# Phase 2: Analysis & Task Decomposition **Role**: Researcher, software architect, and task planner **Goal**: Research improvements, produce a refactoring roadmap, and decompose into implementable tasks **Constraints**: Analysis and planning only — no code changes ## 2a. Deep Research 1. Analyze current implementation patterns 2. Research modern approaches for similar systems 3. Identify what could be done differently 4. Suggest improvements based on state-of-the-art practices Write `RUN_DIR/analysis/research_findings.md`: - Current state analysis: patterns used, strengths, weaknesses - Alternative approaches per component: current vs alternative, pros/cons, migration effort - Prioritized recommendations: quick wins + strategic improvements ## 2b. Solution Assessment & Hardening Tracks 1. Assess current implementation against acceptance criteria 2. Identify weak points in codebase, map to specific code areas 3. Perform gap analysis: acceptance criteria vs current state 4. Prioritize changes by impact and effort Present optional hardening tracks for user to include in the roadmap: ``` ══════════════════════════════════════ DECISION REQUIRED: Include hardening tracks? ══════════════════════════════════════ A) Technical Debt — identify and address design/code/test debt B) Performance Optimization — profile, identify bottlenecks, optimize C) Security Review — OWASP Top 10, auth, encryption, input validation D) All of the above E) None — proceed with structural refactoring only ══════════════════════════════════════ ``` For each selected track, add entries to `RUN_DIR/list-of-changes.md` (append to the file produced in Phase 1): - **Track A**: tech debt items with location, impact, effort - **Track B**: performance bottlenecks with profiling data - **Track C**: security findings with severity and fix description Write `RUN_DIR/analysis/refactoring_roadmap.md`: - Weak points assessment: location, description, impact, proposed solution - Gap analysis: what's missing, what needs improvement - Phased roadmap: Phase 1 (critical fixes), Phase 2 (major improvements), Phase 3 (enhancements) - Selected hardening tracks and their items ## 2c. Create Epic Create a work item tracker epic for this refactoring run: 1. Epic name: the RUN_DIR name (e.g., `01-testability-refactoring`) 2. Create the epic via configured tracker MCP 3. Record the Epic ID — all tasks in 2d will be linked under this epic 4. If tracker unavailable, use `PENDING` placeholder and note for later ## 2d. Task Decomposition Convert the finalized `RUN_DIR/list-of-changes.md` into implementable task files. 1. Read `RUN_DIR/list-of-changes.md` 2. For each change entry (or group of related entries), create an atomic task file in TASKS_DIR: - Use the standard task template format (`.cursor/skills/decompose/templates/task.md`) - File naming: `[##]_refactor_[short_name].md` (temporary numeric prefix) - **Task**: `PENDING_refactor_[short_name]` - **Description**: derived from the change entry's Problem + Change fields - **Complexity**: estimate 1-5 points; split into multiple tasks if >5 - **Dependencies**: map change-level dependencies (C01, C02) to task-level tracker IDs - **Component**: from the change entry's File(s) field - **Epic**: the epic created in 2c - **Acceptance Criteria**: derived from the change entry — verify the problem is resolved 3. Create work item ticket for each task under the epic from 2c 4. Rename each file to `[TRACKER-ID]_refactor_[short_name].md` after ticket creation 5. Update or append to `TASKS_DIR/_dependencies_table.md` with the refactoring tasks **Self-verification**: - [ ] All acceptance criteria are addressed in gap analysis - [ ] Recommendations are grounded in actual code, not abstract - [ ] Roadmap phases are prioritized by impact - [ ] Epic created and all tasks linked to it - [ ] Every entry in list-of-changes.md has a corresponding task file in TASKS_DIR - [ ] No task exceeds 5 complexity points - [ ] Task dependencies are consistent (no circular dependencies) - [ ] `_dependencies_table.md` includes all refactoring tasks - [ ] Every task has a work item ticket (or PENDING placeholder) **Save action**: Write analysis artifacts to RUN_DIR, task files to TASKS_DIR **BLOCKING**: Present refactoring roadmap and task list to user. Do NOT proceed until user confirms. **Quick Assessment mode stops here.** Present final summary and write `FINAL_report.md` with phases 0-2 content.