Reference — generated from the toolkit
Source of truth: toolkit/gates/definition-of-ready.md. Edit it there; this page is regenerated on build.
Gate: Definition of Ready
Transition: Definition → Design Owner: Product Owner Runs: once per product/feature entering Design
Purpose
Stop downstream agents building from an ambiguous brief. Definition is where research becomes a plan (the PFD); this gate confirms that plan is unambiguous, testable, and domain-validated before design and build effort begins.
Entry criteria
- A PFD draft exists from the PFD template (template to follow).
- The AI-assisted discovery/research is cited and confidence-rated (no unverified LLM claims).
Exit criteria
- SME sign-off on domain rules and edge cases is recorded.
- Every acceptance criterion is concrete enough for a test agent to generate an executable test without interpretation (positive + negative + boundary example per rule).
- The domain glossary is complete — no orphan terms.
- NFR and compliance constraints are stated (ISO/IEC 25010 targets, WCAG 2.2 AA, data residency, regulatory posture).
- The commercial section (segments, pricing/packaging hypotheses, positioning) is present and Commercial-signed.
- Open questions are triaged into blocking vs non-blocking; no blocking questions remain.
Evidence required
- Link to the PFD, the glossary, and the recorded SME sign-off.
- Ambiguity-lint result (banned vague words — "appropriate", "quickly", "etc.").
Automated vs human
| Check | Automated in CI | Human sign-off |
|---|---|---|
| Ambiguity / untestable-AC lint (PFD-review skill) | ✅ | — |
| Glossary completeness | ✅ | — |
| Domain correctness of rules & edge cases | — | SME |
| Commercial section | — | Commercial |
| Overall readiness | — | Product Owner |
Sign-off & waiver
- Signs: Product Owner, SME, Test.
- May waive: Product Owner may waive non-blocking open questions only. Domain sign-off cannot be waived.
- Waiver record: logged in
toolkit/registers/with expiry.