Confidence Scoring for PRPs and Work-Orders
This skill provides systematic evaluation of PRPs (Product Requirement Prompts) and work-orders to determine their readiness for execution or delegation.
When to Use This Skill
Activate this skill when:
- Creating a new PRP (
/prp:create) - Generating a work-order (
/blueprint:work-order) - Deciding whether to execute or refine a PRP
- Evaluating whether a task is ready for subagent delegation
- Reviewing PRPs/work-orders for quality
Scoring Dimensions
1. Context Completeness (1-10)
Evaluates whether all necessary context is explicitly provided.
| Score | Criteria | |-------|----------| | 10 | All file paths explicit with line numbers, all code snippets included, library versions specified, integration points documented | | 8-9 | Most context provided, minor gaps that can be inferred from codebase | | 6-7 | Key context present but some discovery required | | 4-5 | Significant context missing, will need exploration | | 1-3 | Minimal context, extensive discovery needed |
Checklist:
- [ ] File paths are absolute or clearly relative to project root
- [ ] Code snippets include actual line numbers (e.g.,
src/auth.py:45-60) - [ ] Library versions are specified
- [ ] Integration points are documented
- [ ] Patterns from codebase are shown with examples
2. Implementation Clarity (1-10)
Evaluates how clear the implementation approach is.
| Score | Criteria | |-------|----------| | 10 | Pseudocode covers all cases, step-by-step clear, edge cases addressed | | 8-9 | Main path clear, most edge cases covered | | 6-7 | Implementation approach clear, some details need discovery | | 4-5 | High-level only, significant ambiguity | | 1-3 | Vague requirements, unclear approach |
Checklist:
- [ ] Task breakdown is explicit
- [ ] Pseudocode is provided for complex logic
- [ ] Implementation order is specified
- [ ] Edge cases are identified
- [ ] Error handling approach is documented
3. Gotchas Documented (1-10)
Evaluates whether known pitfalls are documented with mitigations.
| Score | Criteria | |-------|----------| | 10 | All known pitfalls documented, each has mitigation, library-specific issues covered | | 8-9 | Major gotchas covered, mitigations clear | | 6-7 | Some gotchas documented, may discover more | | 4-5 | Few gotchas mentioned, incomplete coverage | | 1-3 | No gotchas documented |
Checklist:
- [ ] Library-specific gotchas documented
- [ ] Version-specific behaviors noted
- [ ] Common mistakes identified
- [ ] Each gotcha has a mitigation
- [ ] Race conditions/concurrency issues addressed
4. Validation Coverage (1-10)
Evaluates whether executable validation commands are provided.
| Score | Criteria | |-------|----------| | 10 | All quality gates have executable commands, expected outcomes specified | | 8-9 | Main validation commands present, most outcomes specified | | 6-7 | Some validation commands, gaps in coverage | | 4-5 | Minimal validation commands | | 1-3 | No executable validation |
Checklist:
- [ ] Linting command provided and executable
- [ ] Type checking command provided (if applicable)
- [ ] Unit test command with specific test files
- [ ] Integration test command (if applicable)
- [ ] Coverage check command with threshold
- [ ] Security scan command (if applicable)
- [ ] All commands include expected outcomes
5. Test Coverage (1-10) - Work-Orders Only
Evaluates whether test cases are specified.
| Score | Criteria | |-------|----------| | 10 | All test cases specified with assertions, edge cases covered | | 8-9 | Main test cases specified, most assertions included | | 6-7 | Key test cases present, some gaps | | 4-5 | Few test cases, minimal detail | | 1-3 | No test cases specified |
Checklist:
- [ ] Each test case has code template
- [ ] Assertions are explicit
- [ ] Happy path tested
- [ ] Error cases tested
- [ ] Edge cases tested
Calculating Overall Score
For PRPs
Overall = (Context + Implementation + Gotchas + Validation) / 4
For Work-Orders
Overall = (Context + Gotchas + TestCoverage + Validation) / 4
Score Thresholds
| Score | Readiness | Recommendation | |-------|-----------|----------------| | 9-10 | Excellent | Ready for autonomous subagent execution | | 7-8 | Good | Ready for execution with some discovery | | 5-6 | Fair | Needs refinement before execution | | 3-4 | Poor | Significant gaps, recommend research phase | | 1-2 | Inadequate | Restart with proper research |
Response Templates
High Confidence (7+)
## Confidence Score: X.X/10
| Dimension | Score | Notes |
|-----------|-------|-------|
| Context Completeness | X/10 | [specific observation] |
| Implementation Clarity | X/10 | [specific observation] |
| Gotchas Documented | X/10 | [specific observation] |
| Validation Coverage | X/10 | [specific observation] |
| **Overall** | **X.X/10** | |
**Assessment:** Ready for execution
**Strengths:**
- [Key strength 1]
- [Key strength 2]
**Recommendations (optional):**
- [Minor improvement 1]
Low Confidence (<7)
## Confidence Score: X.X/10
| Dimension | Score | Notes |
|-----------|-------|-------|
| Context Completeness | X/10 | [specific gap] |
| Implementation Clarity | X/10 | [specific gap] |
| Gotchas Documented | X/10 | [specific gap] |
| Validation Coverage | X/10 | [specific gap] |
| **Overall** | **X.X/10** | |
**Assessment:** Needs refinement before execution
**Gaps to Address:**
- [ ] [Gap 1 with suggested action]
- [ ] [Gap 2 with suggested action]
- [ ] [Gap 3 with suggested action]
**Next Steps:**
1. [Specific research action]
2. [Specific documentation action]
3. [Specific validation action]
Examples
Example 1: Well-Prepared PRP
## Confidence Score: 8.5/10
| Dimension | Score | Notes |
|-----------|-------|-------|
| Context Completeness | 9/10 | All files explicit, code snippets with line refs |
| Implementation Clarity | 8/10 | Pseudocode covers main path, one edge case unclear |
| Gotchas Documented | 8/10 | Redis connection pool, JWT format issues covered |
| Validation Coverage | 9/10 | All gates have commands, outcomes specified |
| **Overall** | **8.5/10** | |
**Assessment:** Ready for execution
**Strengths:**
- Comprehensive codebase intelligence with actual code snippets
- Validation gates are copy-pasteable
- Known library gotchas well-documented
**Recommendations:**
- Consider documenting concurrent token refresh edge case
Example 2: Needs Work
## Confidence Score: 5.0/10
| Dimension | Score | Notes |
|-----------|-------|-------|
| Context Completeness | 4/10 | File paths vague ("somewhere in auth/") |
| Implementation Clarity | 6/10 | High-level approach clear, no pseudocode |
| Gotchas Documented | 3/10 | No library-specific gotchas |
| Validation Coverage | 7/10 | Test command present, missing lint/type check |
| **Overall** | **5.0/10** | |
**Assessment:** Needs refinement before execution
**Gaps to Address:**
- [ ] Add explicit file paths (use `grep` to find them)
- [ ] Add pseudocode for token generation logic
- [ ] Research jsonwebtoken gotchas (check GitHub issues)
- [ ] Add linting and type checking commands
**Next Steps:**
1. Run `/prp:curate-docs jsonwebtoken` to create ai_docs entry
2. Use Explore agent to find exact file locations
3. Add validation gate commands from project's package.json
Integration with Blueprint Development
This skill is automatically applied when:
/prp:creategenerates a new PRP/blueprint:work-ordergenerates a work-order- Reviewing existing PRPs for execution readiness
The confidence score determines:
- 9+: Proceed with subagent delegation
- 7-8: Proceed with direct execution
- < 7: Refine before execution
Tips for Improving Scores
Context Completeness
- Use
grepto find exact file locations - Include actual line numbers in code snippets
- Reference ai_docs entries for library patterns
Implementation Clarity
- Write pseudocode before describing approach
- Enumerate edge cases explicitly
- Define error handling strategy
Gotchas Documented
- Search GitHub issues for library gotchas
- Check Stack Overflow for common problems
- Document team experience from past projects
Validation Coverage
- Copy commands from project's config (package.json, pyproject.toml)
- Include specific file paths in test commands
- Specify expected outcomes for each gate