requirements-traceability

name	requirements-traceability
description	Build and verify the AC ↔ tasks ↔ tests ↔ code symbols ↔ gates traceability matrix in `07a-traceability.md`. Use when validating that no AC is uncovered and no test is orphaned.
when_to_use	["Phase 6 (Validate) — `/validate` produces the matrix.","Code review — verify the matrix is consistent with actual files."]
authoritative_references	[".github/templates/traceability.template.md"]

Requirements traceability

What gets traced

For each AC-NNN from 01-spec.md:

• The list of T-NNN tasks that implement it (04-tasks.md).
• The list of test methods that assert it (@Tag("AC-NNN") or @DisplayName("AC-NNN: …")).
• The list of production code symbols (FQ method names) touched by those tasks' diffs.
• The list of harness gates that ran on those symbols.

For each test method:

• The AC it claims to assert.
• The task that introduced it.

For each production symbol changed in the diff:

• At least one test that covers it (else flagged "orphan code").

Building the matrix

spring-validator runs .github/scripts/traceability.sh which:

1. Greps 01-spec.md for **AC-NNN** headers → AC list.
2. Greps 04-tasks.md for task entries with **AC-IDs:** → AC↔task mapping.
3. Scans src/test/java/**/*.java for @Tag("AC-NNN") and @DisplayName("AC-NNN: …") → AC↔test mapping.
4. Reads git diff --name-only origin/main...HEAD → changed files; intersects with JaCoCo's per-method coverage data → covered/uncovered symbols.
5. Reads harness-summary.json → gates that ran.
6. Emits 07a-traceability.md.

Required checks (all must pass)

• No uncovered AC. Every AC-NNN appears in ≥1 test's @Tag or @DisplayName.
• No orphan test. Every test method tagged AC-NNN references a real AC.
• No orphan code. Every changed production method has ≥1 covering test.
• No untraced task. Every T-NNN marked done in 04-tasks.md has a commit recorded.

Failures of any check → validator returns ❌.

Sample output (truncated)

## Coverage

| AC-ID | Tasks | Tests | Status |
|-------|-------|-------|--------|
| AC-001 | T-001, T-002 | ApplyGiftCardRequestTest#rejectsBlankCode, CheckoutControllerTest#happyPath | ✅ |
| AC-002 | T-003 | CheckoutServiceTest#redeemedCardRejected, CheckoutControllerIT#redeemed409 | ✅ |
| AC-003 | T-002 | CheckoutControllerTest#unknownCode404 | ✅ |
| AC-004 | T-004 | GiftCardRepositoryIT#balanceAcrossOrders | ✅ |

## Orphan tests

_None._

## Orphan code

_None._

## Verdict

✅ All ACs covered. No orphans.

Tagging convention (enforced)

@Test
@DisplayName("AC-007: rejects expired gift card with 4xx")
@Tag("AC-007")
void rejectsExpired() { ... }

Both @DisplayName and @Tag are written for redundancy — one is human-friendly, the other machine-friendly.

A Checkstyle rule rejects test methods that have @DisplayName matching ^AC-\\d{3}: without a matching @Tag.

Anti-patterns

• One mega-test that asserts five ACs at once → split.
• Tests that only tag the highest-numbered AC of a related group → tag every AC asserted.
• "Tag and forget" — agent tags the test but the assertion doesn't actually exercise the AC.
• Removing a tag to make traceability green.