bmad-template/.codebuddy/skills/bmad-testarch-atdd/checklist.md

ATDD Workflow Validation Checklist

Use this checklist to validate that the ATDD workflow has been executed correctly and all deliverables meet quality standards.

Prerequisites

Before starting this workflow, verify:

• Story approved with clear acceptance criteria (AC must be testable)
• Development sandbox/environment ready
• Framework scaffolding exists (run framework workflow if missing)
• Test framework configuration available (playwright.config.ts or cypress.config.ts)
• Package.json has test dependencies installed (Playwright or Cypress)

Halt if missing: Framework scaffolding or story acceptance criteria

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Step 1: Story Context and Requirements

• Story markdown file loaded and parsed successfully
• All acceptance criteria identified and extracted
• Affected systems and components identified
• Technical constraints documented
• Framework configuration loaded (playwright.config.ts or cypress.config.ts)
• Test directory structure identified from config
• Existing fixture patterns reviewed for consistency
• Similar test patterns searched and found in {test_dir}
• Knowledge base fragments loaded:
  • fixture-architecture.md
  • data-factories.md
  • component-tdd.md
  • network-first.md
  • test-quality.md

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Step 2: Test Level Selection and Strategy

• Each acceptance criterion analyzed for appropriate test level
• Test level selection framework applied (E2E vs API vs Component vs Unit)
• E2E tests: Critical user journeys and multi-system integration identified
• API tests: Business logic and service contracts identified
• Component tests: UI component behavior and interactions identified
• Unit tests: Pure logic and edge cases identified (if applicable)
• Duplicate coverage avoided (same behavior not tested at multiple levels unnecessarily)
• Tests prioritized using P0-P3 framework (if test-design document exists)
• Primary test level set in primary_level variable (typically E2E or API)
• Test levels documented in ATDD checklist

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Step 3: Red-Phase Test Scaffolds Generated

Test File Structure Created

• Test files organized in appropriate directories:
  • tests/e2e/ for end-to-end tests
  • tests/api/ for API tests
  • tests/component/ for component tests
  • tests/support/ for infrastructure (fixtures, factories, helpers)

E2E Tests (If Applicable)

• E2E test files created in tests/e2e/
• All tests follow Given-When-Then format
• Tests use data-testid selectors (not CSS classes or fragile selectors)
• One assertion per test (atomic test design)
• No hard waits or sleeps (explicit waits only)
• Network-first pattern applied (route interception BEFORE navigation)
• Tests are generated as test.skip() scaffolds
• Activation guidance is documented for the current task

API Tests (If Applicable)

• API test files created in tests/api/
• Tests follow Given-When-Then format
• API contracts validated (request/response structure)
• HTTP status codes verified
• Response body validation includes all required fields
• Error cases tested (400, 401, 403, 404, 500)
• Tests are generated as test.skip() scaffolds

Component Tests (If Applicable)

• Component test files created in tests/component/
• Tests follow Given-When-Then format
• Component mounting works correctly
• Interaction testing covers user actions (click, hover, keyboard)
• State management within component validated
• Props and events tested
• Tests are generated as test.skip() scaffolds

Test Quality Validation

• All tests use Given-When-Then structure with clear comments
• All tests have descriptive names explaining what they test
• No duplicate tests (same behavior tested multiple times)
• No flaky patterns (race conditions, timing issues)
• No test interdependencies (tests can run in any order)
• Tests are deterministic (same input always produces same result)

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Step 4: Data Infrastructure Built

Data Factories Created

• Factory files created in tests/support/factories/
• All factories use @faker-js/faker for random data generation (no hardcoded values)
• Factories support overrides for specific test scenarios
• Factories generate complete valid objects matching API contracts
• Helper functions for bulk creation provided (e.g., createUsers(count))
• Factory exports are properly typed (TypeScript)

Test Fixtures Created

• Fixture files created in tests/support/fixtures/
• All fixtures use Playwright’s test.extend() pattern
• Fixtures have setup phase (arrange test preconditions)
• Fixtures provide data to tests via await use(data)
• Fixtures have teardown phase with auto-cleanup (delete created data)
• Fixtures are composable (can use other fixtures if needed)
• Fixtures are isolated (each test gets fresh data)
• Fixtures are type-safe (TypeScript types defined)

Mock Requirements Documented

• External service mocking requirements identified
• Mock endpoints documented with URLs and methods
• Success response examples provided
• Failure response examples provided
• Mock requirements documented in ATDD checklist for DEV team

data-testid Requirements Listed

• All required data-testid attributes identified from E2E tests
• data-testid list organized by page or component
• Each data-testid has clear description of element it targets
• data-testid list included in ATDD checklist for DEV team

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Step 5: Implementation Checklist Created

• Implementation checklist created with clear structure
• Each scaffolded test mapped to concrete implementation tasks
• Tasks include:
  • Route/component creation
  • Business logic implementation
  • API integration
  • data-testid attribute additions
  • Error handling
  • Test execution command
  • Completion checkbox
• Red-Green-Refactor workflow documented in checklist
• RED phase marked as complete (TEA responsibility)
• GREEN phase tasks listed for DEV team
• REFACTOR phase guidance provided
• Execution commands provided:
  • Run all tests: npm run test:e2e
  • Run specific test file
  • Run in headed mode
  • Debug specific test
• Estimated effort included (hours or story points)

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Step 6: Deliverables Generated

ATDD Checklist Document Created

• Output file created at {test_artifacts}/atdd-checklist-{story_key}.md
• Document follows template structure from atdd-checklist-template.md
• Document includes all required sections:
  • Story summary
  • Acceptance criteria breakdown
  • Red-phase test scaffolds created (paths and line counts)
  • Data factories created
  • Fixtures created
  • Mock requirements
  • Required data-testid attributes
  • Implementation checklist
  • Red-green-refactor workflow
  • Execution commands
  • Next steps for DEV team
• Checklist frontmatter includes storyId, storyKey, storyFile, atddChecklistPath, and generated test file paths
• If a writable story file was provided, ATDD artifacts were linked back into story context
• If a story file could not be updated, manual handoff instructions are present

Red-Phase Scaffolds Verified

• All generated acceptance test scaffolds are marked with test.skip()
• No scaffold was emitted as an active passing test before implementation
• Activation guidance is documented: remove test.skip() for the current task, then confirm RED before implementing
• Any assumptions or expected failure reasons are documented in ATDD checklist
• Test run output captured for reference

Summary Provided

• Summary includes:
  • Story ID
  • Primary test level
  • Test counts (E2E, API, Component)
  • Test file paths
  • Factory count
  • Fixture count
  • Mock requirements count
  • data-testid count
  • Implementation task count
  • Estimated effort
  • Next steps for DEV team
  • Output file path
  • Knowledge base references applied

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Quality Checks

Test Design Quality

• Tests are readable (clear Given-When-Then structure)
• Tests are maintainable (use factories and fixtures, not hardcoded data)
• Tests are isolated (no shared state between tests)
• Tests are deterministic (no race conditions or flaky patterns)
• Tests are atomic (one assertion per test)
• Tests are fast (no unnecessary waits or delays)

Knowledge Base Integration

• fixture-architecture.md patterns applied to all fixtures
• data-factories.md patterns applied to all factories
• network-first.md patterns applied to E2E tests with network requests
• component-tdd.md patterns applied to component tests
• test-quality.md principles applied to all test design

Code Quality

• All TypeScript types are correct and complete
• No linting errors in generated test files
• Consistent naming conventions followed
• Imports are organized and correct
• Code follows project style guide

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Integration Points

With DEV Agent

• ATDD checklist provides clear implementation guidance
• Implementation tasks are granular and actionable
• data-testid requirements are complete and clear
• Mock requirements include all necessary details
• Execution commands work correctly

With Story Workflow

• Story ID correctly referenced in output files
• Acceptance criteria from story accurately reflected in tests
• Technical constraints from story considered in test design

With Framework Workflow

• Test framework configuration correctly detected and used
• Directory structure matches framework setup
• Fixtures and helpers follow established patterns
• Naming conventions consistent with framework standards

With test-design Workflow (If Available)

• P0 scenarios from test-design prioritized in ATDD
• Risk assessment from test-design considered in test coverage
• Coverage strategy from test-design aligned with ATDD tests

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Completion Criteria

All of the following must be true before marking this workflow as complete:

• Story acceptance criteria analyzed and mapped to appropriate test levels
• Red-phase test scaffolds created at all appropriate levels (E2E, API, Component)
• Given-When-Then format used consistently across all tests
• RED phase verified by scaffold generation plus task-by-task activation guidance
• Network-first pattern applied to E2E tests with network requests
• Data factories created using faker (no hardcoded test data)
• Fixtures created with auto-cleanup in teardown
• Mock requirements documented for external services
• data-testid attributes listed for DEV team
• Implementation checklist created mapping tests to code tasks
• Red-green-refactor workflow documented in ATDD checklist
• Execution commands provided and verified to work
• ATDD checklist document created and saved to correct location
• Output file formatted correctly using template structure
• Knowledge base references applied and documented in summary
• No test quality issues (flaky patterns, race conditions, hardcoded data)

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Common Issues and Resolutions

Issue: Tests pass before implementation

Problem: A test passes even though no implementation code exists yet.

Resolution:

• Review test to ensure it’s testing actual behavior, not mocked/stubbed behavior
• Check if test is accidentally using existing functionality
• Verify test assertions are correct and meaningful
• Rewrite test to fail until implementation is complete

Issue: Network-first pattern not applied

Problem: Route interception happens after navigation, causing race conditions.

Resolution:

• Move await page.route() calls BEFORE await page.goto()
• Review network-first.md knowledge fragment
• Update all E2E tests to follow network-first pattern

Issue: Hardcoded test data in tests

Problem: Tests use hardcoded strings/numbers instead of factories.

Resolution:

• Replace all hardcoded data with factory function calls
• Use faker for all random data generation
• Update data-factories to support all required test scenarios

Issue: Fixtures missing auto-cleanup

Problem: Fixtures create data but don’t clean it up in teardown.

Resolution:

• Add cleanup logic after await use(data) in fixture
• Call deletion/cleanup functions in teardown
• Verify cleanup works by checking database/storage after test run

Issue: Tests have multiple assertions

Problem: Tests verify multiple behaviors in single test (not atomic).

Resolution:

• Split into separate tests (one assertion per test)
• Each test should verify exactly one behavior
• Use descriptive test names to clarify what each test verifies

Issue: Tests depend on execution order

Problem: Tests fail when run in isolation or different order.

Resolution:

• Remove shared state between tests
• Each test should create its own test data
• Use fixtures for consistent setup across tests
• Verify tests can run with .only flag

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Notes for TEA Agent

• Preflight halt is critical: Do not proceed if story has no acceptance criteria or framework is missing
• RED phase verification is mandatory: Tests must fail before sharing with DEV team
• Network-first pattern: Route interception BEFORE navigation prevents race conditions
• One assertion per test: Atomic tests provide clear failure diagnosis
• Auto-cleanup is non-negotiable: Every fixture must clean up data in teardown
• Use knowledge base: Load relevant fragments (fixture-architecture, data-factories, network-first, component-tdd, test-quality) for guidance
• Share with DEV agent: ATDD checklist provides implementation roadmap from red to green