {trigger_event} + {offset_days} [+ {extension_if_applicable}]

Trigger Event	Description
date_of_death	Calendar date of decedent’s death
date_of_appointment	Date Letters Testamentary/Administration issued
date_of_first_notice	Date of first published creditor notice
date_of_inventory	Date inventory was filed with court
previous_task_completion	Date the predecessor task was marked complete

Example rules:

• date_of_death + 30d → File petition within 30 days of death (Texas)
• date_of_appointment + 90d → File inventory within 90 days of appointment
• date_of_first_notice + 120d → Creditor claim period expires 4 months after first notice
• previous_task_completion(file_inventory) + 14d → File inventory appraisal 14 days after inventory

Dependency Graph

Tasks form a directed acyclic graph (DAG):

Obtain Death Certificate
  → File Petition for Probate
    → Obtain Letters Testamentary
      → Open Estate Bank Account
      → Send Notice to Creditors
        → [wait creditor period]
          → Pay Valid Claims
            → Prepare Final Accounting
              → File Petition for Distribution
      → File Estate Inventory
        → Obtain Appraisals
          → File Inventory with Court
      → File Notice to Beneficiaries

Dynamic Task Adjustment

The task list must respond to events during administration:

• Will contest filed: Insert litigation-related tasks, pause distribution tasks
• New asset discovered: Insert valuation and inventory amendment tasks
• Creditor claim received: Insert claim evaluation and response tasks
• Beneficiary dispute: Insert mediation/resolution tasks before distribution
• Tax audit: Insert audit response tasks, extend timeline

Progress Tracking

• Each task has states: not_started | blocked | in_progress | awaiting_review | completed | skipped
• blocked means dependencies are not met — auto-calculate from the dependency graph
• When a task completes, check all dependent tasks and unblock those whose dependencies are now fully met
• Track actual completion dates against deadline dates for timeline variance reporting
• Generate a completion percentage: tasks completed / total non-skipped tasks

Notification Rules

• 14 days before deadline: send reminder to assigned role
• 7 days before deadline: send urgent reminder
• 1 day before deadline: send critical alert
• On deadline: send overdue alert
• When a task unblocks: notify the assigned role that the task is ready to start

Inputs Required

• Jurisdiction code (state or province)
• Estate type: testate, intestate, trust administration, or small estate
• Date of death
• Date of appointment (if already appointed)
• Estate profile: approximate value, asset types present (real property, business interests, retirement accounts)
• Named parties: executor, beneficiaries, attorney

Output Format

• Ordered task list with calculated deadlines, dependencies, and assigned roles
• Dependency graph (DAG) showing task relationships and critical path
• Timeline view: Gantt-style representation of tasks against calendar dates
• Deadline summary: next 30 days of upcoming deadlines
• Progress dashboard: completion percentage, blocked tasks, overdue tasks

Anti-Patterns

• Static task lists: Hard-coding a flat checklist ignores jurisdiction differences and dependencies — always generate dynamically from templates + jurisdiction rules
• Ignoring dependencies: Allowing a user to start “Prepare Final Accounting” before “Pay Valid Claims” produces an invalid accounting — enforce the DAG
• Calendar-only deadlines: Statutory deadlines have specific trigger events (death, appointment, notice) — using arbitrary calendar dates instead of calculated dates creates legal risk
• No adjustment for events: A will contest changes the entire workflow — task lists that cannot respond to mid-administration events become stale and misleading
• Notification without context: “Task due in 7 days” is less useful than “File Inventory with Kings County Surrogate’s Court due April 21 — requires completed appraisals” — always include context
• Treating all tasks as equal priority: Critical path tasks and statutory deadlines must be visually and functionally distinguished from administrative tasks