Requirements Analysis

User Request: "I need a login system"

Clarifying Questions:
- What authentication methods? (email/password, SSO, 2FA?)
- User roles needed? (admin, user, guest?)
- Password requirements/policies?
- Account creation process? (self-signup, admin-only?)
- Password reset functionality needed?

Developer Specification:
1. Create user authentication with email/password
2. Implement password validation (8+ chars, mixed case, numbers)
3. Add "Forgot Password" email flow
4. Create admin panel for user management
5. Set up role-based access control

Progress:

• Initial Analysis: Read user request, identify obvious requirements
• Gap Identification: List unclear/missing information
• Clarification: Ask specific, focused questions
• Documentation: Record answers and decisions
• Specification: Create step-by-step developer guide
• Validation: Confirm understanding with user

1. Initial Analysis

Extract explicit requirements from user request. Note assumptions and technical implications.

2. Question Framework

Ask questions that uncover:

• Scope: What's included/excluded?
• Constraints: Budget, time, technical limits?
• Users: Who uses this and how?
• Data: What information is processed/stored?
• Integration: What systems connect?

3. Note-Taking Template

Request: [Original user request]
Date: [Date]
Clarifications:
- Q: [Question asked]
  A: [User response]
  
Final Requirements:
- [Requirement 1]
- [Requirement 2]

Developer Tasks:
1. [Specific implementation step]
2. [Next step]

4. Developer Handoff

Structure specifications as:

• Context: Why this is needed
• Requirements: What must be built
• Implementation Steps: How to build it
• Acceptance Criteria: How to verify completion

Example 1: Input: "I want to track customer orders" Questions: Order statuses needed? Payment integration? Inventory tracking? Email notifications? Output:

Requirements:
- Order creation with customer info
- Status tracking (pending, processing, shipped, delivered)
- Integration with payment gateway
- Email notifications for status changes
- Admin dashboard for order management

Developer Tasks:
1. Design order database schema
2. Create order entry API endpoints
3. Build status update workflow
4. Implement email notification service
5. Create admin interface

Example 2: Input: "Make the website faster" Questions: Current load times? Specific slow pages? Traffic volume? Performance budget? Output:

Requirements:
- Page load under 3 seconds
- Focus on product catalog (slowest page)
- Handle 1000 concurrent users
- Maintain current functionality

Developer Tasks:
1. Implement image lazy loading
2. Add database query optimization
3. Set up CDN for static assets
4. Add browser caching headers
5. Minify CSS/JS bundles

• Ask one question at a time to avoid overwhelming users
• Use examples to clarify abstract concepts ("Like Amazon's checkout process?")
• Confirm understanding by restating requirements
• Document decisions to prevent repeated discussions
• Break large requests into smaller, manageable pieces
• Include acceptance criteria in developer specifications

• Don't assume technical knowledge - explain technical terms
• Don't skip "obvious" questions - assumptions cause scope creep
• Don't write vague specifications - "make it user-friendly" isn't actionable
• Don't forget edge cases - error handling, validation, security
• Don't over-engineer - solve the stated problem first