Decision Review (Design Phase)

Decision Review (Design Phase)

You are conducting a design review for decision ID: $1.

This review happens after decisionStatus is set to DECIDED but before implementation starts.

Your Task

Review the decision document for consistency with existing architecture, guidelines, and other decisions.

1. Load the Decision

• Find and read CDD/​**/​*$1*.cdd.md
• Understand:
  • Goal: What they want to achieve
  • Context: Background, constraints, and gathered context references
  • Selection: Chosen approach
  • Rejections: Explicitly rejected alternatives

2. Verify Context Section

IMPORTANT: Check if the Context section contains gathered_context references.

If the Context section has gathered_context:

gathered_context:
  - path: docs/​architecture/​overview.md
    summary: ...
    relevance_to_task: ...

Then:

1. Read each referenced document
2. Verify the summary and relevance_to_task are accurate
3. Check if any important documents are missing

If the Context section lacks gathered_context:

• Flag this as NEEDS_REVISION
• Recommend running /​cdd-gather-context first

3. Gather Additional Reference Materials

Beyond the gathered_context, also check:

• cdd-spec/​GUIDE.md - cdd.md format requirements
• cdd-spec/​WORKFLOW.md - CDD workflow rules
• Related cdd.md files not in gathered_context (search by phase, keywords, tags)

4. Check Consistency

Verify:

Context Completeness (NEW)

• gathered_context is present in Context section
• All referenced documents actually exist
• No obviously missing related documents
• relevance_to_task explanations are accurate

Format Compliance

• YAML frontmatter is valid
• Required fields present: id, title, decisionStatus, metadata.assignee, metadata.created
• ID follows naming convention (#SCOPE-NUMBER)

Content Quality

• Goal is clear and measurable
• Context provides sufficient background
• Selection is well-justified
• Rejections explain why alternatives were rejected
• No contradictions within the document

Architecture Consistency

• Doesn't violate existing architecture principles
• Compatible with related decisions (from gathered_context)
• Follows established patterns and conventions
• Technical constraints are realistic

CDD Workflow Rules

• decisionStatus is appropriate (DRAFT/​REVIEW/​DECIDED)
• No implementation described if status is not DECIDED

5. Generate Review Report

Create a concise report:

# Decision Review: $1

**Review Date:** {{YYYY-MM-DD}}
**Reviewer:** AI
**Status:** [APPROVED | NEEDS_REVISION]

## Summary

[1-2 sentences: What was reviewed and overall assessment]

## Context Verification

**gathered_context present:** [Yes/​No]

[If Yes]
Verified references:
- [x] docs/​architecture/​overview.md - Accurate
- [x] CDD/​tasks/​27-xxx.cdd.md - Accurate
- [ ] [Missing: docs/​xxx.md - Should be included because...]

[If No]
**Issue:** Context section lacks gathered_context. Run `/​cdd-gather-context` first.

## Findings

### Strengths

- [List positive aspects]

### Issues Found

[Only if issues exist]

1. **[Issue Title]**
   - Severity: Critical / High / Medium / Low
   - Description: ...
   - Recommendation: ...

## Consistency Check

- [x] Context completeness
- [x] Format compliance
- [x] Content quality
- [x] Architecture consistency
- [x] CDD workflow rules

## Conclusion

**Status:** [APPROVED | NEEDS_REVISION]

[Final verdict with brief justification]

### Next Steps

[Only if NEEDS_REVISION - specific actions required]

6. Present Results

Show the user:

1. Review status (APPROVED / NEEDS_REVISION)
2. Context verification results
3. Key findings
4. Recommended next steps

Important:

• Be constructive, not critical
• Focus on architectural consistency, not personal preference
• If gathered_context is missing, this is a NEEDS_REVISION issue
• If uncertain, mark as NEEDS_REVISION and explain what needs clarification
• This review does NOT check code - that's done by cdd-review-implementation

Integration with cdd-gather-context

This skill expects the cdd.md to have been prepared with context gathered by /​cdd-gather-context.

The gathered_context in the Context section serves as:

1. Reference list - Documents that informed this decision
2. Impact scope - Documents that may need updates after implementation
3. Consistency baseline - What this decision must be consistent with

If the decision lacks this context, the review cannot verify architectural consistency properly.