CollectFlow/_bmad/tea/workflows/testarch/atdd/steps-c/step-03-test-strategy.md

name, description, outputFile, nextStepFile

name	description	outputFile	nextStepFile
step-03-test-strategy	Map acceptance criteria to test levels and priorities	{test_artifacts}/atdd-checklist-{story_id}.md	./step-04-generate-tests.md

Step 3: Test Strategy

STEP GOAL

Translate acceptance criteria into a prioritized, level-appropriate test plan.

MANDATORY EXECUTION RULES

• 📖 Read the entire step file before acting
• ✅ Speak in {communication_language}
• 🚫 Avoid duplicate coverage across levels

---

EXECUTION PROTOCOLS:

• 🎯 Follow the MANDATORY SEQUENCE exactly
• 💾 Record outputs before proceeding
• 📖 Load the next step only when instructed

CONTEXT BOUNDARIES:

• Available context: config, loaded artifacts, and knowledge fragments
• Focus: this step's goal only
• Limits: do not execute future steps
• Dependencies: prior steps' outputs (if any)

MANDATORY SEQUENCE

CRITICAL: Follow this sequence exactly. Do not skip, reorder, or improvise.

1. Map Acceptance Criteria

• Convert each acceptance criterion into test scenarios
• Include negative and edge cases where risk is high

---

2. Select Test Levels

Choose the best level per scenario:

• E2E for critical user journeys
• API for business logic and service contracts
• Component for UI behavior

---

3. Prioritize Tests

Assign P0–P3 priorities using risk and business impact.

---

4. Confirm Red Phase Requirements

Ensure all tests are designed to fail before implementation (TDD red phase).

---

5. Save Progress

Save this step's accumulated work to {outputFile}.

• If {outputFile} does not exist (first save), create it with YAML frontmatter:

  ---
  stepsCompleted: ['step-03-test-strategy']
  lastStep: 'step-03-test-strategy'
  lastSaved: '{date}'
  ---
  

  Then write this step's output below the frontmatter.

• If {outputFile} already exists, update:

  • Add 'step-03-test-strategy' to stepsCompleted array (only if not already present)
  • Set lastStep: 'step-03-test-strategy'
  • Set lastSaved: '{date}'
  • Append this step's output to the appropriate section.

Load next step: {nextStepFile}

🚨 SYSTEM SUCCESS/FAILURE METRICS:

✅ SUCCESS:

• Step completed in full with required outputs

❌ SYSTEM FAILURE:

• Skipped sequence steps or missing outputs Master Rule: Skipping steps is FORBIDDEN.