requirements-clarification

Requirements Clarification for TDD

Purpose

Before writing tests (RED phase), ensure requirements are understood well enough to:

1. Know WHAT behavior to test
2. Identify edge cases and boundaries
3. Understand acceptance criteria
4. Avoid rework from misunderstood requirements

When to Use

Initiate clarification when:

• Feature description is less than 2 sentences
• No acceptance criteria provided
• Ambiguous terms like "should handle errors appropriately"
• Business logic without specific rules defined
• No example inputs/outputs given

When to Skip

Skip clarification when:

• Requirements explicitly define acceptance criteria
• User provides detailed test scenarios
• Simple CRUD with clear schema
• Bug fix with clear reproduction steps
• User requests "skip clarification" or "proceed directly"

Question Categories

1. Functional Requirements

Question	Purpose
What is the primary happy path behavior?	Establish main test scenario
What inputs does this feature accept?	Define parameter validation tests
What outputs/results are expected?	Define assertion expectations
What side effects should occur?	Identify integration points
Are there any business rules or constraints?	Identify validation logic

2. Edge Cases and Boundaries

Question	Purpose
What happens with null/empty input?	Null handling tests
What are the boundary values (min/max)?	Boundary condition tests
What if required dependencies are unavailable?	Error handling tests
Are there concurrency or timing concerns?	Thread safety tests

3. Error Handling

Question	Purpose
What exceptions should be thrown and when?	Exception tests
How should invalid input be handled?	Validation tests
What error messages should users see?	User feedback tests

4. Technical Clarification

Question	Purpose
What interfaces/abstractions already exist?	Understand dependencies
What existing patterns should be followed?	Consistency with codebase
Are there existing tests to follow as examples?	Test style consistency
What is the target test scope (unit/integration)?	Test organization

Clarification Workflow

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    CLARIFICATION PHASE                           │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                                 │
│  ┌──────────────┐    ┌──────────────┐    ┌──────────────┐      │
│  │   Analyze    │───▶│   Identify   │───▶│   Present    │      │
│  │ Requirements │    │    Gaps      │    │  Questions   │      │
│  └──────────────┘    └──────────────┘    └──────────────┘      │
│                                               │                  │
│                    ┌──────────────┐           │                  │
│                    │   Collect    │◀──────────┘                  │
│                    │   Answers    │                              │
│                    └──────────────┘                              │
│                           │                                      │
│                    ┌──────────────┐                              │
│                    │  Sufficient? │                              │
│                    └──────────────┘                              │
│                      │         │                                 │
│                     YES        NO                                │
│                      │         │                                 │
│                      ▼         └──────▶ Ask Follow-up            │
│               ┌──────────────┐                                   │
│               │ Proceed to   │                                   │
│               │  RED Phase   │                                   │
│               └──────────────┘                                   │
│                                                                 │
│  EXIT: Requirements clear enough to define test scenarios        │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Output Template

After clarification, document understanding:

## Clarified Requirements for {Feature}

### Understanding Summary
{Brief summary of what the feature should do}

### Inputs and Outputs
- **Inputs**: {List with types}
- **Outputs**: {Expected results}
- **Validation Rules**: {Business rules}

### Identified Test Scenarios
| Scenario Type | Description | Priority |
|---------------|-------------|----------|
| Happy Path | {description} | High |
| Edge Case | {description} | Medium |
| Error Case | {description} | Medium |
| Boundary | {description} | Medium |

### Ready for RED Phase

Minimum Questions (Always Consider)

1. What is the expected behavior for the happy path?
2. What inputs does this accept and what outputs does it produce?
3. How should errors/invalid input be handled?