Mandatory Gate — Complete this checklist between Phase 2 (Documentation) and Phase 2.5 (Adversarial Review). If ANY item fails, fix the documentation before proceeding. Never skip this.
Project: [Project Name] Date: [YYYY-MM-DD] Reviewer: [Name]
- Actionability: Does every section dictate a specific implementation detail?
- Currency: Is everything current (no outdated decisions)?
- Single Source of Truth: Is every decision recorded in only one place?
- Decisions, Not Wishes: Is every statement a decision, not a hope?
- Prompt-Ready: Would you put every section in an AI prompt?
- No Future State: Have you removed all "we will eventually" language?
- No Fluff: Have you removed all motivational/aspirational content?
- Document Type: Is each document clearly Strategic, Implementation, or Reference?
- Anti-patterns Placement: Are anti-patterns in implementation docs only?
- Test Cases Placement: Are test specs in implementation/testing docs only?
- Error Handling Placement: Is the error matrix in implementation docs only?
- Deep Links: Do ALL documents have deep links (not vague references)?
- No Duplication: Do strategic docs point to (not duplicate) implementation details?
- AI Coder Score: Does documentation score 9+/10 on understandability?
Ask yourself: "If I gave this doc to an AI with no other context, would it produce correct code?"
| Score | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 10/10 | AI could implement with zero questions |
| 9/10 | AI might ask 1 clarifying question |
| 7-8/10 | AI would need 2-3 clarifications |
| <7/10 | FAIL — Documentation incomplete |
- PASS — All items checked, proceed to Phase 2.5 (Adversarial Review)
- FAIL — Items below need fixing before Phase 2.5
| Item | Issue | Owner | ETA |
|---|---|---|---|
Approved by: _______________ Date: _______________
For the complete AI Coder Understandability scoring rubric and document architecture templates, see Advanced Framework.
Template from Stream Coding by Francesco Marinoni Moretto — CC BY 4.0