BMAD-METHOD/bmad-core/tasks/nfr-assess.md

nfr-assess

Quick NFR validation focused on the core four: security, performance, reliability, maintainability.

Inputs

required:
  - story_id: "{epic}.{story}"  # e.g., "1.3"
  - story_path: "docs/stories/{epic}.{story}.*.md"
  
optional:
  - architecture_refs: "docs/architecture/*.md"
  - technical_preferences: "docs/technical-preferences.md"
  - acceptance_criteria: From story file

Purpose

Assess non-functional requirements for a story and generate:

1. YAML block for the gate file's nfr_validation section
2. Brief markdown assessment saved to docs/qa/assessments/{epic}.{story}-nfr-{YYYYMMDD}.md

Process

0. Fail-safe for Missing Inputs

If story_path or story file can't be found:

• Still create assessment file with note: "Source story not found"
• Set all selected NFRs to CONCERNS with notes: "Target unknown / evidence missing"
• Continue with assessment to provide value

1. Elicit Scope

Interactive mode: Ask which NFRs to assess Non-interactive mode: Default to core four (security, performance, reliability, maintainability)

Which NFRs should I assess? (Enter numbers or press Enter for default)
[1] Security (default)
[2] Performance (default)  
[3] Reliability (default)
[4] Maintainability (default)
[5] Usability
[6] Compatibility
[7] Portability
[8] Functional Suitability

> [Enter for 1-4]

2. Check for Thresholds

Look for NFR requirements in:

• Story acceptance criteria
• docs/architecture/*.md files
• docs/technical-preferences.md

Interactive mode: Ask for missing thresholds Non-interactive mode: Mark as CONCERNS with "Target unknown"

No performance requirements found. What's your target response time?
> 200ms for API calls

No security requirements found. Required auth method?
> JWT with refresh tokens

Unknown targets policy: If a target is missing and not provided, mark status as CONCERNS with notes: "Target unknown"

3. Quick Assessment

For each selected NFR, check:

• Is there evidence it's implemented?
• Can we validate it?
• Are there obvious gaps?

4. Generate Outputs

Output 1: Gate YAML Block

Generate ONLY for NFRs actually assessed (no placeholders):

# Gate YAML (copy/paste):
nfr_validation:
  _assessed: [security, performance, reliability, maintainability]
  security: 
    status: CONCERNS
    notes: "No rate limiting on auth endpoints"
  performance:
    status: PASS
    notes: "Response times < 200ms verified"
  reliability:
    status: PASS
    notes: "Error handling and retries implemented"
  maintainability:
    status: CONCERNS
    notes: "Test coverage at 65%, target is 80%"

Deterministic Status Rules

• FAIL: Any selected NFR has critical gap or target clearly not met
• CONCERNS: No FAILs, but any NFR is unknown/partial/missing evidence
• PASS: All selected NFRs meet targets with evidence

Quality Score Calculation

quality_score = 100
- 20 for each FAIL attribute
- 10 for each CONCERNS attribute
Floor at 0, ceiling at 100

If technical-preferences.md defines custom weights, use those instead.

Output 2: Brief Assessment Report

ALWAYS save to: docs/qa/assessments/{epic}.{story}-nfr-{YYYYMMDD}.md

# NFR Assessment: {epic}.{story}
Date: {date}
Reviewer: Quinn

<!-- Note: Source story not found (if applicable) -->

## Summary
- Security: CONCERNS - Missing rate limiting
- Performance: PASS - Meets <200ms requirement
- Reliability: PASS - Proper error handling
- Maintainability: CONCERNS - Test coverage below target

## Critical Issues
1. **No rate limiting** (Security)
   - Risk: Brute force attacks possible
   - Fix: Add rate limiting middleware to auth endpoints

2. **Test coverage 65%** (Maintainability)
   - Risk: Untested code paths
   - Fix: Add tests for uncovered branches

## Quick Wins
- Add rate limiting: ~2 hours
- Increase test coverage: ~4 hours
- Add performance monitoring: ~1 hour

Output 3: Story Update Line

End with this line for the review task to quote:

NFR assessment: docs/qa/assessments/{epic}.{story}-nfr-{YYYYMMDD}.md

Output 4: Gate Integration Line

Always print at the end:

Gate NFR block ready → paste into docs/qa/gates/{epic}.{story}-{slug}.yml under nfr_validation

Assessment Criteria

Security

PASS if:

• Authentication implemented
• Authorization enforced
• Input validation present
• No hardcoded secrets

CONCERNS if:

• Missing rate limiting
• Weak encryption
• Incomplete authorization

FAIL if:

• No authentication
• Hardcoded credentials
• SQL injection vulnerabilities

Performance

PASS if:

• Meets response time targets
• No obvious bottlenecks
• Reasonable resource usage

CONCERNS if:

• Close to limits
• Missing indexes
• No caching strategy

FAIL if:

• Exceeds response time limits
• Memory leaks
• Unoptimized queries

Reliability

PASS if:

• Error handling present
• Graceful degradation
• Retry logic where needed

CONCERNS if:

• Some error cases unhandled
• No circuit breakers
• Missing health checks

FAIL if:

• No error handling
• Crashes on errors
• No recovery mechanisms

Maintainability

PASS if:

• Test coverage meets target
• Code well-structured
• Documentation present

CONCERNS if:

• Test coverage below target
• Some code duplication
• Missing documentation

FAIL if:

• No tests
• Highly coupled code
• No documentation

Quick Reference

What to Check

security:
  - Authentication mechanism
  - Authorization checks
  - Input validation
  - Secret management
  - Rate limiting

performance:
  - Response times
  - Database queries
  - Caching usage
  - Resource consumption

reliability:
  - Error handling
  - Retry logic
  - Circuit breakers
  - Health checks
  - Logging

maintainability:
  - Test coverage
  - Code structure
  - Documentation
  - Dependencies

Key Principles

• Focus on the core four NFRs by default
• Quick assessment, not deep analysis
• Gate-ready output format
• Brief, actionable findings
• Skip what doesn't apply
• Deterministic status rules for consistency
• Unknown targets → CONCERNS, not guesses

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Appendix: ISO 25010 Reference

Full ISO 25010 Quality Model (click to expand)

All 8 Quality Characteristics

1. Functional Suitability: Completeness, correctness, appropriateness
2. Performance Efficiency: Time behavior, resource use, capacity
3. Compatibility: Co-existence, interoperability
4. Usability: Learnability, operability, accessibility
5. Reliability: Maturity, availability, fault tolerance
6. Security: Confidentiality, integrity, authenticity
7. Maintainability: Modularity, reusability, testability
8. Portability: Adaptability, installability

Use these when assessing beyond the core four.

Example: Deep Performance Analysis (click to expand)

performance_deep_dive:
  response_times:
    p50: 45ms
    p95: 180ms
    p99: 350ms
  database:
    slow_queries: 2
    missing_indexes: ["users.email", "orders.user_id"]
  caching:
    hit_rate: 0%
    recommendation: "Add Redis for session data"
  load_test:
    max_rps: 150
    breaking_point: 200 rps