Dev Validation (Gate 5)
Overview
Final validation gate requiring explicit user approval. Present evidence that each acceptance criterion is met and obtain APPROVED or REJECTED decision.
Core principle: Passing tests and code review DO NOT guarantee requirements are met. User validation confirms implementation matches intent.
Pressure Resistance
See shared-patterns/shared-pressure-resistance.md for universal pressure scenarios.
Gate 5-specific note: User MUST respond with "APPROVED" or "REJECTED: [reason]". No other responses accepted. Silence ≠ approval.
Self-Approval Prohibition
HARD GATE: The agent that implemented code CANNOT approve validation for that same code.
| Scenario | Allowed? | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Different agent/human approves | YES | Proceed with approval |
| Same agent self-approves | no | STOP - requires external approval |
| User explicitly approves | YES | User approval always valid |
If you implemented the code, you CANNOT approve it. Wait for user or different reviewer.
Important: "Different agent" means different human/entity. The same human using different agent roles (ring:backend-engineer-* → ring:code-reviewer) is STILL self-approval and PROHIBITED.
See CLAUDE.md for the canonical validation policy.
Severity Calibration
When presenting validation results to user, issues are categorized by severity:
| Severity | Criteria | Examples | Action Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| CRITICAL | Acceptance criterion completely unmet | AC-1: "User can login" but login doesn't work at all | MUST fix before approval. Return to Gate 0. |
| HIGH | Acceptance criterion partially met or degraded | AC-2: "Response < 200ms" but actually 800ms | MUST fix before approval. Return to Gate 0. |
| MEDIUM | Edge case or non-critical requirement gap | AC-3 met for happy path, fails for empty input | SHOULD fix before approval. User decides. |
| LOW | Quality issue, requirement technically met | Code works but is hard to understand/maintain | MAY fix or document. User decides. |
Severity Assignment Rules:
- Unmet acceptance criterion = CRITICAL (requirement not satisfied)
- Degraded performance/quality vs criterion = HIGH (requirement barely met)
- Edge case failures = MEDIUM (main path works, edges don't)
- Quality/maintainability with working code = LOW (works but suboptimal)
Why This Matters:
- User needs to understand impact severity when deciding APPROVED vs REJECTED
- CRITICAL/HIGH = automatic REJECTED recommendation
- MEDIUM/LOW = user judgment call with context
Example Validation Checklist with Severity:
## Validation Results
| AC # | Criterion | Evidence | Status | Severity |
|------|-----------|----------|--------|----------|
| AC-1 | User can login | ✅ Tests pass, manual verification | MET | - |
| AC-2 | Response < 200ms | ⚠️ Measured 350ms average | not MET | HIGH |
| AC-3 | Input validation | ⚠️ Works for valid input, crashes on empty | PARTIAL | MEDIUM |
| AC-4 | Error messages clear | ✅ All errors have user-friendly messages | MET | - |
**Overall Validation:** REJECTED (1 HIGH issue: AC-2 response time)
**Recommendation:** Fix AC-2 (HIGH) before approval. AC-3 (MEDIUM) user can decide.
Common Rationalizations - REJECTED
See shared-patterns/shared-anti-rationalization.md for universal anti-rationalizations (including Validation section).
Gate 5-specific rationalizations:
| Excuse | Reality |
|---|---|
| "Async over sync - work in parallel" | Validation is a GATE, not async task. STOP means STOP. |
| "Continue other tasks while waiting" | Other tasks may conflict. Validation blocks all related work. |
| "User delegated approval to X" | Delegation ≠ stakeholder approval. Only original requester can approve. |
| "I implemented it, I know requirements" | Knowledge ≠ approval authority. Implementer CANNOT self-approve. |
| "I'll switch to QA role to approve" | Role switching is STILL self-approval. PROHIBITED. |
Red Flags - STOP
See shared-patterns/shared-red-flags.md for universal red flags (including Validation section).
If you catch yourself thinking any of those patterns, STOP immediately. Wait for explicit "APPROVED" or "REJECTED".
Ambiguous Response Handling
If any condition matches, ask for explicit APPROVED or REJECTED.
User responses that are not valid approvals:
| Response | Status | Action Required |
|---|---|---|
| "Looks good" | ❌ AMBIGUOUS | "To confirm, please respond with APPROVED or REJECTED: [reason]" |
| "Sure" / "Ok" / "Fine" | ❌ AMBIGUOUS | Ask for explicit APPROVED |
| "👍" / "✅" | ❌ AMBIGUOUS | Emojis are not formal approval. Ask for APPROVED. |
| "Go ahead" | ❌ AMBIGUOUS | Ask for explicit APPROVED |
| "Ship it" | ❌ AMBIGUOUS | Ask for explicit APPROVED |
| "APPROVED" | ✅ VALID | Proceed to next gate |
| "REJECTED: [reason]" | ✅ VALID | Document reason, return to Gate 0 |
| "APPROVED if X" | ❌ CONDITIONAL | Not approved until X is verified. Status = PENDING. |
| "APPROVED with caveats" | ❌ CONDITIONAL | Not approved. List caveats, verify each, then re-ask. |
| "APPROVED but fix Y later" | ❌ CONDITIONAL | Not approved. Y must be addressed first. |
When user gives ambiguous response:
"Thank you for the feedback. For formal validation, please confirm with:
- APPROVED - to proceed with completion
- REJECTED: [reason] - to return for fixes
Which is your decision?"
Never interpret intent. Require explicit keyword.
Awaiting Approval - STOP all WORK
When validation request is presented:
- STOP all WORK on this feature, module, and related code
- DO not proceed to documentation, refactoring, or "quick fixes"
- DO not work on "unrelated" tasks in the same codebase
- WAIT for explicit user response
User unavailability is not permission to:
- Assume approval
- Work on "low-risk" next steps
- Redefine criteria as "already met"
- Proceed with "we'll fix issues later"
Document pending status and WAIT.
Approval Format - MANDATORY
User MUST respond with exactly one of:
✅ "APPROVED" - All criteria verified, proceed to next gate ✅ "REJECTED: [specific reason]" - Issues found, fix and revalidate
not acceptable:
- ❌ "Looks good" (vague)
- ❌ "👍" (ambiguous)
- ❌ Silence (not a response)
- ❌ "Approved with minor issues" (partial = REJECTED)
If user provides ambiguous response, ask for explicit APPROVED or REJECTED.
Prerequisites
Before starting this gate:
- All tests pass (Gate 3 verified)
- Code review passed (Gate 4 VERDICT: PASS)
- Implementation is complete and stable
Steps 1-4: Evidence Collection and Validation
| Step | Action | Output |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Gather Evidence | Collect proof per criterion | Table: Criterion, Evidence Type (Test/Demo/Log/Manual/Metric), Location, Status |
| 2. Verify | Execute verification (automated: npm test --grep "AC-X", manual: documented steps with Result + Screenshot) |
VERIFIED/FAILED per criterion |
| 3. Build Checklist | For each AC: Status + Evidence list + Verification method | Validation Checklist |
| 4. Present Request | Task Summary + Validation Table + Test Results + Review Summary + Artifacts | USER DECISION block with APPROVED/REJECTED options |
Validation Request format:
VALIDATION REQUEST - [TASK-ID]
Task: [title], [description], [date]
Criteria: Table (Criterion | Status | Evidence)
Tests: Total/Passed/Failed/Coverage
Review: VERDICT + issue counts
Artifacts: Code, Tests, Docs links
USER DECISION REQUIRED:
[ ] APPROVED - proceed
[ ] REJECTED - specify: which criterion, what's missing, what's wrong
Steps 5-6: Handle Decision and Document
| Decision | Actions | Documentation |
|---|---|---|
| APPROVED | 1. Document (Task, Approver, Date, Notes) → 2. Update status → 3. Proceed to feedback loop | Validation Approved record |
| REJECTED | 1. Document (Task, Rejector, Date, Criterion failed, Issue, Expected vs Actual) → 2. Create remediation task → 3. Return to Gate 0 → 4. After fix: restart from Gate 3 → 5. Track in feedback loop | Validation Rejected + Remediation Required records |
Validation Record format: Date, Validator, Decision, Criteria Summary (X/Y), Evidence Summary (tests/manual/perf), Decision Details, Next Steps
Validation Best Practices
| Category | Strong Evidence | Weak Evidence (avoid) |
|---|---|---|
| Evidence Quality | Automated test + assertion, Screenshot/recording, Log with exact values, Metrics within threshold | "Works on my machine", "Tested manually" (no details), "Should be fine", Indirect evidence |
| Verifiable Criteria | "User can login" → test login + verify session | "System is fast" → needs specific metric |
| "Page loads <2s" → measure + show metric | "UX is good" → needs measurable criteria |
Handling Partial Validation
If some criteria pass but others fail:
- Do not partially approve
- Mark entire validation as REJECTED
- Document which criteria passed (won't need re-verification)
- Document which criteria failed (need fixes)
- After fixes, re-verify only failed criteria
- Present updated checklist for approval
Anti-Patterns
Never:
- Skip validation because "tests pass"
- Auto-approve without user decision
- Assume criterion is met without evidence
- Accept vague approval ("looks good")
- Proceed while awaiting decision
- Reuse old evidence for new changes
Always:
- Present evidence for every criterion
- Require explicit APPROVED/REJECTED decision
- Document rejection reason in detail
- Track validation metrics
- Re-verify after any changes
Execution Report
Base metrics per shared-patterns/output-execution-report.md.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Duration | Xm Ys |
| Criteria Validated | X/Y |
| Evidence Collected | X automated, Y manual |
| User Decision | APPROVED/REJECTED |
| Rejection Reason | [if applicable] |
| Result | Gate passed / Returned to Gate 0 |
Edge Cases
| Scenario | Action |
|---|---|
| User Unavailable | Document pending → Do not proceed → Set escalation → Block task completion |
| Criterion Ambiguity | STOP → Ask user to clarify → Update AC → Re-verify with new understanding |
| New Requirements | Document as new req → Complete current validation on original AC → Create new task → no scope creep |
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