Validate a design through mandatory pressure testing before planning.
Validates your design through mandatory pressure testing before planning. Identifies scope drift, challenges assumptions, and surfaces risks to ensure your design solves the right problem.
/plugin marketplace add jeremyodell/claude-assistant/plugin install ideate@claude-assistant-marketplaceValidate a design through mandatory pressure testing before planning.
Requires design.md in the current feature directory.
If not found:
❌ ERROR: No design found.
Run /ideate:brainstorm "your idea" first.
Read $FEATURE_DIR/design.md
Extract the original idea from the file header.
Compare the design back to the original idea.
## Scope Drift Check
Original idea: "$ORIGINAL_IDEA"
The design includes:
For each major component/feature in the design:
✓ [Component] → directly addresses original problem
? [Component] → connection unclear - justify or remove
✗ [Component] → scope creep - remove or defer
For each ? or ✗ item, ask user to justify or confirm removal.
Capture responses.
Extract 3-5 key assumptions from the design.
For each assumption:
Assumption: "[Extracted assumption]"
Challenge: [Why might this be wrong? What's the alternative?]
Your response:
Capture user responses.
Surface potential risks:
## Risks Identified
| Risk | Severity | Mitigation |
|------|----------|------------|
| [Technical risk] | High/Med/Low | [User input] |
| [External dependency] | High/Med/Low | [User input] |
| [Unknown area] | High/Med/Low | [User input] |
Ask user to acknowledge each risk or provide mitigation.
List features/complexity from the design:
## YAGNI Check
Is each item essential for v1, or can it be deferred?
1. [Feature/complexity] → Essential / Defer
2. [Feature/complexity] → Essential / Defer
3. [Feature/complexity] → Essential / Defer
Present as multiple choice. Deferred items are logged but removed from scope.
Prompt for failure modes:
## Edge Cases
Consider these failure scenarios:
1. What happens if [relevant failure mode]?
2. What happens if [performance edge case]?
3. What happens if [partial deployment]?
Your responses:
Capture responses.
## Sign-off Required
The design:
- Solves the original problem: "$ORIGINAL_IDEA"
- Has [N] acknowledged risks with mitigations
- Deferred [M] items to future versions
- Addresses [K] edge cases
Do you confirm this design is validated and ready for planning? [y/N]
If No: Ask what needs to change, return to relevant step. If Yes: Proceed to save.
Write to $FEATURE_DIR/pressure-test.md:
# Pressure Test: $FEATURE_NAME
**Date:** $DATE
**Sign-off:** Confirmed
**Timestamp:** $TIMESTAMP
## Original Idea
$ORIGINAL_IDEA
## Scope Drift Check
[Captured decisions]
## Assumptions Challenged
[Captured responses]
## Risks & Mitigations
[Risk table with mitigations]
## YAGNI Decisions
- Essential: [list]
- Deferred: [list]
## Edge Cases
[Captured responses]
✅ Pressure Test Complete
Validated design saved to: $FEATURE_DIR/pressure-test.md
- Scope drift: Resolved
- Assumptions: [N] challenged
- Risks: [N] with mitigations
- Deferred: [N] items
- Edge cases: [N] addressed
Next: Run /ideate:plan to create implementation plan.
| Error | Action |
|---|---|
| design.md not found | Error: Run /ideate:brainstorm first |
| User rejects sign-off | Return to relevant step for revision |
| User abandons | Partial progress lost (no artifact until sign-off) |