When to Use
When gathering requirements during discovery phase to measure answer quality and decide when to proceed.
Patterns
Clarity Scoring (1-5)
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5 = CRYSTAL CLEAR
- Specific, measurable answer
- No ambiguity
- Actionable immediately
Example: "Response time must be <200ms at p95"
4 = CLEAR
- Mostly specific
- Minor gaps fillable
Example: "Response should be fast" + "under 500ms is acceptable"
3 = PARTIAL
- General direction known
- Needs follow-up questions
Example: "Performance matters" (how much? which operations?)
2 = VAGUE
- Conflicting information
- Multiple interpretations possible
Example: "It should just work" (what does 'work' mean?)
1 = UNCLEAR
- No answer or "I don't know"
- Requires stakeholder escalation
Example: "We haven't decided yet"
Proceed Threshold
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Calculate average score across all answers: ≥ 4.0 → PROCEED to next phase 3.5-4.0 → PROCEED with noted risks 3.0-3.5 → CLARIFY critical gaps first < 3.0 → STOP - too many unknowns
Question Categories to Score
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1. Problem Definition (weight: HIGH) 2. Success Criteria (weight: HIGH) 3. Scope Boundaries (weight: HIGH) 4. Technical Constraints (weight: MEDIUM) 5. Timeline/Budget (weight: MEDIUM) 6. Nice-to-haves (weight: LOW)
Anti-Patterns
- •Proceeding with average < 3.0
- •Ignoring LOW scores on HIGH weight items
- •Assuming unstated requirements
- •Not documenting score justification
Verification Checklist
- • All questions scored 1-5
- • Weighted average calculated
- • HIGH weight items all ≥ 3
- • Gaps documented with follow-up plan