# US-002 Evolution Document: Pre-Invocation Template Validation

**Feature**: Pre-Invocation Template Validation
**Project ID**: des-us002
**Status**: COMPLETED (with post-hoc integration fix)
**Completion Date**: 2026-01-24

---

## Feature Summary

US-002 implements pre-invocation validation for DES prompts, ensuring all mandatory sections (8) and TDD phases (14) are present before Task invocation. This prevents sub-agents from claiming ignorance about methodology requirements.

### Components Delivered

| Component | Location | Purpose |
|-----------|----------|---------|
| TemplateValidator | `des/validator.py` | Core validation logic |
| DESMarkerValidator | `des/validator.py` | DES marker format validation |
| MandatorySectionChecker | `des/validator.py` | 8 mandatory sections check |
| TDDPhaseValidator | `des/validator.py` | 14 TDD phases check |
| DESOrchestrator integration | `des/orchestrator.py` | Entry point for validation |

### Test Coverage

| Test Type | Count | Location |
|-----------|-------|----------|
| Acceptance Tests | 8 | `tests/acceptance/test_us002_template_validation.py` |
| Unit Tests | 48 | `tests/unit/des/` |
| Wiring Tests | 2 (25%) | `tests/acceptance/test_us002_template_validation.py` |

---

## Critical Lesson Learned: Testing Theatre

### The Problem Discovered

After completing the initial DELIVER wave with:
- 15 tests passing
- 100% code coverage
- 98%+ mutation kill rate

We discovered the feature was **NON-FUNCTIONAL**. The TemplateValidator existed and passed all tests, but was never called from the system entry point (DESOrchestrator).

### Root Cause Analysis

A formal Toyota 5 Whys analysis identified 5 root causes (see `root-cause-analysis.md`):

| ID | Root Cause | Phase |
|----|------------|-------|
| RC-A | DISTILL lacked hexagonal boundary enforcement | DISTILL |
| RC-B | Step-to-scenario mapping validated count, not boundary | ROADMAP |
| RC-C | Review lacked external validity check | REVIEW |
| RC-D | 90/10 rule missing wiring test mandate | DELIVER |
| RC-E | DoD missing functional integration gate | FINALIZE |

### The Anti-Pattern: Testing Theatre

**Definition**: High test metrics (coverage, mutation score) providing false confidence while the feature remains non-functional because tests are written at the wrong architectural boundary.

**Evidence in US-002**:
```python
# What tests did (WRONG - internal component):
from des.validator import TemplateValidator
validator = TemplateValidator()
result = validator.validate_prompt(prompt)

# What tests should have done (CORRECT - entry point):
from des.orchestrator import DESOrchestrator
orchestrator = DESOrchestrator()
result = orchestrator.validate_prompt(prompt)
```

### The Fix

1. **Integration**: Added `validate_prompt()` method to DESOrchestrator
2. **Wiring Tests**: Added 2 acceptance tests that invoke through entry point
3. **Framework Countermeasures**: Implemented CM-A through CM-E in nWave framework

---

## Framework Improvements Triggered

This issue triggered 5 countermeasures added to the nWave framework:

| CM | Description | Target |
|----|-------------|--------|
| CM-A | Hexagonal boundary enforcement | distill.md, acceptance-designer-reviewer |
| CM-B | Integration step requirement | split.md, step-mapping doc |
| CM-C | External validity check | review.md, wave reviewers |
| CM-D | 90/10 wiring test mandate | develop.md, execute.md |
| CM-E | Functional integration gate | finalize.md, devop-reviewer |

**Impact**: Future features cannot exhibit Testing Theatre - multiple gates now catch boundary violations.

---

## Metrics

### Final Test Results

```
Total Tests: 317 passed
US-002 Acceptance: 8 passed
US-002 Unit: 48 passed
Wiring Test Ratio: 25% (exceeds 10% minimum)
```

### Quality Gates

| Gate | Status |
|------|--------|
| All tests passing | PASS |
| Code coverage > 80% | PASS |
| Mutation score > 75% | PASS |
| Wiring tests present | PASS (25%) |
| External validity | PASS |
| Functional integration | PASS |

---

## Development Phases Completed

### Phase 01: Validation Foundation
- **Step 01-01**: Complete prompt validation (happy path)
  - Implemented TemplateValidator with MandatorySectionChecker and TDDPhaseValidator
  - All 14 TDD phases executed

### Phase 02: Error Detection
- **Step 02-01**: Missing TDD phase detection
- **Step 02-02**: Missing mandatory section with actionable error

### Phase 03: Error Aggregation
- **Step 03-01**: Multiple validation errors reported together

### Phase 04: Non-Functional Requirements
- **Step 04-01**: Validation performance within budget (<500ms)
- **Step 04-02**: Malformed DES marker detection

### Post-Completion: Integration Fix
- Added wiring tests invoking through DESOrchestrator
- Implemented validate_prompt() in DESOrchestrator
- Added framework countermeasures to prevent recurrence

---

## Key Takeaways

1. **High coverage is not equal to working feature**: 100% coverage means nothing if tests are at wrong boundary
2. **Wiring tests are mandatory**: At least 10% of acceptance tests must invoke through entry point
3. **External validity check**: Always ask "After tests pass, can users INVOKE this feature?"
4. **Swiss Cheese Model**: Multiple defense layers needed - single gate insufficient

---

## Artifacts Archived

### Feature Documentation
| Document | Purpose |
|----------|---------|
| `root-cause-analysis.md` | Toyota 5 Whys analysis |
| `resolution-plan.md` | Framework fix documentation |
| `roadmap.yaml` | Original implementation plan |
| `baseline.yaml` | Initial measurements |
| `mutation-testing-report.json` | Mutation testing results |
| `steps/*.json` | Step execution logs (6 files) |
| `.develop-progress.json` | Orchestration state |

### Implementation Files
| File | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `des/validator.py` | Core validation module (298 lines) |
| `des/orchestrator.py` | Entry point with integration |
| `tests/acceptance/test_us002_template_validation.py` | 8 acceptance tests |
| `tests/unit/des/test_validator.py` | Unit tests |
| `tests/unit/des/test_des_marker_validator.py` | Marker validator tests |
| `tests/unit/des/test_orchestrator.py` | Orchestrator tests |

---

## Cleanup Recommendations

### Files to Archive (completed)
- This evolution document archived to `docs/evolution/2026-01-24-des-us002.md`

### Files to Retain in Feature Directory
The following files in `docs/feature/des-us002/` document important lessons and should be retained:
- `root-cause-analysis.md` - Valuable process improvement documentation
- `resolution-plan.md` - Framework fix tracking
- `baseline.yaml`, `roadmap.yaml` - Development artifacts
- `steps/*.json` - Execution history

### Files Safe to Clean Up (with user approval)
- `.develop-progress.json` - Orchestration state (no longer needed)
- `mutation-testing-report.json` - Can be regenerated if needed

---

## Sign-Off

| Role | Agent | Date |
|------|-------|------|
| Feature Completion Coordinator | Dakota (devop) | 2026-01-24 |
| Root Cause Analysis | Sage (troubleshooter) | 2026-01-24 |
| Framework Improvements | Process team | 2026-01-24 |

**Feature Status**: COMPLETE - Production Ready

---

*This evolution document captures both the feature implementation and the critical process improvements that resulted from discovering the Testing Theatre anti-pattern.*
