PRD Validation Checklist
Run each gate against the PRD. Report pass/fail with specific line references for failures.
Critical Gates (must all pass)
V1: Acceptance Criteria Quality
Check: Every Must-Have requirement has acceptance criteria in Given/When/Then format.
Fail indicators:
- Criteria that say "should work correctly" or "should handle errors"
- Missing
Givenprecondition - Missing
Thenassertion - Vague actions in
When
V2: Test File Mapping
Check: Every Must-Have maps to at least one test file path following project conventions.
Fail indicators:
- Missing test file path
- Test type not specified (unit, integration, component)
V3: Architecture Decision Quality
Check: Every AD-N entry has context, 2+ alternatives, rationale, and consequences.
Fail indicators:
- Only one option listed
- "Because it's the best" as rationale
- Missing consequences section
V4: Dependency Health
Check: No deprecated packages in scope. No known CVEs.
V5: Phasing DAG Validity
Check: Phase dependencies form a directed acyclic graph (no cycles).
High Gates (should all pass)
V6: Metric Measurability
Check: Every success metric specifies a number, percentage, or duration.
V7: Persona Coverage
Check: Every persona appears in at least one user story.
V8: Clarification Markers
Check: No [NEEDS CLARIFICATION] markers remain.
Medium Gates (recommended)
V9: Risk Mitigation Quality
Check: Every risk mitigation is actionable (not "be careful").
V10: Open Questions Resolution
Check: Open Questions section is empty or all items are tracked.
Validation Report Format
PRD Validation Report
=====================
Critical Gates:
[PASS] V1: Acceptance Criteria Quality
[FAIL] V2: Test File Mapping — M3 missing test file path (line 87)
[PASS] V3: Architecture Decision Quality
[PASS] V4: Dependency Health
[PASS] V5: Phasing DAG Validity
High Gates:
[PASS] V6: Metric Measurability
[FAIL] V8: Clarification Markers — 2 markers remaining
Result: 2 failures (1 Critical, 1 High) — must fix before approval