Cursor rule

1---
2alwaysApply: false
3---
4 
5# User Stories - Detailed Steps
6 
7## Purpose
8**Convert requirements into user-centered stories with acceptance criteria**
9 
10User Stories focus on:
11- Translating business requirements into user-centered narratives
12- Defining clear acceptance criteria for each story
13- Creating user personas that represent different stakeholder types
14- Establishing shared understanding across teams
15- Providing testable specifications for implementation
16 
17## Prerequisites
18- Workspace Detection must be complete
19- Requirements Analysis recommended (can reference requirements if available)
20- Workflow Planning must indicate User Stories stage should execute
21 
22## Intelligent Assessment Guidelines
23 
24**WHEN TO EXECUTE USER STORIES**: Use this enhanced assessment before proceeding:
25 
26### High Priority Execution (ALWAYS Execute)
27- **New User Features**: Any new functionality users will directly interact with
28- **User Experience Changes**: Modifications to existing user workflows or interfaces
29- **Multi-Persona Systems**: Applications serving different types of users
30- **Customer-Facing APIs**: Services that external users or systems will consume
31- **Complex Business Logic**: Requirements with multiple scenarios or business rules
32- **Cross-Team Projects**: Work requiring shared understanding across multiple teams
33 
34### Medium Priority Execution (Assess Complexity)
35- **Backend User Impact**: Internal changes that indirectly affect user experience
36- **Performance Improvements**: Enhancements with user-visible benefits
37- **Integration Work**: Connecting systems that affect user workflows
38- **Data Changes**: Modifications affecting user data, reports, or analytics
39- **Security Enhancements**: Changes affecting user authentication or permissions
40 
41### Complexity Assessment Factors
42For medium priority cases, execute user stories if ANY of these apply:
43- **Scope**: Changes span multiple components or user touchpoints
44- **Ambiguity**: Requirements have unclear aspects that stories could clarify
45- **Risk**: High business impact or potential for misunderstanding
46- **Stakeholders**: Multiple business stakeholders involved in requirements
47- **Testing**: User acceptance testing will be required
48- **Options**: Multiple valid implementation approaches exist
49 
50### Skip Only For Simple Cases
51- **Pure Refactoring**: Internal code improvements with zero user impact
52- **Isolated Bug Fixes**: Simple, well-defined fixes with clear scope
53- **Infrastructure Only**: Changes with no user-facing effects
54- **Developer Tooling**: Build processes, CI/CD, or development environment changes
55- **Documentation**: Updates that don't affect functionality
56 
57### Default Decision Rule
58**When in doubt, include user stories AND ask clarifying questions.** The overhead of creating comprehensive stories with proper clarification is typically outweighed by the benefits of:
59- Clearer requirements understanding
60- Better team alignment
61- Improved testing criteria
62- Enhanced stakeholder communication
63- Reduced implementation risks
64- Fewer costly changes during development
65- Better user experience outcomes
66 
67---
68 
69# PART 1: PLANNING
70 
71## Step 1: Validate User Stories Need (MANDATORY)
72 
73**CRITICAL**: Before proceeding with user stories, perform this assessment:
74 
75### Assessment Process
761. **Analyze Request Context**:
77   - Review the original user request and requirements
78   - Identify user-facing vs internal-only changes
79   - Assess complexity and scope of the work
80   - Evaluate business stakeholder involvement
81 
822. **Apply Assessment Criteria**:
83   - Check against High Priority indicators (always execute)
84   - Evaluate Medium Priority factors (complexity-based decision)
85   - Confirm this isn't a simple case that should be skipped
86 
873. **Document Assessment Decision**:
88   - Create `aidlc-docs/inception/plans/user-stories-assessment.md`
89   - Include reasoning for why user stories are valuable for this request
90   - Reference specific assessment criteria that apply
91   - Explain expected benefits (clarity, testing, stakeholder alignment)
92 
934. **Proceed Only If Justified**:
94   - User stories must add clear value to the project
95   - Assessment must show concrete benefits outweigh overhead
96   - Decision should be defensible to project stakeholders
97 
98### Assessment Documentation Template
99```markdown
100# User Stories Assessment
101 
102## Request Analysis
103- **Original Request**: [Brief summary]
104- **User Impact**: [Direct/Indirect/None]
105- **Complexity Level**: [Simple/Medium/Complex]
106- **Stakeholders**: [List involved parties]
107 
108## Assessment Criteria Met
109- [ ] High Priority: [List applicable criteria]
110- [ ] Medium Priority: [List applicable criteria with complexity justification]
111- [ ] Benefits: [Expected value from user stories]
112 
113## Decision
114**Execute User Stories**: [Yes/No]
115**Reasoning**: [Detailed justification]
116 
117## Expected Outcomes
118- [List specific benefits user stories will provide]
119- [How stories will improve project success]
120```
121 
122## Step 2: Create Story Plan
123- Assume the role of a product owner
124- Generate a comprehensive plan with step-by-step execution checklist for story development
125- Each step and sub-step should have a checkbox []
126- Focus on methodology and approach for converting requirements into user stories
127 
128## Step 3: Generate Context-Appropriate Questions
129**DIRECTIVE**: Thoroughly analyze the requirements and context to identify ALL areas where clarification would improve story quality and team understanding. Be proactive in asking questions to ensure comprehensive user story development.
130 
131**CRITICAL**: Default to asking questions when there is ANY ambiguity or missing detail that could affect story quality. It's better to ask too many questions than to create incomplete or unclear stories.
132 
133**See `common/question-format-guide.md` for question formatting rules**
134 
135- EMBED questions using [Answer]: tag format
136- Focus on ANY ambiguities, missing information, or areas needing clarification
137- Generate questions wherever user input would improve story creation decisions
138- **When in doubt, ask the question** - overconfidence leads to poor stories
139 
140**Question categories to evaluate** (consider ALL categories):
141- **User Personas** - Ask about user types, roles, characteristics, and motivations
142- **Story Granularity** - Ask about appropriate level of detail, story size, and breakdown approach
143- **Story Format** - Ask about format preferences, template usage, and documentation standards
144- **Breakdown Approach** - Ask about organization method, prioritization, and grouping strategies
145- **Acceptance Criteria** - Ask about detail level, format, testing approach, and validation methods
146- **User Journeys** - Ask about user workflows, interaction patterns, and experience flows
147- **Business Context** - Ask about business goals, success metrics, and stakeholder needs
148- **Technical Constraints** - Ask about technical limitations, integration requirements, and system boundaries
149 
150## Step 4: Include Mandatory Story Artifacts in Plan
151- **ALWAYS** include these mandatory artifacts in the story plan:
152  - [ ] Generate stories.md with user stories following INVEST criteria
153  - [ ] Generate personas.md with user archetypes and characteristics
154  - [ ] Ensure stories are Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimable, Small, Testable
155  - [ ] Include acceptance criteria for each story
156  - [ ] Map personas to relevant user stories
157 
158## Step 5: Present Story Options
159- Include different approaches for story breakdown in the plan document:
160  - **User Journey-Based**: Stories follow user workflows and interactions
161  - **Feature-Based**: Stories organized around system features and capabilities
162  - **Persona-Based**: Stories grouped by different user types and their needs
163  - **Domain-Based**: Stories organized around business domains or contexts
164  - **Epic-Based**: Stories structured as hierarchical epics with sub-stories
165- Explain trade-offs and benefits of each approach
166- Allow for hybrid approaches with clear decision criteria
167 
168## Step 6: Store Story Plan
169- Save the complete story plan with embedded questions in `aidlc-docs/inception/plans/` directory
170- Filename: `story-generation-plan.md`
171- Include all [Answer]: tags for user input
172- Ensure plan is comprehensive and covers all story development aspects
173 
174## Step 7: Request User Input
175- Ask user to fill in all [Answer]: tags directly in the story plan document
176- Emphasize importance of audit trail and decision documentation
177- Provide clear instructions on how to fill in the [Answer]: tags
178- Explain that all questions must be answered before proceeding
179 
180## Step 8: Collect Answers
181- Wait for user to provide answers to all questions using [Answer]: tags in the document
182- Do not proceed until ALL [Answer]: tags are completed
183- Review the document to ensure no [Answer]: tags are left blank
184 
185## Step 9: ANALYZE ANSWERS (MANDATORY)
186Before proceeding, you MUST carefully review all user answers for:
187- **Vague or ambiguous responses**: "mix of", "somewhere between", "not sure", "depends", "maybe", "probably"
188- **Undefined criteria or terms**: References to concepts without clear definitions
189- **Contradictory answers**: Responses that conflict with each other
190- **Missing generation details**: Answers that lack specific guidance for implementation
191- **Answers that combine options**: Responses that merge different approaches without clear decision rules
192- **Incomplete explanations**: Answers that reference external factors without defining them
193- **Assumption-based responses**: Answers that assume knowledge not explicitly stated
194 
195## Step 10: MANDATORY Follow-up Questions
196If the analysis in step 9 reveals ANY ambiguous answers, you MUST:
197- Create a separate clarification questions file using [Answer]: tags
198- DO NOT proceed to approval until ALL ambiguities are completely resolved
199- **CRITICAL**: Be thorough - ask follow-up questions for every unclear response
200- Examples of required follow-ups:
201  - "You mentioned 'mix of A and B' - what specific criteria should determine when to use A vs B?"
202  - "You said 'somewhere between A and B' - can you define the exact middle ground approach?"
203  - "You indicated 'not sure' - what additional information would help you decide?"
204  - "You mentioned 'depends on complexity' - how do you define complexity levels and thresholds?"
205  - "You chose 'hybrid approach' - what are the specific rules for when to use each method?"
206  - "You said 'probably X' - what factors would make it definitely X vs definitely not X?"
207  - "You referenced 'standard practice' - can you define what that standard practice is?"
208 
209## Step 11: Avoid Implementation Details
210- Focus on story creation methodology, not prioritization or development tasks
211- Do not discuss technical generation at this stage
212- Avoid creating development timelines or sprint planning
213- Keep focus on story structure and format decisions
214 
215## Step 12: Log Approval Prompt
216- Before asking for approval, log the prompt with timestamp in `aidlc-docs/audit.md`
217- Include the complete approval prompt text
218- Use ISO 8601 timestamp format
219 
220## Step 13: Wait for Explicit Approval of Plan
221- Do not proceed until the user explicitly approves the story approach
222- Approval must be clear and unambiguous
223- If user requests changes, update the plan and repeat the approval process
224 
225## Step 14: Record Approval Response
226- Log the user's approval response with timestamp in `aidlc-docs/audit.md`
227- Include the exact user response text
228- Mark the approval status clearly
229 
230---
231 
232# PART 2: GENERATION
233 
234## Step 15: Load Story Generation Plan
235- [ ] Read the complete story plan from `aidlc-docs/inception/plans/story-generation-plan.md`
236- [ ] Identify the next uncompleted step (first [ ] checkbox)
237- [ ] Load the context and requirements for that step
238 
239## Step 16: Execute Current Step
240- [ ] Perform exactly what the current step describes
241- [ ] Generate story artifacts as specified in the plan
242- [ ] Follow the approved methodology and format from Planning
243- [ ] Use the story breakdown approach specified in the plan
244 
245## Step 17: Update Progress
246- [ ] Mark the completed step as [x] in the story generation plan
247- [ ] Update `aidlc-docs/aidlc-state.md` current status
248- [ ] Save all generated artifacts
249 
250## Step 18: Continue or Complete Generation
251- [ ] If more steps remain, return to Step 15
252- [ ] If all steps complete, verify stories are ready for next stage
253- [ ] Ensure all mandatory artifacts are generated
254 
255## Step 19: Log Approval Prompt
256- Before asking for approval, log the prompt with timestamp in `aidlc-docs/audit.md`
257- Include the complete approval prompt text
258- Use ISO 8601 timestamp format
259 
260## Step 20: Present Completion Message
261- Present completion message in this structure:
262     1. **Completion Announcement** (mandatory): Always start with this:
263 
264```markdown
265# 📚 User Stories Complete
266```
267 
268     2. **AI Summary** (optional): Provide structured bullet-point summary of generated stories
269        - Format: "User stories generation has created [description]:"
270        - List key personas generated (bullet points)
271        - List user stories created with counts and organization
272        - Mention story structure and compliance (INVEST criteria, acceptance criteria)
273        - DO NOT include workflow instructions ("please review", "let me know", "proceed to next phase", "before we proceed")
274        - Keep factual and content-focused
275     3. **Formatted Workflow Message** (mandatory): Always end with this exact format:
276 
277```markdown
278> **📋 <u>**REVIEW REQUIRED:**</u>**  
279> Please examine the user stories and personas at: `aidlc-docs/inception/user-stories/stories.md` and `aidlc-docs/inception/user-stories/personas.md`
280 
281 
282 
283> **🚀 <u>**WHAT'S NEXT?**</u>**
284>
285> **You may:**
286>
287> 🔧 **Request Changes** -  Ask for modifications to the stories or personas based on your review  
288> ✅ **Approve & Continue** - Approve user stories and proceed to **Workflow Planning**
289 
290---
291```
292 
293## Step 21: Wait for Explicit Approval of Generated Stories
294- Do not proceed until the user explicitly approves the generated stories
295- Approval must be clear and unambiguous
296- If user requests changes, update stories and repeat the approval process
297 
298## Step 22: Record Approval Response
299- Log the user's approval response with timestamp in `aidlc-docs/audit.md`
300- Include the exact user response text
301- Mark the approval status clearly
302 
303## Step 23: Update Progress
304- Mark User Stories stage complete in `aidlc-state.md`
305- Update the "Current Status" section
306- Prepare for transition to next stage
307 
308---
309 
310# CRITICAL RULES
311 
312## Planning Phase Rules
313- **CONTEXT-APPROPRIATE QUESTIONS**: Only ask questions relevant to this specific context
314- **MANDATORY ANSWER ANALYSIS**: Always analyze answers for ambiguities before proceeding
315- **NO PROCEEDING WITH AMBIGUITY**: Must resolve all vague answers before generation
316- **EXPLICIT APPROVAL REQUIRED**: User must approve plan before generation starts
317 
318## Generation Phase Rules
319- **NO HARDCODED LOGIC**: Only execute what's written in the story generation plan
320- **FOLLOW PLAN EXACTLY**: Do not deviate from the step sequence
321- **UPDATE CHECKBOXES**: Mark [x] immediately after completing each step
322- **USE APPROVED METHODOLOGY**: Follow the story approach from Planning
323- **VERIFY COMPLETION**: Ensure all story artifacts are complete before proceeding
324 
325## Completion Criteria
326- All planning questions answered and ambiguities resolved
327- Story plan explicitly approved by user
328- All steps in story generation plan marked [x]
329- All story artifacts generated according to plan (stories.md, personas.md)
330- Generated stories explicitly approved by user
331- Stories verified and ready for next stage
332