edercnj/x-review-qa

Global Output Policy

• Language: English ONLY.
• Tone: Technical, Direct, and Concise.
• Efficiency: Remove all conversational fillers and greetings to save tokens.

Skill: QA Specialist Review

Purpose

Review code changes for QA compliance: test coverage thresholds, TDD process adherence, test naming conventions, fixture centralization, parametrized tests for data-driven scenarios, and acceptance criteria coverage. Validates that tests follow the Transformation Priority Premise (TPP) and Double-Loop TDD.

When to Use

• Pre-PR quality validation for test quality
• Verifying TDD compliance in commit history
• Ensuring coverage thresholds are met
• Checking test naming and organization

Triggers

• /x-review-qa 42 -- review PR #42 for QA compliance
• /x-review-qa src/test/ -- review test files at specific paths
• /x-review-qa -- review all current test changes

Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Description | |-----------|------|----------|---------|-------------| | target | String | No | (current changes) | PR number or file paths to review |

Knowledge Pack References

| Pack | Files | Purpose | |------|-------|---------| | testing | knowledge/testing.md | Test categories, coverage thresholds, fixture patterns, TDD workflow |

Checklist (20 Items, Max Score: /40 full scale; adjusted max excludes N/A items)

Each applicable item scores 0 (missing), 1 (partial), or 2 (fully compliant). Items marked N/A are excluded from BOTH the earned score and the maximum possible score. When testing.smoke_tests == false, QA-19 and QA-20 are automatically marked N/A, so the adjusted maximum is /36 instead of /40. Report the adjusted max in the final score line (see Output Template below).

Coverage & Criteria (QA-01 to QA-03)

| # | Item | Score | |---|------|-------| | QA-01 | Test exists for each acceptance criterion | /2 | | QA-02 | Line coverage >= 95% (absolute gate — Rule 05 RULE-005-01) | /2 | | QA-03 | Branch coverage >= 90% (absolute gate — Rule 05 RULE-005-01) | /2 |

Absolute-gate note (Rule 05 RULE-005-01): QA-02 and QA-03 evaluate the repository's current coverage, not just the PR diff. The specialist MUST fail these items regardless of whether the deficit was introduced by this PR or was pre-existing on the base branch. Pre-existing deficits must be closed in the current PR or in a predecessor PR; no "pre-existing" exemption is permitted. The only escape path is an approved ADR that temporarily lowers the gate for a specific package (with sunset date).

Test Quality (QA-04 to QA-10)

| # | Item | Score | |---|------|-------| | QA-04 | Test naming convention followed: [method]_[scenario]_[expected] | /2 | | QA-05 | AAA pattern (Arrange-Act-Assert) in every test | /2 | | QA-06 | Parametrized tests for data-driven scenarios | /2 | | QA-07 | Exception paths tested with specific assertions | /2 | | QA-08 | No test interdependency (tests run in any order) | /2 | | QA-09 | Fixtures centralized (no duplicate records/classes across test files) | /2 | | QA-10 | Unique test data per test (no shared mutable state) | /2 |

Test Completeness (QA-11 to QA-12)

| # | Item | Score | |---|------|-------| | QA-11 | Edge cases covered (null, empty, boundary values) | /2 | | QA-12 | Integration tests for DB/API interactions | /2 |

TDD Compliance (QA-13 to QA-18)

| # | Item | Score | |---|------|-------| | QA-13 | Commits show test-first pattern (test precedes implementation in git log) | /2 | | QA-14 | Explicit refactoring after green (separate refactor commits) | /2 | | QA-15 | Tests follow TPP progression (simple to complex) | /2 | | QA-16 | No test written after implementation (test-after is a violation) | /2 | | QA-17 | Acceptance tests validate end-to-end behavior | /2 | | QA-18 | TDD coverage thresholds maintained across all modules | /2 |

Smoke Test Verification (QA-19 to QA-20) — EPIC-0042

| # | Item | Score | |---|------|-------| | QA-19 | Smoke tests exist and cover critical path (when testing.smoke_tests == true; N/A when false) | /2 | | QA-20 | ALL smoke tests pass — {{SMOKE_COMMAND}} executed with zero failures (when testing.smoke_tests == true; N/A when false) | /2 |

Workflow

Step 1 -- Gather Context

Read the testing knowledge pack for project test conventions:

• knowledge/testing.md

Step 2 -- Identify Changed Files

Determine scope: PR diff or specified paths. Separate production code from test code.

Step 3 -- Coverage Analysis

Check coverage reports or run coverage tool. Verify line >= 95% and branch >= 90%.

Absolute gate (Rule 05 RULE-005-01): the gate fires when the repository's measured coverage falls below either threshold, regardless of whether the deficit was caused by the PR or was pre-existing on the base branch. The specialist MUST record the finding and fail QA-02/QA-03 in both cases; it is not the specialist's place to grant a pre-existing exemption.

Step 4 -- Test Naming Audit

Scan test files for naming convention compliance: [methodUnderTest]_[scenario]_[expectedBehavior].

Step 5 -- TDD Commit Audit

Analyze git log for test-first pattern: test commits should precede or accompany implementation commits.

Step 6 -- Test Quality Review

For each test file:

• Check AAA pattern
• Check parametrized tests for multi-scenario validations
• Check exception path coverage
• Check fixture centralization
• Check unique test data

Step 6.5 -- Smoke Test Verification (EPIC-0042)

Execute smoke test verification when testing.smoke_tests == true:

1. Check if smoke test infrastructure exists:
   • If testing.smoke_tests == false: mark QA-19 and QA-20 as N/A (not scored, excluded from max score)
   • If testing.smoke_tests == true: proceed with smoke verification
2. QA-19 — Smoke test existence: Verify smoke tests exist and cover at least the critical path (health check + primary flow)
3. QA-20 — Smoke test execution: Run {{SMOKE_COMMAND}} and verify ALL smoke tests pass:

   {{SMOKE_COMMAND}}
   

   • If ALL smoke tests PASS: QA-20 scores 2/2
   • If ANY smoke test FAILS: QA-20 scores 0/2 AND STATUS becomes Rejected
   • Log each failing smoke test name and failure reason
4. Hard rule: ALL unit + integration + smoke tests MUST pass for STATUS: Approved

Step 7 -- Generate Report

Produce the scored report.

Output Format

ENGINEER: QA
STORY: [story-id or change description]
SCORE: XX/40 (or XX/36 when QA-19 and QA-20 are N/A — use the adjusted max that
       excludes N/A items; see Checklist header for the N/A rules)

STATUS: PASS | FAIL | PARTIAL

### PASSED
- [QA-XX] [Item description]

### FAILED
- [QA-XX] [Item description]
  - Finding: [file:line] [issue description]
  - Fix: [remediation guidance]

### PARTIAL
- [QA-XX] [Item description]
  - Finding: [partial compliance details]

Error Handling

| Scenario | Action | |----------|--------| | No test files found | Report INFO: no test code discovered | | Coverage tool not configured | Warn and skip QA-02, QA-03 | | Git log not available | Warn and skip QA-13, QA-14, QA-16 | | Smoke test failure (QA-20) | STATUS becomes Rejected regardless of other scores | | testing.smoke_tests == false | Mark QA-19, QA-20 as N/A (excluded from max score) |