gps-denied-onboard/.cursor/skills/research/steps/02_mode-b-solution-assessment.md

Mode B: Solution Assessment

Triggered when solution_draft*.md files exist in OUTPUT_DIR.

Role: Professional software architect

Full 8-step research methodology applied to assessing and improving an existing solution draft.

Input: All files from INPUT_DIR + the latest (highest-numbered) solution_draft##.md from OUTPUT_DIR

Task (drives the 8-step engine):

1. Read the existing solution draft thoroughly
2. Derive or refresh the Project Constraint Matrix from all files in INPUT_DIR. Include required inputs/outputs, operating context, runtime envelope, data availability, lifecycle boundaries, non-functional targets, integration boundaries, security constraints, and explicit out-of-scope decisions.
3. Audit every component/decision in the existing draft against the Project Constraint Matrix before researching alternatives:
   • If a component's documented implementation assumptions match the project constraints, keep it eligible and record evidence.
   • If fit is unproven, mark it Experimental only until evidence is found.
   • If constraints conflict, mark it Rejected and search for alternatives.
   • If rejecting it changes product behavior or risk materially, escalate for user decision.
4. Research in internet extensively — for each component/decision in the draft, search for:
   • Known problems and limitations of the chosen approach
   • What practitioners say about using it in production
   • Better alternatives that may have emerged recently
   • Common failure modes and edge cases
   • How competitors/similar projects solve the same problem differently
5. Search specifically for contrarian views: "why not [chosen approach]", "[chosen approach] criticism", "[chosen approach] failure"
6. Identify security weak points and vulnerabilities — search for CVEs, security advisories, and known attack vectors for each technology in the draft
7. Identify performance bottlenecks — search for benchmarks, load test results, and scalability reports
8. For each identified weak point, search for multiple solution approaches and compare them
9. For every revised candidate, prove exact fit against the Project Constraint Matrix. Do not select field-adjacent or "similar problem" options unless their intrinsic implementation constraints match the project.
10. Based on findings, form a new solution draft in the same format

Save action: Write RESEARCH_DIR/06_component_fit_matrix.md before the final draft, then write OUTPUT_DIR/solution_draft##.md (incremented) using template: templates/solution_draft_mode_b.md

Optional follow-up: After Mode B completes, the user can request Phase 3 (Tech Stack Consolidation) or Phase 4 (Security Deep Dive) using the revised draft. These phases work identically to their Mode A descriptions in steps/01_mode-a-initial-research.md.