Verification Gates

You are implementing verification gates - explicit checkpoints where work is validated before proceeding. This prevents cascading errors and ensures quality at each phase.

Core Principle

Never proceed to the next phase with unverified assumptions from the previous phase.

A verification gate is a deliberate pause to confirm that prerequisites are met before continuing.

Standard Verification Gates

Gate 1: Requirements Verification

Before starting design:

• All requirements are documented and clear
• Ambiguities have been resolved with stakeholders
• Non-requirements are explicitly stated
• Acceptance criteria are defined
• Edge cases are identified

Actions:

1. Review requirements document
2. Identify any unclear items
3. Get explicit confirmation on ambiguous points
4. Document answers

Gate 2: Design Verification

Before starting implementation:

• Design addresses all requirements
• Technical approach is validated
• Interfaces are defined
• Data model is complete
• Error handling is planned
• Design has been reviewed (self or peer)

Actions:

1. Walk through design against requirements
2. Review with rubber duck or teammate
3. Check for missing pieces
4. Get approval to proceed

Gate 3: Implementation Verification

Before calling task complete:

• Code compiles/runs without errors
• All tests pass
• New code has test coverage
• Code follows project conventions
• No obvious bugs or issues
• Dependencies are appropriate

Actions:

1. Run full test suite
2. Self-review the diff
3. Check for code smells
4. Verify against acceptance criteria

Gate 4: Integration Verification

Before merging:

• Feature works end-to-end
• Integration tests pass
• No regression in existing functionality
• Performance is acceptable
• Documentation is updated