pact-prepare-research

PACT Prepare Research Methodology

Structured approaches for the Prepare phase of PACT. This skill provides frameworks for systematic research, documentation gathering, and technology evaluation to build a solid foundation before architecture and implementation.

Research Workflow

Phase 1: Define Research Scope

Before starting research, clearly define:

Research Scope Definition

Primary Question

What specific problem are we trying to solve?

Success Criteria

What would make a solution acceptable?

Performance requirements
Integration requirements
Security requirements
Budget constraints

Constraints

What limitations must we work within?

Technology stack restrictions
Team expertise
Timeline
Licensing requirements

Phase 2: Source Prioritization

Prioritize sources by authority and reliability:

Priority Source Type Examples Trust Level

1 Official documentation Docs, API references Highest

2 Official repositories GitHub READMEs, wikis Very High

3 Maintainer content Blog posts by core team High

4 Community verified Stack Overflow accepted answers Medium

5 Third-party tutorials Blog posts, videos Low-Medium

6 AI-generated content ChatGPT, Copilot Verify Required

Source Verification Checklist:

Publication date within 12 months (for version-specific info)
Author has verifiable credentials
Information matches official docs
Code examples actually work

Phase 3: Documentation Types to Gather

Collect these documentation types for complete understanding:

API References

API Documentation Checklist

Configuration Guides

Configuration Documentation

Migration Documentation

Migration Considerations

Breaking changes between versions
Deprecation timelines
Migration guides
Data migration requirements

Security Advisories

Security Documentation

Known vulnerabilities (CVEs)
Security best practices
Authentication requirements
Data handling guidelines

Phase 4: Evaluation Criteria

Use this framework to evaluate research findings:

Criterion Questions Weight

Currency Updated within 12 months? Active development? High

Authority Official source? Maintainer authored? High

Completeness Covers required use cases? Medium

Practicality Actionable? Working examples? Medium

Compatibility Works with existing stack? High

Community Active community? Good support? Medium

Security Security track record? Quick patches? High

Quick Reference Templates

Technology Comparison

For structured side-by-side comparisons: See technology-comparison-matrix.md

Quick Comparison Template:

Criterion	Option A	Option B	Winner
Learning curve	Steep	Gentle	B
Performance	Fast	Very Fast	B
Documentation	Good	Excellent	B
Community size	Large	Medium	A
Total	1	3	B

API Documentation Summary

For capturing API details systematically: See api-exploration-template.md

Quick API Summary:

API: [Name]

Base URL: https://api.example.com/v1 Auth: Bearer token in header Rate Limit: 100 req/min

Key Endpoints

Endpoint	Method	Purpose
/users	GET	List users
/users/:id	GET	Get user
/users	POST	Create user

Authentication

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
  https://api.example.com/v1/users

### Requirements Analysis

For comprehensive requirements documentation:
See [requirements-analysis.md](references/requirements-analysis.md)

**Quick Requirements Template:**
```markdown
## Feature: [Name]

### User Story
As a [user type], I want [action] so that [benefit].

### Acceptance Criteria
- [ ] Given [context], when [action], then [result]
- [ ] Given [context], when [action], then [result]

### Technical Requirements
- Performance: [target]
- Security: [requirements]
- Integration: [dependencies]

### Dependencies
- Depends on: [other features/services]
- Blocked by: [blockers]

Research Output Format

Standard Research Document Structure

# Research: [Topic]

## Executive Summary
[2-3 sentence summary of findings and recommendation]

## Background
[Why this research was needed]

## Methodology
[How research was conducted]

## Findings

### Option 1: [Name]
**Pros:**
- [Pro 1]
- [Pro 2]

**Cons:**
- [Con 1]
- [Con 2]

**Evidence:**
- [Link to source]
- [Link to source]

### Option 2: [Name]
[Same structure]

## Comparison Matrix
[Side-by-side comparison table]

## Risk Assessment
| Risk | Probability | Impact | Mitigation |
|------|-------------|--------|------------|
| [Risk] | High/Med/Low | High/Med/Low | [Strategy] |

## Recommendation
[Clear recommendation with rationale]

## Next Steps
1. [Action item]
2. [Action item]

## References
- [Source 1]
- [Source 2]

Quality Checklist

Before completing Prepare phase research:

Source Quality

-  All critical information from official sources

-  Version numbers explicitly stated

-  Publication dates verified (within 12 months for technical details)

-  No single point of information failure (multiple sources for key facts)

Completeness

-  All evaluation criteria addressed

-  Alternatives presented with pros/cons

-  Security implications documented

-  Performance characteristics noted

-  Integration requirements identified

Actionability

-  Recommendations backed by evidence

-  Next steps clearly defined

-  Risks identified with mitigations

-  Dependencies mapped

Documentation

-  Research document follows standard structure

-  All sources linked and accessible

-  Key decisions documented with rationale

-  Output saved to docs/{feature}/preparation/

Common Research Patterns

Library/Framework Selection

- Define requirements and constraints

- Identify 3-5 candidates

- Evaluate against criteria matrix

- Prototype with top 2 candidates

- Document decision rationale

API Integration Research

- Gather official API documentation

- Test authentication flow

- Document all required endpoints

- Identify rate limits and quotas

- Plan error handling strategy

Technology Migration

- Document current state

- Research target technology

- Identify breaking changes

- Plan migration path

- Define rollback strategy

Detailed References

For comprehensive templates and frameworks:

- 
API Exploration Template: references/api-exploration-template.md

- Full API documentation template

- Authentication testing guide

- Error handling documentation

- 
Requirements Analysis Framework: references/requirements-analysis.md

- User story templates

- Acceptance criteria patterns

- Non-functional requirements

- 
Technology Comparison Matrix: references/technology-comparison-matrix.md

- Weighted scoring templates

- Multi-criteria decision analysis

- Risk assessment frameworks