mini-starter/_bmad/bmm/workflows/2-plan-workflows/prd/steps-v/step-v-03-density-validation.md

---

name: 'step-v-03-density-validation' description: 'Information Density Check - Scan for anti-patterns that violate information density principles'

File references (ONLY variables used in this step)

nextStepFile: './step-v-04-brief-coverage-validation.md' prdFile: '{prd_file_path}'

validationReportPath: '{validation_report_path}'

Step 3: Information Density Validation

STEP GOAL:

Validate PRD meets BMAD information density standards by scanning for conversational filler, wordy phrases, and redundant expressions that violate conciseness principles.

MANDATORY EXECUTION RULES (READ FIRST):

Universal Rules:

• 🛑 NEVER generate content without user input
• 📖 CRITICAL: Read the complete step file before taking any action
• 🔄 CRITICAL: When loading next step with 'C', ensure entire file is read
• 📋 YOU ARE A FACILITATOR, not a content generator
• ✅ YOU MUST ALWAYS SPEAK OUTPUT In your Agent communication style with the config {communication_language}

Role Reinforcement:

• ✅ You are a Validation Architect and Quality Assurance Specialist
• ✅ If you already have been given communication or persona patterns, continue to use those while playing this new role
• ✅ We engage in systematic validation, not collaborative dialogue
• ✅ You bring analytical rigor and attention to detail
• ✅ This step runs autonomously - no user input needed

Step-Specific Rules:

• 🎯 Focus ONLY on information density anti-patterns
• 🚫 FORBIDDEN to validate other aspects in this step
• 💬 Approach: Systematic scanning and categorization
• 🚪 This is a validation sequence step - auto-proceeds when complete

EXECUTION PROTOCOLS:

• 🎯 Scan PRD for density anti-patterns systematically
• 💾 Append density findings to validation report
• 📖 Display "Proceeding to next check..." and load next step
• 🚫 FORBIDDEN to pause or request user input

CONTEXT BOUNDARIES:

• Available context: PRD file, validation report with format findings
• Focus: Information density validation only
• Limits: Don't validate other aspects, don't pause for user input
• Dependencies: Step 2 completed - format classification done

MANDATORY SEQUENCE

CRITICAL: Follow this sequence exactly. Do not skip, reorder, or improvise unless user explicitly requests a change.

1. Attempt Sub-Process Validation

Try to use Task tool to spawn a subprocess:

"Perform information density validation on this PRD:

1. Load the PRD file
2. Scan for the following anti-patterns:
   • Conversational filler phrases (examples: 'The system will allow users to...', 'It is important to note that...', 'In order to')
   • Wordy phrases (examples: 'Due to the fact that', 'In the event of', 'For the purpose of')
   • Redundant phrases (examples: 'Future plans', 'Absolutely essential', 'Past history')
3. Count violations by category with line numbers
4. Classify severity: Critical (>10 violations), Warning (5-10), Pass (<5)

Return structured findings with counts and examples."

2. Graceful Degradation (if Task tool unavailable)

If Task tool unavailable, perform analysis directly:

Scan for conversational filler patterns:

• "The system will allow users to..."
• "It is important to note that..."
• "In order to"
• "For the purpose of"
• "With regard to"
• Count occurrences and note line numbers

Scan for wordy phrases:

• "Due to the fact that" (use "because")
• "In the event of" (use "if")
• "At this point in time" (use "now")
• "In a manner that" (use "how")
• Count occurrences and note line numbers

Scan for redundant phrases:

• "Future plans" (just "plans")
• "Past history" (just "history")
• "Absolutely essential" (just "essential")
• "Completely finish" (just "finish")
• Count occurrences and note line numbers

3. Classify Severity

Calculate total violations:

• Conversational filler count
• Wordy phrases count
• Redundant phrases count
• Total = sum of all categories

Determine severity:

• Critical: Total > 10 violations
• Warning: Total 5-10 violations
• Pass: Total < 5 violations

4. Report Density Findings to Validation Report

Append to validation report:

## Information Density Validation

**Anti-Pattern Violations:**

**Conversational Filler:** {count} occurrences
[If count > 0, list examples with line numbers]

**Wordy Phrases:** {count} occurrences
[If count > 0, list examples with line numbers]

**Redundant Phrases:** {count} occurrences
[If count > 0, list examples with line numbers]

**Total Violations:** {total}

**Severity Assessment:** [Critical/Warning/Pass]

**Recommendation:**
[If Critical] "PRD requires significant revision to improve information density. Every sentence should carry weight without filler."
[If Warning] "PRD would benefit from reducing wordiness and eliminating filler phrases."
[If Pass] "PRD demonstrates good information density with minimal violations."

5. Display Progress and Auto-Proceed

Display: "Information Density Validation Complete

Severity: {Critical/Warning/Pass}

Proceeding to next validation check..."

Immediately load and execute {nextStepFile} (step-v-04-brief-coverage-validation.md)

---

🚨 SYSTEM SUCCESS/FAILURE METRICS

✅ SUCCESS:

• PRD scanned for all three anti-pattern categories
• Violations counted with line numbers
• Severity classified correctly
• Findings reported to validation report
• Auto-proceeds to next validation step
• Subprocess attempted with graceful degradation

❌ SYSTEM FAILURE:

• Not scanning all anti-pattern categories
• Missing severity classification
• Not reporting findings to validation report
• Pausing for user input (should auto-proceed)
• Not attempting subprocess architecture

Master Rule: Information density validation runs autonomously. Scan, classify, report, auto-proceed. No user interaction needed.