bi-agents/.gemini/skills/bmad-testarch-nfr/steps-c/step-02-define-thresholds.md

name, description, nextStepFile, outputFile

name	description	nextStepFile	outputFile
step-02-define-thresholds	Identify NFR categories and thresholds	./step-03-gather-evidence.md	{test_artifacts}/nfr-assessment.md

Step 2: Define NFR Categories & Thresholds

STEP GOAL

Establish the NFR categories to assess and the thresholds used for validation.

MANDATORY EXECUTION RULES

• 📖 Read the entire step file before acting
• ✅ Speak in {communication_language}
• 🚫 Never guess thresholds

---

EXECUTION PROTOCOLS:

• 🎯 Follow the MANDATORY SEQUENCE exactly
• 💾 Record outputs before proceeding
• 📖 Load the next step only when instructed

CONTEXT BOUNDARIES:

• Available context: config, loaded artifacts, and knowledge fragments
• Focus: this step's goal only
• Limits: do not execute future steps
• Dependencies: prior steps' outputs (if any)

MANDATORY SEQUENCE

CRITICAL: Follow this sequence exactly. Do not skip, reorder, or improvise.

1. Select Categories

Use the ADR Quality Readiness Checklist (8 categories):

1. Testability & Automation
2. Test Data Strategy
3. Scalability & Availability
4. Disaster Recovery
5. Security
6. Monitorability/Debuggability/Manageability
7. QoS/QoE
8. Deployability

Add any custom_nfr_categories if provided.

---

2. Define Thresholds

For each category, extract thresholds from:

• tech-spec (primary)
• PRD (secondary)
• story or test-design (feature-specific)

If a threshold is unknown, mark it UNKNOWN and plan to report CONCERNS.

---

3. Confirm NFR Matrix

List each NFR category with its threshold or UNKNOWN status.

---

4. Save Progress

Save this step's accumulated work to {outputFile}.

• If {outputFile} does not exist (first save), create it using the workflow template (if available) with YAML frontmatter:

  ---
  stepsCompleted: ['step-02-define-thresholds']
  lastStep: 'step-02-define-thresholds'
  lastSaved: '{date}'
  ---
  

  Then write this step's output below the frontmatter.

• If {outputFile} already exists, update:

  • Add 'step-02-define-thresholds' to stepsCompleted array (only if not already present)
  • Set lastStep: 'step-02-define-thresholds'
  • Set lastSaved: '{date}'
  • Append this step's output to the appropriate section of the document.

Load next step: {nextStepFile}

🚨 SYSTEM SUCCESS/FAILURE METRICS:

✅ SUCCESS:

• Step completed in full with required outputs

❌ SYSTEM FAILURE:

• Skipped sequence steps or missing outputs Master Rule: Skipping steps is FORBIDDEN.