Analysis Standards

Provides: Problem decomposition techniques, requirement gathering checklists, trade-off analysis frameworks, and analysis report templates.

Quick Reference

Process: Context → Gather → Patterns → Impact → Recommendations

Report Format: Context, Findings, Patterns, Issues (🔴🟡🔵), Recommendations, Trade-offs, Next Steps

Be: Thorough, Objective, Specific, Actionable

Checklist: Context stated, Evidence gathered, Patterns identified, Issues prioritized, Recommendations specific, Trade-offs considered

Purpose

Framework for analyzing code, patterns, and technical issues systematically.

When to Use

Reference this when:

• Analyzing codebase patterns
• Investigating bugs or issues
• Evaluating architectural decisions
• Assessing code quality
• Researching solutions

Analysis Process

1. Understand Context

• What are we analyzing and why?
• What's the goal or question?
• What's the scope?
• What constraints exist?

2. Gather Information

• Read relevant code / data points
• Check documentation
• Search for patterns
• Review related issues
• Examine dependencies

3. Identify Patterns

• What's consistent across the codebase?
• What conventions are followed?
• What patterns are repeated?
• What's inconsistent or unusual?

4. Assess Impact

• What are the implications?
• What are the trade-offs?
• What could break?
• What are the risks?

5. Provide Recommendations

• What should be done?
• Why this approach?
• What are alternatives?
• What's the priority?

Analysis Report Format

## Analysis: {Topic}

**Context:** {What we're analyzing and why}

**Findings:**
- {Key finding 1}
- {Key finding 2}
- {Key finding 3}

**Patterns Observed:**
- {Pattern 1}: {Description}
- {Pattern 2}: {Description}

**Issues Identified:**
- 🔴 Critical: {Issue requiring immediate attention}
- 🟡 Warning: {Issue to address soon}
- 🔵 Suggestion: {Nice-to-have improvement}

**Recommendations:**
1. {Recommendation 1} - {Why}
2. {Recommendation 2} - {Why}

**Trade-offs:**
- {Approach A}: {Pros/Cons}
- {Approach B}: {Pros/Cons}

**Next Steps:**
- {Action 1}
- {Action 2}

Common Analysis Types

Code Quality Analysis

• Complexity (cyclomatic, cognitive)
• Duplication
• Test coverage
• Documentation completeness
• Naming consistency
• Error handling patterns

Architecture Analysis

• Module dependencies
• Coupling and cohesion
• Separation of concerns
• Scalability considerations
• Performance bottlenecks

Bug Investigation

• Reproduce the issue
• Identify root cause
• Assess impact and severity
• Propose fix with rationale
• Consider edge cases

Pattern Discovery

• Search for similar implementations
• Identify common approaches
• Document conventions
• Note inconsistencies
• Recommend standardization

Best Practices

Be Thorough

• Check multiple examples
• Consider edge cases
• Look for exceptions
• Verify assumptions

Be Objective

• Base conclusions on evidence
• Avoid assumptions
• Consider multiple perspectives
• Acknowledge limitations

Be Specific

• Provide concrete examples
• Include file names and line numbers
• Show code snippets
• Quantify when possible

Be Actionable

• Clear recommendations
• Prioritize findings
• Explain rationale
• Suggest next steps