Testing Strategy Sprint Dependency Graph & Critical Path Analysis

Purpose: Visualize sprint dependencies, identify critical path, optimize parallel execution, and coordinate cross-guild work.

Executive Summary

Total Sprints: 22 sprints across 4 batches Total Tasks: ~370 tasks Estimated Duration: 26 weeks (6 months) if executed sequentially Optimal Duration: 14 weeks (3.5 months) with full parallelization Critical Path: 14 weeks (Foundation Epics → Module Tests) Parallelization Opportunities: Up to 15 sprints can run concurrently

Sprint Inventory by Batch

Batch 5100.0007: Foundation Epics (90 tasks, 6 sprints)

Sprint ID	Name	Tasks	Waves	Dependencies
5100.0007.0001	Master Testing Strategy	18	4	None (entry point)
5100.0007.0002	Epic A: TestKit Foundations	13	4	0001 (Wave 1 complete)
5100.0007.0003	Epic B: Determinism Gate	12	4	0002 (TestKit available)
5100.0007.0004	Epic C: Storage Harness	12	4	0002 (TestKit available)
5100.0007.0005	Epic D: Connector Fixtures	12	4	0002 (TestKit available)
5100.0007.0006	Epic E: WebService Contract	12	4	0002 (TestKit + OtelCapture)
5100.0007.0007	Epic F: Architecture Tests	17	6	None (can start immediately)

Batch 5100.0008: Quality Gates (11 tasks, 1 sprint)

Sprint ID	Name	Tasks	Waves	Dependencies
5100.0008.0001	Competitor Parity Testing	11	4	0007.0001 (Wave 1), 0007.0002

Batch 5100.0009: Module Test Implementations (185 tasks, 11 sprints)

Sprint ID	Module	Models	Tasks	Waves	Dependencies
5100.0009.0001	Scanner	L0,AN1,S1,T1,W1,WK1,PERF	25	4	0002,0003,0004,0006
5100.0009.0002	Concelier	C1,L0,S1,W1,AN1	18	4	0002,0003,0004,0005,0006,0007.0007
5100.0009.0003	Excititor	C1,L0,S1,W1,WK1	21	4	0002,0003,0004,0005,0006,0007.0007
5100.0009.0004	Policy	L0,S1,W1	15	3	0002,0003,0004,0006
5100.0009.0005	Authority	L0,W1,C1	17	3	0002,0005,0006
5100.0009.0006	Signer	L0,W1,C1	17	3	0002,0003,0005,0006
5100.0009.0007	Attestor	L0,W1	14	3	0002,0003,0006,0009.0006
5100.0009.0008	Scheduler	L0,S1,W1,WK1	14	3	0002,0004,0006
5100.0009.0009	Notify	L0,C1,S1,W1,WK1	18	3	0002,0004,0005,0006
5100.0009.0010	CLI	CLI1	13	3	0002,0003
5100.0009.0011	UI	W1	13	3	0002,0006

Batch 5100.0010: Infrastructure Tests (62 tasks, 4 sprints)

Sprint ID	Module Family	Models	Tasks	Waves	Dependencies
5100.0010.0001	EvidenceLocker + Findings + Replay	L0,S1,W1,WK1	16	3	0002,0004,0006
5100.0010.0002	Graph + TimelineIndexer	L0,S1,W1,WK1	15	3	0002,0004,0006
5100.0010.0003	Router + Messaging	L0,T1,W1,S1	14	3	0002,0004
5100.0010.0004	AirGap	L0,AN1,S1,W1,CLI1	17	3	0002,0003,0004,0006

Dependency Visualization (ASCII Graph)

CRITICAL PATH (14 weeks):
Week 1-2:  [5100.0007.0001] Master Strategy (Wave 1-4)
             │
Week 3-4:  [5100.0007.0002] TestKit Foundations ← CRITICAL BOTTLENECK
             │
             ├──────────┬──────────┬──────────┬──────────┐
Week 5-6:  [0003]    [0004]    [0005]    [0006]    [0007.0007]
          Determ.   Storage   Connect.  WebSvc    Arch.Tests
             │         │         │         │
             └─────────┴─────────┴─────────┘
                       │
Week 7-10: ┌──────────┼──────────────────────────────────┐
          [5100.0009.xxxx] ALL MODULE TESTS (parallel)  │
          11 sprints run concurrently                    │
             │                                            │
Week 11-14:└────────────────────────────────────────────┘
          [5100.0010.xxxx] ALL INFRASTRUCTURE TESTS
          4 sprints run concurrently


PARALLEL EXECUTION ZONES:

Zone 1 (Weeks 5-6): Epic Implementations
  - 5100.0007.0003 (Determinism)    ─┐
  - 5100.0007.0004 (Storage)         ├─ Can run in parallel
  - 5100.0007.0005 (Connectors)      │  (all depend only on TestKit)
  - 5100.0007.0006 (WebService)      │
  - 5100.0007.0007 (Architecture)   ─┘

Zone 2 (Weeks 7-10): Module Tests
  - Scanner (5100.0009.0001)        ─┐
  - Concelier (5100.0009.0002)       │
  - Excititor (5100.0009.0003)       │
  - Policy (5100.0009.0004)          ├─ Can run in parallel
  - Authority (5100.0009.0005)       │  (Epic dependencies met)
  - Signer (5100.0009.0006)          │
  - Attestor (5100.0009.0007)        │
  - Scheduler (5100.0009.0008)       │
  - Notify (5100.0009.0009)          │
  - CLI (5100.0009.0010)             │
  - UI (5100.0009.0011)             ─┘

Zone 3 (Weeks 11-14): Infrastructure Tests
  - EvidenceLocker (5100.0010.0001) ─┐
  - Graph (5100.0010.0002)           ├─ Can run in parallel
  - Router/Messaging (5100.0010.0003)│
  - AirGap (5100.0010.0004)         ─┘

Zone 4 (Weeks 3-14): Quality Gates (can overlap)
  - Competitor Parity (5100.0008.0001) runs after Week 3

Critical Path Analysis

Critical Path Sequence (14 weeks)

Week 1-2: Master Strategy Sprint (5100.0007.0001)
- Wave 1: Documentation sync
- Wave 2: Quick wins (test runner scripts, trait standardization)
- Wave 3: CI infrastructure
- Wave 4: Epic sprint creation
Week 3-4: TestKit Foundations (5100.0007.0002) ← CRITICAL BOTTLENECK
- ALL downstream sprints depend on TestKit
- Must complete before any module tests can start
- Priority: DeterministicTime, DeterministicRandom, CanonicalJsonAssert, SnapshotAssert, PostgresFixture, OtelCapture
Week 5-6: Epic Implementation (parallel zone)
- 5 sprints run concurrently
- Unblocks all module tests
Week 7-10: Module Test Implementation (parallel zone)
- 11 sprints run concurrently
- Longest pole: Scanner (25 tasks, 4 waves)
Week 11-14: Infrastructure Test Implementation (parallel zone)
- 4 sprints run concurrently
- Can overlap with late-stage module tests

Critical Bottleneck: TestKit (Sprint 5100.0007.0002)

Impact: Blocks 20 downstream sprints (all module + infrastructure tests) Mitigation:

Staff with 2-3 senior engineers
Prioritize DeterministicTime and SnapshotAssert (most commonly used)
Release incrementally (partial TestKit unlocks some modules)
Run daily check-ins to unblock consuming teams

Dependency Matrix

Epic → Module Dependencies

Epic Sprint	Blocks Module Sprints	Reason
5100.0007.0002 (TestKit)	ALL 15 module/infra sprints	Core test utilities required
5100.0007.0003 (Determinism)	Scanner, Excititor, Signer, CLI, AirGap	Determinism gate required
5100.0007.0004 (Storage)	Scanner, Concelier, Excititor, Policy, Scheduler, Notify, EvidenceLocker, Graph, Router, AirGap	PostgresFixture required
5100.0007.0005 (Connectors)	Concelier, Excititor, Authority, Signer, Notify	Fixture discipline required
5100.0007.0006 (WebService)	Scanner, Concelier, Excititor, Policy, Authority, Signer, Attestor, Scheduler, Notify, UI, EvidenceLocker, Graph, AirGap	WebServiceFixture required
5100.0007.0007 (Architecture)	Concelier, Excititor	Lattice boundary enforcement

Module → Module Dependencies

Sprint	Depends On Other Modules	Reason
Attestor (0009.0007)	Signer (0009.0006)	Sign/verify integration tests
(None other)	-	Modules are otherwise independent

Parallelization Strategy

Maximum Parallel Execution (15 sprints)

Week 5-6 (5 parallel):

Determinism (2 eng)
Storage (3 eng)
Connectors (2 eng)
WebService (2 eng)
Architecture (1 eng)

Week 7-10 (11 parallel):

Scanner (3 eng) ← longest pole
Concelier (2 eng)
Excititor (2 eng)
Policy (2 eng)
Authority (2 eng)
Signer (2 eng)
Attestor (2 eng)
Scheduler (2 eng)
Notify (2 eng)
CLI (1 eng)
UI (2 eng)

Week 11-14 (4 parallel):

EvidenceLocker (2 eng)
Graph (2 eng)
Router/Messaging (2 eng)
AirGap (2 eng)

Resource Requirement (Peak):

Week 7-10: 22 engineers (11 sprints × avg 2 eng/sprint)
Realistic: 10-12 engineers with staggered starts

Risk Hotspots

High-Impact Delays

Risk	Impact	Probability	Mitigation
TestKit delayed (5100.0007.0002)	Blocks ALL downstream sprints; +2-4 weeks delay	MEDIUM	Staff with senior engineers; daily standups; incremental releases
Storage harness issues (5100.0007.0004)	Blocks 10 sprints	MEDIUM	Use Testcontainers early; validate Postgres 16 compatibility Week 1
Determinism gate drift (5100.0007.0003)	Scanner/Excititor blocked; compliance issues	LOW	Explicit canonical JSON contract; freeze schema early
Attestor-Signer circular dependency (0009.0007 ↔ 0009.0006)	Integration tests blocked	MEDIUM	Mock signing for Attestor initial tests; coordinate guilds
Concurrent module tests overwhelm CI	Test suite timeout; flaky tests	HIGH	Stagger module test starts; use CI parallelization; dedicated test runners

Critical Path Risks

Sprint	Risk	Impact if Delayed
5100.0007.0002 (TestKit)	DeterministicTime implementation complex	+2 weeks to critical path
5100.0009.0001 (Scanner)	25 tasks, 4 waves; reachability tests complex	Delays integration tests; no impact on other modules
5100.0007.0004 (Storage)	Testcontainers Postgres compatibility issues	Blocks 10 sprints; +2-3 weeks

Recommended Execution Sequence

Phase 1: Foundation (Weeks 1-4)

Goal: Establish test infrastructure and strategy docs Sprints:

5100.0007.0001 (Master Strategy) — Week 1-2
5100.0007.0002 (TestKit) — Week 3-4 ← CRITICAL

Exit Criteria:

TestKit utilities available (DeterministicTime, SnapshotAssert, PostgresFixture, OtelCapture)
Test runner scripts operational
Trait standardization complete

Phase 2: Epic Implementation (Weeks 5-6)

Goal: Implement all foundation epics in parallel Sprints (parallel):

5100.0007.0003 (Determinism)
5100.0007.0004 (Storage)
5100.0007.0005 (Connectors)
5100.0007.0006 (WebService)
5100.0007.0007 (Architecture)

Exit Criteria:

PostgresFixture operational (Testcontainers)
Determinism manifest format defined
Connector fixture discipline documented
WebServiceFixture operational
Architecture tests in CI (PR gate)

Phase 3: Module Tests — Priority Tier 1 (Weeks 7-8)

Goal: Implement tests for critical security/compliance modules Sprints (parallel):

5100.0009.0001 (Scanner) — critical path, longest pole
5100.0009.0002 (Concelier)
5100.0009.0003 (Excititor)
5100.0009.0004 (Policy)
5100.0009.0005 (Authority)
5100.0009.0006 (Signer)

Phase 4: Module Tests — Priority Tier 2 (Weeks 9-10)

Goal: Complete remaining module tests Sprints (parallel):

5100.0009.0007 (Attestor)
5100.0009.0008 (Scheduler)
5100.0009.0009 (Notify)
5100.0009.0010 (CLI)
5100.0009.0011 (UI)

Phase 5: Infrastructure Tests (Weeks 11-14)

Goal: Complete platform infrastructure tests Sprints (parallel):

5100.0010.0001 (EvidenceLocker)
5100.0010.0002 (Graph)
5100.0010.0003 (Router/Messaging)
5100.0010.0004 (AirGap)

Phase 6: Quality Gates (Overlapping Weeks 3-14)

Goal: Establish ongoing parity testing Sprint:

5100.0008.0001 (Competitor Parity) — can start Week 3, run nightly thereafter

Guild Coordination

Cross-Guild Dependencies

Guild	Owns Sprints	Depends On Guilds	Coordination Points
Platform Guild	TestKit, Storage, Architecture, EvidenceLocker, Graph, Router	None	Week 3: TestKit readiness review
Scanner Guild	Scanner	Platform (TestKit, Storage, Determinism, WebService)	Week 5: Storage harness validation
Concelier Guild	Concelier	Platform (TestKit, Storage, Connectors, WebService), Architecture	Week 6: Connector fixture review
Excititor Guild	Excititor	Platform (TestKit, Storage, Connectors, WebService), Architecture	Week 6: Preserve-prune test design
Policy Guild	Policy, AirGap (analyzers)	Platform (TestKit, Storage, WebService)	Week 7: Unknown budget enforcement review
Authority Guild	Authority	Platform (TestKit, Connectors, WebService)	Week 7: OIDC connector fixture validation
Crypto Guild	Signer, Attestor	Platform (TestKit, Determinism, Connectors, WebService), Authority	Week 8: Canonical payload design; Week 9: Sign/verify integration
Scheduler Guild	Scheduler	Platform (TestKit, Storage, WebService)	Week 9: DeterministicTime validation
Notify Guild	Notify	Platform (TestKit, Storage, Connectors, WebService)	Week 9: Connector fixture templates
CLI Guild	CLI	Platform (TestKit, Determinism)	Week 10: Exit code conventions
UI Guild	UI	Platform (TestKit, WebService)	Week 10: API contract snapshot review
AirGap Guild	AirGap	Platform (TestKit, Determinism, Storage, WebService), Policy	Week 11: Bundle determinism validation
QA Guild	Competitor Parity	Platform (TestKit)	Week 3: Parity harness design

Weekly Sync Schedule

Week 1-2:

All guilds: Master strategy review, sprint assignment

Week 3-4:

Platform Guild: Daily standup (TestKit unblocking)
All guilds: TestKit API review (design feedback)

Week 5-6:

Epic guilds: Bi-weekly sync (Determinism, Storage, Connectors, WebService, Architecture)
Scanner/Concelier/Excititor guilds: Prepare for module test sprint kickoff

Week 7-10:

All module guilds: Weekly guild-specific standups
Cross-guild: Bi-weekly integration sync (Signer ↔ Attestor, Policy ↔ AirGap)

Week 11-14:

Infrastructure guilds: Weekly sync
All guilds: Bi-weekly retrospective

Metrics & Tracking

Sprint Completion Metrics

Metric	Target	Measurement
Sprint on-time completion	>80%	Tasks complete by wave deadline
Test coverage increase	+30% per module	Code coverage reports
Determinism tests passing	100%	Determinism gate CI job
Contract tests in CI	100% of WebServices	Contract lane CI job
Architecture tests enforcing	100% violations blocked	Architecture test failures = build failures

Quality Gates

Gate	Criteria	Enforced By
Determinism	SHA-256 hash stable across runs	Sprint 5100.0007.0003 tests
Contract Stability	OpenAPI schema unchanged or explicitly versioned	Sprint 5100.0007.0006 tests
Architecture Boundaries	Concelier/Excititor do NOT reference Scanner lattice	Sprint 5100.0007.0007 tests
Preserve-Prune Source	Excititor preserves VEX source references and rationale	Sprint 5100.0009.0003 tests
Unknown Budget Enforcement	Policy engine fails when unknowns > N	Sprint 5100.0009.0004 tests

Next Steps

Week 1 (2026-01-06):
- Kick off Sprint 5100.0007.0001 (Master Strategy)
- Assign Platform Guild to TestKit (5100.0007.0002) for Week 3 start
- Review this dependency graph with all guild leads
Week 2 (2026-01-13):
- Complete Master Strategy Wave 1-2
- Finalize TestKit API design (DeterministicTime, SnapshotAssert, etc.)
Week 3 (2026-01-20):
- Start TestKit implementation (CRITICAL PATH)
- Daily standup for TestKit unblocking
- Prepare Epic sprint kickoffs for Week 5
Week 4 (2026-01-27):
- Complete TestKit Wave 1-2 (DeterministicTime, SnapshotAssert)
- Validate TestKit with pilot tests
- Final Epic sprint preparation
Week 5 (2026-02-03):
- Kick off 5 Epic sprints in parallel
- Weekly Epic sync meeting (Fridays)

Prepared by: Project Management Date: 2025-12-23 Next Review: 2026-01-06 (Week 1 kickoff)