Step 4: Product Brief Coverage Validation

STEP GOAL:

Validate that PRD covers all content from Product Brief (if brief was used as input), mapping brief content to PRD sections and identifying gaps.

MANDATORY EXECUTION RULES (READ FIRST):

Universal Rules:

🛑 NEVER generate content without user input
📖 CRITICAL: Read the complete step file before taking any action
🔄 CRITICAL: When loading next step with 'C', ensure entire file is read
📋 YOU ARE A FACILITATOR, not a content generator
✅ YOU MUST ALWAYS SPEAK OUTPUT In your Agent communication style with the config {communication_language}

Role Reinforcement:

✅ You are a Validation Architect and Quality Assurance Specialist
✅ If you already have been given communication or persona patterns, continue to use those while playing this new role
✅ We engage in systematic validation, not collaborative dialogue
✅ You bring analytical rigor and traceability expertise
✅ This step runs autonomously - no user input needed

Step-Specific Rules:

🎯 Focus ONLY on Product Brief coverage (conditional on brief existence)
🚫 FORBIDDEN to validate other aspects in this step
💬 Approach: Systematic mapping and gap analysis
🚪 This is a validation sequence step - auto-proceeds when complete

EXECUTION PROTOCOLS:

🎯 Check if Product Brief exists in input documents
💬 If no brief: Skip this check and report "N/A - No Product Brief"
🎯 If brief exists: Map brief content to PRD sections
💾 Append coverage findings to validation report
📖 Display "Proceeding to next check..." and load next step
🚫 FORBIDDEN to pause or request user input

CONTEXT BOUNDARIES:

Available context: PRD file, input documents from step 1, validation report
Focus: Product Brief coverage only (conditional)
Limits: Don't validate other aspects, conditional execution
Dependencies: Step 1 completed - input documents loaded

MANDATORY SEQUENCE

CRITICAL: Follow this sequence exactly. Do not skip, reorder, or improvise unless user explicitly requests a change.

1. Check for Product Brief

Check if Product Brief was loaded in step 1's inputDocuments:

IF no Product Brief found: Append to validation report:

markdown

## Product Brief Coverage

**Status:** N/A - No Product Brief was provided as input

Display: "Product Brief Coverage: Skipped (No Product Brief provided)

Proceeding to next validation check..."

Without delay, read fully and follow: {nextStepFile}

IF Product Brief exists: Continue to step 2 below

2. Attempt Sub-Process Validation

Try to use Task tool to spawn a subprocess:

"Perform Product Brief coverage validation:

Load the Product Brief
Extract key content:
- Vision statement
- Target users/personas
- Problem statement
- Key features
- Goals/objectives
- Differentiators
- Constraints
For each item, search PRD for corresponding coverage
Classify coverage: Fully Covered / Partially Covered / Not Found / Intentionally Excluded
Note any gaps with severity: Critical / Moderate / Informational

Return structured coverage map with classifications."

3. Graceful Degradation (if Task tool unavailable)

If Task tool unavailable, perform analysis directly:

Extract from Product Brief:

Vision: What is this product?
Users: Who is it for?
Problem: What problem does it solve?
Features: What are the key capabilities?
Goals: What are the success criteria?
Differentiators: What makes it unique?

For each item, search PRD:

Scan Executive Summary for vision
Check User Journeys or user personas
Look for problem statement
Review Functional Requirements for features
Check Success Criteria section
Search for differentiators

Classify coverage:

Fully Covered: Content present and complete
Partially Covered: Content present but incomplete
Not Found: Content missing from PRD
Intentionally Excluded: Content explicitly out of scope

4. Assess Coverage and Severity

For each gap (Partially Covered or Not Found):

Is this Critical? (Core vision, primary users, main features)
Is this Moderate? (Secondary features, some goals)
Is this Informational? (Nice-to-have features, minor details)

Note: Some exclusions may be intentional (valid scoping decisions)

5. Report Coverage Findings to Validation Report

Append to validation report:

markdown

## Product Brief Coverage

**Product Brief:** {brief_file_name}

### Coverage Map

**Vision Statement:** [Fully/Partially/Not Found/Intentionally Excluded]
[If gap: Note severity and specific missing content]

**Target Users:** [Fully/Partially/Not Found/Intentionally Excluded]
[If gap: Note severity and specific missing content]

**Problem Statement:** [Fully/Partially/Not Found/Intentionally Excluded]
[If gap: Note severity and specific missing content]

**Key Features:** [Fully/Partially/Not Found/Intentionally Excluded]
[If gap: List specific features with severity]

**Goals/Objectives:** [Fully/Partially/Not Found/Intentionally Excluded]
[If gap: Note severity and specific missing content]

**Differentiators:** [Fully/Partially/Not Found/Intentionally Excluded]
[If gap: Note severity and specific missing content]

### Coverage Summary

**Overall Coverage:** [percentage or qualitative assessment]
**Critical Gaps:** [count] [list if any]
**Moderate Gaps:** [count] [list if any]
**Informational Gaps:** [count] [list if any]

**Recommendation:**
[If critical gaps exist] "PRD should be revised to cover critical Product Brief content."
[If moderate gaps] "Consider addressing moderate gaps for complete coverage."
[If minimal gaps] "PRD provides good coverage of Product Brief content."

6. Display Progress and Auto-Proceed

Display: "Product Brief Coverage Validation Complete

Overall Coverage: {assessment}