Documentation criteria

Documentation Creation Criteria

Creation Decision Matrix

Evaluate rows by confirmed scale, then add the conditional documents named in the same row. ADR Creation Conditions override scale: when any ADR condition applies, create or update the ADR even for a 1-2 file change.

Confirmed Scale	Required Documents	Conditional Additions	Creation Order
Large (6+ files or large-risk axis)	PRD, Design Doc, Work Plan	UI Spec for frontend/fullstack; ADR when any ADR condition applies	PRD -> UI Spec (if applicable) -> ADR (if applicable) -> Design Doc -> Work Plan
Medium (3-5 files or medium-risk axis)	Design Doc, Work Plan	UI Spec for frontend/fullstack; ADR when any ADR condition applies; update an existing PRD when the feature scope changes	PRD update (if applicable) -> UI Spec (if applicable) -> ADR (if applicable) -> Design Doc -> Work Plan
Small (1-2 files with no higher-risk axis)	One task file in task-template format	ADR when any ADR condition applies; update an existing PRD when the feature scope changes	PRD update (if applicable) -> ADR (if applicable) -> task file

For a Large change, satisfy the PRD requirement by creating a new PRD, updating the relevant PRD, or creating a reverse PRD when no current product document exists. File count is one scale signal; contract, data, boundary, and decision risk can raise the scale.

ADR Creation Conditions (Required if Any Apply)

1. Type System Changes

• Adding nested types with 3+ levels: type A = { b: { c: { d: T } } }
  • Rationale: Deep nesting has high complexity and wide impact scope
• Changing/deleting types used in 3+ locations
  • Rationale: Multiple location impacts require careful consideration
• Type responsibility changes (e.g., DTO->Entity)
  • Rationale: Conceptual model changes affect design philosophy

2. Data Flow Changes

• Storage location changes (DB->File, Memory->Cache)
• Processing order changes with 3+ steps
  • Example: "Input->Validation->Save" to "Input->Save->Async Validation"
• Data passing method changes (props->Context, direct reference->events)

3. Architecture Changes

• Layer addition, responsibility changes, component relocation

4. External Dependency Changes

• Library/framework/external API introduction or replacement

5. Complex Implementation Logic (Regardless of Scale)

• Managing 3+ states
• Coordinating 5+ asynchronous processes

Detailed Document Definitions

PRD (Product Requirements Document)

Purpose: Define business requirements and user value

Includes:

• Business requirements and user value
• Success metrics and KPIs (each metric specifies a numeric target, measurement method, and timeframe)
• User stories and use cases
• Acceptance criteria with sequential IDs (AC-001, AC-002, ...) for downstream traceability
• MVP convergence — the smallest coherent behavior or journey that delivers the value, with excluded capabilities placed in Future or Out of Scope with a reason
• User journey diagram (required)
• Scope boundary diagram (required)

Scope: Business requirements, user value, success metrics, user stories, and prioritization only. Implementation details belong in Design Doc, technical selection rationale in ADR, phases and task breakdown in Work Plan.

ADR (Architecture Decision Record)

Purpose: Record technical decision rationale and background

Includes:

• Decision (what was selected)
• Rationale (why that selection was made)
• Option comparison (minimum 3 options) and trade-offs
• Architecture impact
• Principled implementation guidelines (e.g., "Use dependency injection")

Scope: Decision, rationale, option comparison, architecture impact, and principled guidelines only. Implementation procedures and code examples belong in Design Doc, schedule and resource assignments in Work Plan.

UI Specification

Purpose: Define UI structure, screen transitions, component decomposition, and interaction design for frontend features

Includes:

• Screen list and transition conditions
• Component decomposition with state x display matrix (default/loading/empty/error/partial)
• Interaction definitions linked to PRD acceptance criteria (EARS format)
• Prototype management (code-based prototypes as attachments, not source of truth)
• AC traceability from PRD to screens/components
• Existing component reuse map and design tokens
• Visual acceptance criteria (golden states, layout constraints)
• Accessibility requirements (keyboard, screen reader, contrast)

Scope: Screen structure, transitions, component decomposition, interaction design, and visual acceptance criteria only. Technical implementation and API contracts belong in Design Doc, test implementation in test skeleton generation output, schedule in Work Plan.

Required Structural Elements:

• At least one component with state x display matrix and interaction table
• AC traceability table mapping PRD ACs to screens/states
• Screen list with transition conditions
• Existing component reuse map (reuse/extend/new decisions)

Prototype Code Handling:

• Prototype code provided by user is placed in docs/ui-spec/assets/{feature-name}/
• Prototype is an attachment to the UI Spec; the UI Spec and Design Doc remain the canonical specification
• UI Spec + Design Doc are the canonical specifications

Design Document

Purpose: Define technical implementation methods in detail

Includes:

• Existing codebase analysis (required)
  • Implementation path mapping (both existing and new)
  • Integration point clarification (connection points with existing code even for new implementations)
• Technical implementation approach (vertical/horizontal/hybrid)
• Technical dependencies and implementation constraints (required implementation order)
• Interface and type definitions
• Data flow and component design
• Acceptance criteria (EARS format — see design-template.md; each criterion specifies a verifiable condition with pass/fail threshold)
• Change impact map with explicit direct impact, indirect impact, and verified no-ripple-effect entries
• Complete enumeration of integration points
• Data contract clarification
• Agreement checklist (agreements with stakeholders)
• Code inspection evidence (inspected files/functions during investigation)
• Field propagation map (when fields cross component boundaries)
• Design Convergence (required) — Direct MVP, Failed Items, Adopted Additions, Rejected Additions (see design-template.md)
• Data representation decision (when the converged design introduces or modifies structures)
• Applicable standards (explicit/implicit classification)
• Prerequisite ADRs (including common ADRs)
• Verification Strategy (required)
  • Correctness proof method (what "correct" means for this change, how it's verified, when)
  • Early verification point (first target to prove the approach works, success criteria, failure response)

Scope: Technical implementation methods, interfaces, data flow, acceptance criteria, and verification strategy only. Technology selection rationale belongs in ADR, schedule and assignments in Work Plan.

Work Plan

Purpose: Implementation task management and progress tracking

Includes:

• Task breakdown and dependencies (maximum 2 levels)
• Schedule and duration estimates
• Include test skeleton file paths (integration and E2E)
• Verification Strategy summary (extracted from Design Doc)
• Final Quality Assurance Phase (required)
• Progress records (checkbox format)

Scope: Task breakdown, dependencies, schedule, verification strategy summary, and progress tracking only. Technical rationale belongs in ADR, design details in Design Doc.

Phase Division Criteria (adapt to implementation approach from Design Doc):

When Vertical Slice selected:

• Each phase = one value unit (feature, component, or migration target)
• Each phase includes its own implementation + verification per Verification Strategy

When Horizontal Slice selected:

1. Phase 1: Foundation Implementation - Type definitions, interfaces, test preparation
2. Phase 2: Core Feature Implementation - Business logic, unit tests
3. Phase 3: Integration Implementation - External connections, presentation layer

When Hybrid selected:

• Combine vertical and horizontal as defined in Design Doc implementation approach

All approaches: The final phase is Quality Assurance: verify acceptance criteria, configured tests, and applicable quality checks. Each phase's verification method follows the Verification Strategy from the Design Doc.

Three Elements of Task Completion Definition:

1. Implementation Complete: Code is functional
2. Quality Complete: Tests, type checks, linting pass
3. Integration Complete: Verified connection with other components

Creation Process

1. Problem Analysis: Change scale assessment, ADR condition check
   • Identify explicit and implicit project standards before investigation
   • Output evidence: confirmed scale with deciding axis, required-document list, and named source for each existing document
   • Transition: proceed when every document has create, update, or not required with a rule-based reason
2. ADR Option Consideration (ADR only): Compare 3+ options, specify trade-offs
   • Output evidence: option comparison with selected option, rejected options, known unknowns, and kill criteria
   • Transition: proceed when the decision is reviewable and blocking unknowns are named
3. Creation: Use templates, include measurable conditions
   • Output evidence: document at the required storage path with every required section populated or marked N/A with rationale
   • Transition: proceed when template checks and traceability checks pass
4. Approval: "Accepted" after review enables implementation
   • Output evidence: reviewer result, resolved conditions, and recorded user approval
   • Transition: implementation begins only after the required approval is recorded

Storage Locations

Document	Path	Naming Convention	Template
PRD	docs/prd/	[feature-name]-prd.md	See prd-template.md
ADR	docs/adr/	ADR-[4-digits]-[title].md	See adr-template.md
UI Spec	docs/ui-spec/	[feature-name]-ui-spec.md	See ui-spec-template.md
UI Spec Assets	docs/ui-spec/assets/{feature-name}/	Prototype code files	-
Design Doc	docs/design/	[feature-name]-design.md	See design-template.md
Work Plan	docs/plans/	YYYYMMDD-{type}-{description}.md	See plan-template.md
Task File	docs/plans/tasks/	{plan-name}-task-{number}.md	See task-template.md

*Note: Work plans are excluded by .gitignore

ADR Status

Proposed -> Accepted -> Deprecated/Superseded/Rejected

AI Automation Rules

• Evaluate ADR Creation Conditions at every scale; create or update an ADR when any condition applies
• A type or data-flow change requires an ADR when it matches a condition in the corresponding section above
• Check existing ADRs before implementation

Diagram Requirements

Required diagrams for each document (using mermaid notation):

Document	Required Diagrams	Purpose
PRD	User journey diagram, Scope boundary diagram	Clarify user experience and scope
ADR	Option comparison diagram when 2+ material options have relationships or trade-offs that are easier to compare visually	Visualize trade-offs
UI Spec	Screen transition diagram, Component tree diagram	Clarify screen flow and component structure
Design Doc	Architecture diagram, Data flow diagram	Understand technical structure
Work Plan	Phase structure diagram, Task dependency diagram	Clarify implementation order

Common ADR Relationships

1. At creation: Identify common technical areas (logging, error handling, async processing, etc.), reference existing common ADRs
2. When missing: Consider creating necessary common ADRs
3. Design Doc: Specify common ADRs in "Prerequisite ADRs" section
4. Compliance check: Verify design aligns with common ADR decisions

Templates

Templates are available in the references/ directory:

• Design Document template
• Product Requirements Document template
• UI Specification template
• Work Plan template
• Architecture Decision Record template
• Task File template