An ABA task analysis data sheet records what happened at each defined step of a multistep routine. The most useful version keeps the task-analysis edition, eligible opportunity, initial step response, prompt or correction, skipped and unobserved steps, sequence, access conditions, and observer visible. Just as importantly, it separates how much of the routine was observed from the percentage completed independently.

Clinicians & ABA Professionals / Assessment and Treatment Planning.

This worksheet is a recording and review aid, not a ready-made treatment protocol. Whether a task analysis fits the client-selected goal, and how its steps, chaining arrangement, supports, and evidence rules should work, remains a decision for the qualified clinician responsible for the case.

What this sheet adds to a task analysis

The current BCBA Test Content Outline, Sixth Edition treats chaining, prompting, prompt fading, observable goals, contextual fit, procedural integrity, and data-based decisions as related but distinct competencies. The current RBT Test Content Outline, Third Edition likewise separates skill-acquisition implementation, measurement, documentation, and professional conduct. These are certification documents. They do not endorse this form or select a procedure for a particular person.

The plan carries the design logic; the data sheet carries the observation history. It should reveal when the observer did not see a step, the step was unavailable, the routine followed an alternate valid path, a later step came first, or the procedure changed. A finished routine or product cannot reconstruct those events.

Establish the task-analysis contract

Complete the contract before scoring. Begin a new version when step boundaries, order, acceptable variations, response timing, opportunity rules, or teaching conditions change materially.

Task-analysis contractEntryClient or authorized case codeClient-selected goal and practical reasonRoutine name and task-analysis versionSetting, materials, and start cueEligible routine opportunity and end boundaryStep opportunity or availability ruleInitial-response observation windowIndependent, prompted, corrected, not-completed, unavailable, not-observed, and out-of-sequence codesForward, backward, total-task, probe, or other authorized conditionPrompt, correction, retry, and reinforcement treatmentAcceptable alternate step forms and sequencesOrdinary communication, AAC, mobility, sensory, and other access supportsClient choice, assent, dissent, break, and stop processSafety and escalation conditionsObserver, integrity, agreement, and review planAuthorized record location, retention, and correction ruleResponsible clinician and next review trigger

The people collecting data should be able to use the written contract without translating it on the fly. Work through ambiguous examples before aggregation. A blank field is a reason to clarify, not permission to infer.

Step map for the current version

Define the smallest clinically useful units without turning natural variations into errors. If order matters, say why. If more than one sequence is acceptable, represent it here instead of forcing every routine into one path.

StepObservable beginning and completionAcceptable variationsPrerequisite or order ruleStep available whenAccess or safety note12345678

Do not change this map invisibly after collection begins. Preserve the old version and identify which routine opportunities used each version.

Code the first observable outcome at each step

A code key belongs to the specific task and procedure. The labels below are editable placeholders, not a universal scoring system.

CodeMeaning in this worksheetKeep separate fromIStep completed within the defined initial window under ordinary access conditions, before a programmed promptLater corrected completion or unsupported assumptions about masteryPStep completed after a programmed promptThe specific prompt delivered and the level apparently requiredCStep completed during the defined correction or retryThe initial response that led to correctionNCStep was available and validly observed but not completed under the recorded procedureUnavailable or not-observed stepsOSStep completed outside the defined sequenceAn error, unless the contract says that sequence is requiredUAStep opportunity was unavailable under the contractIncorrect respondingNOObserver could not validly see or score the initial responseIncorrect responding or zeroAVAccepted alternate form or sequenceA deviation when the contract already permits the variation

Add the prompt, correction, timing, and context beside the outcome rather than embedding every fact in a single code. Never replace an initial NC or other initial code after a successful correction.

Blank step-by-opportunity data sheet

Each cell holds the initial outcome first, followed by prompt or correction detail when needed. The companion ledger keeps routine-level context from disappearing into the matrix.

StepOpportunity 1Opportunity 2Opportunity 3Opportunity 4Opportunity 5Notes or pattern flag12345678

Routine opportunityDate and settingVersion and conditionStarted?Ended?Available stepsValid initial observationsChoice, communication, access, or interruptionObserver1Yes / noYes / no2Yes / noYes / no3Yes / noYes / no4Yes / noYes / no5Yes / noYes / no

If the person completes two steps as one fluent response, preserve what the observer could distinguish and what the contract permits. Do not manufacture a pause merely to make the sheet easier to score.

Review coverage before performance

The denominators answer different questions. Report the counts with each percentage.

Review quantityCalculationInterpretation boundaryExpected step opportunitiesExpected routines × steps in the current versionThe planned observation frame, not actual exposure by itselfStep availabilityAvailable step opportunities / expected step opportunities × 100Whether a response opportunity could occur under the contractValid initial-response coverageValidly observed initial responses / expected step opportunities × 100How much of the planned frame supports initial-response analysisInitial independenceIndependent initial step responses / valid initial-response observations × 100Independence within the valid observed subsetPrompted or correctedPrompted or corrected completions / valid initial-response observations × 100Recorded support or correction within the same subsetNot completedValid initial opportunities not completed / valid initial-response observations × 100A descriptive outcome, not an explanation of function or cause

Keep UA and NO rows in the record, but outside the initial-performance denominator. Explain why they occurred. A high independence percentage with low observation coverage may be less informative than the percentage alone suggests.

Fictional completed example

The following numbers are invented for arithmetic review. Case A is not a real client, and the routine, task analysis, teaching arrangement, and interpretation are not recommendations.

Case A chose a fictional routine for assembling a preferred eight-item art kit. Version 1 contains eight defined steps and allows two stated alternate forms. Five routine observations were planned, creating 5 × 8 = 40 expected step opportunities.

Evidence categoryCountWhat happened in the fictional recordExpected step opportunities40Eight steps across five planned routine observationsAvailable step opportunities36The observer was called away before the last two steps in two routines; those four outcomes are unknownValid initial-response observations34Two observed moments could not be scored because the older wording did not distinguish two acceptable formsIndependent initial completions22Completed before a programmed prompt under the version 1 rulePrompted or corrected completions9Initial and later outcomes remain separately recordedNot completed3Available and validly observed, but not completed under the recorded procedure

Step availability is 36 divided by 40, or 90.0%. Valid initial-response coverage is 34 divided by 40, or 85.0%. Initial independence is 22 divided by 34, or 64.7%. Prompted or corrected completion is 9 divided by 34, or 26.5%. The remaining three valid observations are 3 divided by 34, or 8.8%, subject to rounding.

The 22 + 9 + 3 = 34 initial-outcome check reconciles the valid observed subset. It does not recover the four unobserved step outcomes or resolve the two ambiguous observations. Those six entries remain visible.

The summary does not establish that Case A mastered the routine, that prompting caused or prevented change, that one chaining arrangement is superior, or that performance will maintain or generalize. Nor does the finished art kit prove independent assembly. Only the recorded step observations support the step-level description.

What task-analysis research can and cannot answer

A comparison of procedural variations in teaching behavior chains used eight-step task analyses, step-level data, and procedure-specific integrity checks. A portable video-modeling study used activity-specific forms and distinguished independent, supported, prompted, and error outcomes under its definitions. An earlier backward-chaining study of internet skills analyzed independent steps relative to a 13-step task analysis and sampled interobserver agreement.

Across these studies, the response, step, prompt, and denominator rules are part of the meaning of the data. Differences in participants, tasks, procedures, and measures also limit transfer: none validates this worksheet or establishes one task-analysis length, code set, chaining arrangement, prompt system, criterion, or expected result.

The CASP ABA Practice Guidelines access page identifies Version 3.0 and its licensing conditions. This page does not reproduce the licensed guidelines or claim compliance. Use the current licensed document and applicable local requirements when relevant.

Preserve access, communication, and record integrity

The current ASHA AAC practice guidance describes multimodal communication and access considerations. AAC, interpreters, adaptive materials, mobility supports, sensory supports, breaks, food, water, bathroom access, prescribed care, and emergency communication remain available. Ordinary access is not a prompt merely because it helps the person participate.

Record assent, dissent, requests to pause, and client-selected variations without turning them into performance failures. A task analysis should not be used to force a sequence that conflicts with safety, dignity, communication, culture, or an acceptable efficient alternative.

The BACB Ethics Codes hub identifies current controlling materials. The Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts addresses competence, confidentiality, records, assessment, behavior-change programs, consent, client welfare, and data accuracy. Application depends on role and circumstances; this worksheet is not ethics or legal advice.

Store identifiable task data only in an authorized record system. The current HHS Security Rule risk-analysis guidance explains that regulated organizations assess risks to electronic protected health information, but it does not approve a device, spreadsheet, app, message, retention period, or disclosure. Follow applicable access, correction, export, backup, retention, and disposal requirements.

Look for patterns without erasing context

Review by step, routine opportunity, condition, setting, observer, support, and version. A cluster at one step may suggest a definition, material, access, teaching, or sequence question worth qualified review. It does not identify the cause by itself.

Do not average across incompatible task-analysis versions. Preserve late entries, observer changes, missing steps, altered materials, routine interruptions, and implementation deviations. When agreement or integrity is sampled, report the sampled opportunities and calculation rather than attaching a global label to the entire period.

Version and correction log

DateTask-analysis versionOriginal entryCorrected entry or new versionReason and source evidenceAuthorized byOpportunities affectedSummaries affected

Preserve the original record and an audit trail. Never backdate a revised step definition or silently rescore old observations under a new version.

Stop and route concerns

Pause collection or interpretation when the goal, step definition, acceptable sequence, opportunity rule, prompt or correction treatment, client authorization, safety plan, responsible clinician, or record destination is unclear. Route acute risk, distress, assent withdrawal, inaccessible communication, suspected data alteration, material procedure deviation, privacy exposure, or work beyond competence through the appropriate clinical, emergency, organizational, privacy, security, compliance, legal, payer, or regulatory path.

A completed matrix is a review aid, not an automatic treatment decision. Keep the underlying step records and unresolved questions available to the qualified reviewer.

Related resources

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