feature-contract

An implementation contract defines scope before coding by documenting requested changes, goals, non-goals, and acceptance criteria to prevent scope creep. It identifies affected files, public APIs touched, hardware implications, and associated risks for comprehensive risk assessment prior to development.

An implementation contract is a formal document generated before coding to govern changes across platforms. You need one for feature work, bug fixes, driver additions, or refactors to establish stakeholder sign-off and review workflows before any code is actually written.

To create a test plan and impact analysis, draft an implementation contract detailing affected files, API changes, and platform impact. The contract mandates a validation strategy including host unit tests, compile checks, and hardware validation where applicable for the specific platform.

Yes, a formal contract workflow applies to bug fixes, driver additions, and refactors across all platforms. It details affected files, APIs touched, platform impact, and a test plan, ensuring governance and stakeholder sign-off regardless of the specific development task.

The best way to prevent scope creep is generating an implementation contract as the first step before any code changes. It explicitly documents requested changes, non-goals, and acceptance criteria, establishing a formal review workflow to govern API modifications.

Documenting non-goals and acceptance criteria before coding establishes clear boundaries for the requested change. This formal contract prevents scope creep, defines validation strategy, and enables stakeholder reviews to ensure the feature meets defined expectations.