x-ipe-task-based-requirement-gathering

name	x-ipe-task-based-requirement-gathering
description	Gather requirements from user requests and create requirement summary. Use when starting a new feature or receiving a new user request. Triggers on requests like "new feature", "add feature", "I want to build", "create requirement".

Task-Based Skill: Requirement Gathering

Purpose

Gather and document requirements from user requests by:

1. Understanding the user request
2. Asking clarifying questions
3. Reviewing existing requirements for conflicts/overlaps
4. Updating impacted features with CR markers
5. Creating requirement summary document
6. Preparing for Feature Breakdown

---

Important Notes

BLOCKING: Learn x-ipe-workflow-task-execution skill before executing this skill.

Note: If Agent does not have skill capability, go to .github/skills/ folder to learn skills. SKILL.md is the entry point.

Workflow Mode: When execution_mode == "workflow-mode", the completion step MUST run the workflow update script via bash: python3 .github/skills/x-ipe-tool-x-ipe-app-interactor/scripts/workflow_update_action.py with workflow_name from workflow.name input, action from workflow.action input, status: "done", and a deliverables keyed dict using ONLY the extract tags defined in workflow-template.json for this action (format: {"tag-name": "path/to/file"}). Do NOT pass a flat list of file paths. Verify the script exits with code 0 before marking the task complete.

MANDATORY: Every requirement MUST create an Epic with ID format EPIC-{nnn} (e.g., EPIC-001, EPIC-035). Features created during Feature Breakdown use format FEATURE-{nnn}-{X} (e.g., FEATURE-035-A). The {nnn} in Feature IDs always matches the parent Epic number.

⛔ NEVER use an EPIC ID as a Feature ID. EPIC-{nnn} identifies a grouping container; FEATURE-{nnn}-{X} identifies a deliverable unit of work. They are separate concepts. Do NOT place EPIC IDs in Feature ID columns, Feature List tables, or feature board entries.

Transition Note: During migration, both old (FEATURE-{nnn}/) and new (EPIC-{nnn}/FEATURE-{nnn}-{X}/) folder structures may coexist. Skills must handle both formats when scanning existing files.

IMPORTANT: When process_preference.interaction_mode == "dao-represent-human-to-interact", NEVER stop to ask the human. Instead, call x-ipe-assistant-user-representative-Engineer to get the answer. The DAO skill acts as the human representative and will provide the guidance needed to continue.

---

Input Parameters

input:
  # Task attributes (from task board)
  task_id: "{TASK-XXX}"
  task_based_skill: "x-ipe-task-based-requirement-gathering"

  # Execution context (passed by x-ipe-workflow-task-execution)
  execution_mode: "free-mode | workflow-mode"  # default: free-mode
  workflow:
    name: "N/A"  # workflow name, default: N/A
    action: "requirement_gathering"  # workflow action name for status updates
    extra_context_reference:  # optional, default: N/A for all refs
      refined-idea: "path | N/A | auto-detect"
      mockup-html: "path | N/A | auto-detect"

  # Task type attributes
  category: "requirement-stage"
  next_task_based_skill:
    - skill: "x-ipe-task-based-feature-breakdown"
      condition: "Break requirements into features"
  process_preference:
    interaction_mode: "{from input process_preference.interaction_mode}"

  # Required inputs
  epic_id: "EPIC-{nnn}"  # Auto-assigned: scan x-ipe-docs/requirements/ for highest EPIC-{nnn}, next is EPIC-{nnn+1}
  mockup_list:
    - mockup_name: "Description of what function the mockup is for"
      mockup_link: "URL to the mockup"
    

Input Initialization

<input_init>
  <field name="task_id" source="x-ipe+all+task-board-management (auto-generated)" />
  <field name="execution_mode" source="x-ipe-workflow-task-execution (from --workflow-mode@{name})" />
  <field name="workflow.name" source="x-ipe-workflow-task-execution (from --workflow-mode@{name})" />
  <field name="process_preference.interaction_mode" source="from caller (x-ipe-workflow-task-execution) or default 'interact-with-human'" />
  <field name="epic_id" source="auto-assigned">
    <steps>
      1. Scan x-ipe-docs/requirements/ for existing EPIC-{nnn} folders
      2. Find the highest {nnn} value
      3. Assign EPIC-{nnn+1} (e.g., if EPIC-003 exists, assign EPIC-004)
      4. If no EPICs exist, assign EPIC-001
    </steps>
  </field>
  <field name="mockup_list" source="previous task | human input | N/A">
    <steps>
      1. Check previous task (Idea Mockup) output for mockup_list (array of {mockup_name, mockup_link})
      2. If not available, ask human for mockup links
      3. If none provided, set to N/A
    </steps>
  </>
  
    
      1. If workflow-mode: read from workflow context extra_context_reference
      2. If free-mode: auto-detect from existing project files
      3. Default: N/A for all refs
    
  

---

Definition of Ready

<definition_of_ready>
  <checkpoint required="true">
    <name>User request received</name>
    <verification>A user request or feature idea has been communicated</verification>
  </checkpoint>
  <checkpoint required="true">
    <name>Human available for clarification</name>
    <verification>Human is reachable to answer follow-up questions</verification>
  </checkpoint>
  <checkpoint required="true">
    <name>AI Agent has no more clarifying questions</name>
    <verification>All ambiguities resolved before documenting</verification>
  </checkpoint>
</definition_of_ready>

---

Execution Flow

Phase	Steps	Action	Gate
1. 博学之 — Study Broadly	1.1 Understand User Request, 1.2 Domain & Context Research	Parse what/who/why, research domain standards and competitors	Domain context established
2. 审问之 — Inquire Thoroughly	2.1 Ask Clarifying Questions, 2.2 Conflict and Overlap Review	Resolve ambiguities, scan existing requirements for conflicts	All questions answered, conflicts decided
3. 慎思之 — Think Carefully	3.1 Feasibility & Risk Reflection	Assess technical feasibility, identify risks and constraints	Risks documented
4. 明辨之 — Discern Clearly	4.1 Update Impacted Features, 4.2 Scope Decision	Mark impacted features, finalize in/out scope boundaries	Scope decided
5. 笃行之 — Practice Earnestly	5.1 Create Requirement Document, 5.2 Complete & Verify	Create/update requirement-details, verify DoD	Document created
继续执行	6.1	Decide Next Action	DAO-assisted next task decision
继续执行	6.2	Execute Next Action	Load skill, generate plan, execute

BLOCKING: Continue asking in Phase 2 until ALL ambiguities are resolved. BLOCKING: Each conflict in step 2.2 MUST be decided before proceeding (manual/stop_for_question: human decides; auto: x-ipe-assistant-user-representative-Engineer decides). BLOCKING (manual/stop_for_question): Human MUST confirm requirements are complete before proceeding to Feature Breakdown. BLOCKING (auto): Proceed automatically after DoD verification.

---

Execution Procedure

<procedure name="requirement-gathering">
  <!-- CRITICAL: Both DoR/DoD check elements below are MANDATORY -->
  <execute_dor_checks_before_starting/>
  <schedule_dod_checks_with_sub_agent_before_starting/>

  <phase_1 name="博学之 — Study Broadly">

    <step_1_1>
      <name>Understand User Request</name>
      <action>
        0. Resolve extra_context_reference inputs:
           - FOR EACH ref in [refined-idea, mockup-html]:
             IF workflow mode AND extra_context_reference.{ref} is a file path:
               READ the file at that path
             ELIF extra_context_reference.{ref} is "auto-detect":
               Use existing discovery logic
             ELIF extra_context_reference.{ref} is "N/A":
               Skip this context input
             ELSE (free-mode / absent):
               Use existing behavior
        1. Identify WHAT is being requested
        2. Identify WHO will use the feature
        3. Identify WHY this is needed (business value)
        4. Note any constraints mentioned
      </action>
      <constraints>
        - CRITICAL: Do not skip scope identification
      </constraints>
      <output>Initial understanding summary</output>
    </step_1_1>

    <step_1_2>
      <name>Domain & Context Research</name>
      <action>
        1. IF domain knowledge is insufficient: use web search to research industry standards, competitor features, domain terminology, and regulatory requirements
        2. Research best practices for similar features in the domain
        3. Check for compliance requirements (GDPR, PCI-DSS, HIPAA if applicable)
        4. Document key domain concepts and terminology discovered
      
      
        - CRITICAL: Research before questioning — informed questions lead to better requirements
      
      Domain context summary with key standards and terminology
    

  

  

    
      Ask Clarifying Questions
      
        1. Identify ambiguities across: Scope, Users, Edge Cases, Priorities, Constraints
        2. Ask questions in batches of 3-5 to avoid overwhelming
        3. Wait for response before next batch
        4. Document answers immediately
        5. Repeat until all ambiguities are resolved

        Response source (based on interaction_mode):
        IF process_preference.interaction_mode == "dao-represent-human-to-interact":
          → Resolve ambiguities via x-ipe-assistant-user-representative-Engineer
        ELSE (interact-with-human/dao-represent-human-to-interact-for-questions-in-skill):
          → Ask human for responses
      
      
        - BLOCKING: Do not proceed until ALL ambiguities are resolved
        - BLOCKING (manual/stop_for_question): Do not make assumptions - always ask
        - BLOCKING (auto): Resolve ambiguities via x-ipe-assistant-user-representative-Engineer - never stop to ask human
      
      Complete set of clarified requirements
    

    
      Conflict and Overlap Review
      
        1. Read requirement-details-index.md to get list of all requirement-details parts
        2. Scan each requirement-details file, extracting existing feature IDs and their scope
        3. Compare new requirements against each existing feature:
           - Functional overlap: new FRs that duplicate or contradict existing FRs
           - Scope overlap: new feature covers same user scenarios
           - Dependency conflict: new feature changes behavior existing feature depends on
        4. IF no conflicts: report "No conflicts found" and proceed to Phase 3
        5. IF conflicts found, for EACH conflict:
           - Present conflict summary table
           - Provide recommendation based on: Single Responsibility, Cohesion, Independence, Minimal Coupling
           - Ask "CR on existing or new standalone feature?"

             Response source (based on interaction_mode):
             IF process_preference.interaction_mode == "dao-represent-human-to-interact":
               → Resolve via x-ipe-assistant-user-representative-Engineer
             ELSE (interact-with-human/dao-represent-human-to-interact-for-questions-in-skill):
               → Ask human for decision
        6. Record decisions for each conflict
      
      
        - BLOCKING: Do not proceed until EVERY conflict is decided (manual/stop_for_question: human decides; auto: x-ipe-assistant-user-representative-Engineer decides)
        - CRITICAL: Scan ALL requirement-details parts, not just the latest
      
      Conflict review result with human decisions
    

  

  

    
      Feasibility & Risk Reflection
      
        1. Assess technical feasibility of gathered requirements
        2. Identify potential risks: technical complexity, dependencies, integration challenges
        3. Consider resource constraints and timeline implications
        4. Document assumptions that need validation during design
        5. IF high-risk items found: flag for human attention with mitigation suggestions
      
      
        - CRITICAL: Do not filter out requirements — document risks alongside them
      
      Feasibility assessment with documented risks and assumptions
    

  

  

    
      Update Impacted Features
      
        1. IF no conflicts were found in Phase 2: skip this step
        2. For each "CR" decision:
           a. Add CR impact marker to feature (append only)
           b. Resolve conflicting documents (applies regardless of human or interaction_mode resolution):
              - IF minor conflict (wording overlap, small scope adjustment, additive change):
                → Directly update the conflicting sections in the target requirement-details
              - IF major conflict (contradicting FRs, structural scope overlap, fundamental redesign):
                → Mark affected sections in target requirement-details with "[RETIRED by EPIC-{nnn}]" header
                → Add retirement note: reason, date, and reference to new EPIC
        3. For each "new feature" decision: add dependency note to new requirement
        4. Report summary of updates including docs updated inline and docs marked retired
      
      
        - CRITICAL: Do NOT modify existing FRs/ACs beyond CR impact markers and conflict resolution
        - CRITICAL: Conflicting documents MUST be handled — minor conflicts updated inline, major conflicts marked retired
      
      List of impacted features, files updated, docs retired
    

    
      Scope Decision
      
        1. Review all gathered requirements, conflicts, and feasibility assessment
        2. Explicitly define what is IN scope and OUT of scope
        3. Present scope summary for confirmation

        Response source (based on interaction_mode):
        IF process_preference.interaction_mode == "dao-represent-human-to-interact":
          → Resolve via x-ipe-assistant-user-representative-Engineer, log rationale
        ELSE (interact-with-human/dao-represent-human-to-interact-for-questions-in-skill):
          → Ask human for confirmation
        4. Document final scope boundaries
      
      Final scope boundaries (in-scope and out-of-scope items)
    

  

  

    
      Create Requirement Document
      
        1. Determine current active file, check if >500 lines → split per file-splitting procedure
        2. Create Epic folder structure (EPIC-{nnn}/ and mockups/ sub-directory)
        3. Copy mockups if provided
        4. Use requirement-details-template.md, use ## EPIC-{nnn}: {Title} as header
        5. Fill all sections based on gathered information including feasibility notes
        6. IF conflicts found: add "Related Features" section
        7. Add new content to current active part file
      
      
        - BLOCKING: MUST split before adding new content if over 500-line threshold
        - CRITICAL: Document the "why", not just the "what"
        - MANDATORY: File links in generated markdown MUST use project-root-relative paths so the UI can intercept them and open a preview modal. **Avoid** relative paths (`../`, `./`, `../../`) and absolute filesystem paths (`/Users/...`). **Correct:** `[spec](x-ipe-docs/requirements/EPIC-001/specification.md)`, `[skill](.github/skills/x-ipe-task-based-bug-fix/SKILL.md)`. **Wrong:** `[spec](../specification.md)`, `[spec](./specification.md)`.
      
      requirement-details.md created or updated
    

    
      Complete & Verify
      
        1. IF execution_mode == "workflow-mode":
           a. Run `python3 .github/skills/x-ipe-tool-x-ipe-app-interactor/scripts/workflow_update_action.py` with:
              - workflow_name, action, status: "done"
              - deliverables: {"requirement-doc": "{path}", "requirements-folder": "{path}"}
           b. Log: "Workflow action status updated to done"
        2. Verify all DoD checkpoints
        3. IF manual/stop_for_question:
              → Present requirements document to human
              → Ask if any requirements are missing, incorrect, or unclear
              → IF human identifies issues → revise specific sections
      
      Task completion output, workflow_action_updated
    

  

  
    
      Decide Next Action
      
        Collect the full context and task_completion_output from this skill execution.

        IF process_preference.interaction_mode == "dao-represent-human-to-interact":
          → Invoke x-ipe-assistant-user-representative-Engineer with:
            type: "routing"
            completed_skill_output: {full task_completion_output YAML from this skill}
            next_task_based_skill: "{from output}"
            context: "Skill completed. Study the context and full output to decide best next action."
          → DAO studies the complete context and decides the best next action
        ELSE (interact-with-human):
          → Present next task suggestion to human and wait for instruction
      
      
        - BLOCKING (manual): Human MUST confirm or redirect before proceeding
        - BLOCKING (auto): Proceed after DoD verification; auto-select next task via DAO
      
      Next action decided with execution context
    
    
      Execute Next Action
      
        Based on the decision from Step 6.1:
        1. Load the target task-based skill's SKILL.md
        2. Generate an execution plan from the skill's Execution Flow table
        3. Start execution from the skill's first phase/step
      
      
        - MUST load the skill before executing — do not skip skill loading
        - Execution follows the target skill's procedure, not this skill's
      
      Next task execution started
    
  

---

Output Result

task_completion_output:
  category: "requirement-stage"
  status: completed | blocked
  next_task_based_skill:
    - skill: "x-ipe-task-based-feature-breakdown"
      condition: "Break requirements into features"
  process_preference:
    interaction_mode: "{from input process_preference.interaction_mode}"
  execution_mode: "{from input}"
  workflow:
    name: "{from input}"
  workflow_action: "{workflow.action}"       # triggers workflow status update when execution_mode == workflow-mode
  workflow_action_updated: true | false # true if workflow_update_action.py was run
  task_output_links:
    - "x-ipe-docs/requirements/requirement-details.md"  # or requirement-details-part-X.md
  mockup_list: "{inherited from input or N/A}"
  # Dynamic attributes
  requirement_summary_updated: true | false
  requirement_details_part: 1  # current active part number
  conflict_review_completed: true | false
  conflicts_found:   
   []  
   []          
   []          
     

---

Definition of Done

CRITICAL: Use a sub-agent to validate DoD checkpoints independently.

<definition_of_done>
  <checkpoint required="true">
    <name>Requirement details document created or updated</name>
    <verification>x-ipe-docs/requirements/requirement-details.md (or current part) exists and is populated</verification>
  </checkpoint>
  <checkpoint required="true">
    <name>All clarifying questions answered</name>
    <verification>No open ambiguities remain in the requirement document</verification>
  </checkpoint>
  <checkpoint required="true">
    <name>Conflict review completed</name>
    <verification>All existing requirement-details files scanned for overlaps; conflicts (if any) decided and recorded (manual/stop_for_question: human decides; auto: DAO decides)</verification>
  </checkpoint>
  <checkpoint required="conditional">
    <name>Impacted features marked</name>
    <verification>If conflicts found with CR decision, affected features have CR impact markers appended in their requirement-details files
  
  
    Conflicting documents resolved
    If conflicts found: minor conflicts updated inline in target docs, major conflicts have sections marked "[RETIRED by EPIC-{nnn}]" with replacement content
  
  
    File split handled correctly
    If split occurred, old file renamed and index updated per references/file-splitting.md
  
  
    Workflow Action Status Updated
    If execution_mode == "workflow-mode", ran `workflow_update_action.py` script with status "done" and deliverables keyed dict
  

MANDATORY: After completing this skill, return to x-ipe-workflow-task-execution to continue the task execution flow.

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Patterns & Anti-Patterns

Pattern	When	Then
Vague Request	Unclear request like "build login"	Ask clarifying questions (auth methods, password reset, security)
Detailed Request	Clear scope already provided	Confirm understanding, ask edge cases only
Existing Project	Adding feature to existing project	Scan for conflicts/overlaps, ask human CR vs new feature
Overlap Found	Requirement overlaps existing feature	Present overlap table, recommend CR or new based on responsibility/cohesion
Epic Folder Creation	Any new requirement	Determine next EPIC-{nnn}, create folder + mockups/, write requirement-details

Anti-Pattern	Why Bad	Do Instead
Assuming requirements	Missing features	Ask clarifying questions
Skipping documentation	Lost context	Always create requirement-details.md
Too many questions at once	Overwhelms human	Batch 3-5 questions
Skipping conflict review	Duplicate/conflicting features	Always scan existing requirements
Modifying existing FRs	Breaks existing specs	Only append CR impact markers + resolve conflicts
Deciding CR vs new without human	Wrong architectural decision	Always ask human with recommendation (manual/stop_for_question); use DAO in auto mode
Leave conflicting docs unresolved	Stale docs mislead future work	Minor → update inline; major → mark retired

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Examples

See references/examples.md for concrete execution examples.