Preparing for A4/A5

Neil Ernst
nernst@uvic.ca

University of Victoria

2026-11-01

Lab Today

  1. Retrospective on your team’s progress over the last 3 milestones
  2. Planning for A4/A5
  3. Using Agents for Requirements Critique

Part 1: Retrospective

Capture what you learned before AI

Write It By Hand

The retrospective is your own account.

No AI drafting: it should reflect what you actually saw.

Question 1: Plan vs. Build

What did you plan in A1 and A2?

What did you actually build in A3?

Question 2: Where the Design Held

Which design decisions made the code easier to write or test?

Name one, and point to the class or file.

Question 3: Where the Design Fought You

Which decisions caused rework, awkward tests, or workarounds?

Name one, and say why.

Question 4: What Would You Change

Knowing what you know now, what would you change in A2?

Keep it to one concrete change.

Where It Goes

Record the answers in your A3 retrospective:

docs/a3-retrospective.md

Five minutes each, then share one point with another team.

Part 2: Planning for A4/A5

What Changes Now

Weeks 1 to 8: manual design.

From now: AI-assisted revision.

  • A4 is Level C
  • A5 is Level D

A4 and A5 Are Submitted Together

Due Nov 16/17, midnight of your lab day.

Incorporate the change request:

A4: Requirements Revision

Section Required content
AI critique setup The prompt used to ask AI to critique A1
Critique table At least six suggestions, each accepted, rejected, or revised
Revised scope Updated problem boundary, including any new out-of-scope item

A4: Requirements Revision, Continued

Section Required content
Revised requirements Three changed or new user stories with acceptance criteria
Impact note One paragraph on how the revision affects the A2 design and A3 code

A5: Design Revision

Section Required content
Design delta What changes from A2 and what stays stable
AI alternatives Two AI-suggested design alternatives, summarized fairly
Human decision The chosen design, and why it fits this project
Updated diagram One updated class, component, state, or sequence diagram

A5: Design Revision, Continued

Section Required content
Risk register Three risks: design, testing, deployment
Claim verification Check one consequential AI claim against authoritative documentation
A6 implementation plan The smallest set of changes for the final prototype

What Is Graded

The quality of comparison and justification.

The point is to use your judgment of the AI’s response, not just parrot what it says.

Keep an AI Log

docs/ai-log.md, from the first prompt on.

For each interaction record:

  • the prompt
  • the output
  • what you accepted or rejected
  • why, and how you verified it

Exercise: Make a Team Plan

Write down, in the repo:

  1. Who drafts the critique table
  2. Who drafts the design delta
  3. How you will review each other’s work
  4. When you meet next, before Nov 16, esp over reading break

Part 3: Agents for Requirements Critique

Why Critique Requirements

  • Your A1 was written by hand.
  • An agent can read it fast and ask awkward questions.
  • You still decide what to keep.

What to Ask For

Give the agent your A1 and ask for:

  • gaps
  • ambiguities
  • conflicts between stories
  • acceptance criteria that cannot be tested

An Example Prompt

Here is my requirements specification (A1). Critique it as a skeptical reviewer. List gaps, ambiguous wording, conflicting requirements, and untestable acceptance criteria. For each, quote the line and explain the problem. Do not rewrite it.

Adapt this prompt as needed to your project.

Do Not Accept It As Is

Every suggestion gets a verdict:

accepted, rejected, or revised

and a reason.

Example Row

AI suggestion Verdict Reason
“Add user login and roles” Rejected Out of scope for A1; no stakeholder asked for it
“‘Fast’ search is vague; give a limit” Accepted Replaced with: results appear within 2 seconds

Verify Before You Trust

Agents state wrong things confidently.

Pick one consequential claim and check it against authoritative documentation.

Record the evidence and any correction.

Exercise: Run a Critique

  1. Run the prompt on your A1
  2. Mark at least three suggestions as accepted, rejected, or revised
  3. Give a reason for each
  4. Log it in docs/ai-log.md

Before You Leave

Checklist

  • Retrospective started
  • A4/A5 plan written down
  • First critique prompt in docs/ai-log.md
  • Next team meeting time set