Structured Data
Capability Metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ID | CAP-138 |
| Version | v1.33 |
| Domain | Infrastructure & Cloud |
| Status | Documented |
| Related | CAP-137, CAP-090 |
| Source | scripts/vv-report.ts |
| Compliance | NPR 7123.1 (NASA SE) |
Configuration Reference
V&V matrix format: requirement ID, verification method (TAID), test reference, status
Compliance threshold settings: configurable pass/fail thresholds per requirement class
Report output formats: HTML, JSON, Markdown
Requirements Traceability Matrix (partial)
────────────────────────────────────────────
Req ID Description TAID Test Ref Status
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
CAP-01 139 capability pages I page_ids.json ✓ PASS
CAP-02 JSON-LD left column I cap-001.html ✓ PASS
CAP-05 Complexity-scaled depth D CAP-025 audit ✓ PASS
INFRA-01 wp-staging/ structure I ls wp-staging ✓ PASS
NAV-02 Caps as child of parent T API query ✓ PASSTechnical Specifications
Input: REQUIREMENTS.md (parsed for requirement IDs and descriptions)
TAID assignment: automatic based on requirement type, overridable per requirement
Coverage tracking: percentage of requirements with assigned TAID and test reference
Phase gates: compliance report required before each phase transition
Drift detection: re-runs on file change, flags requirements whose status changes
Overview
V&V infrastructure makes compliance visible: instead of claiming requirements are met, the traceability matrix proves it with specific test references and verification methods. The infrastructure reads REQUIREMENTS.md, maps each requirement to a TAID verification method, tracks whether a test reference has been assigned, and generates a compliance report that can be inspected as a phase gate artifact.
The requirements traceability matrix is the core artifact: a table mapping every requirement ID (CAP-01 through CAP-10, INFRA-01 through INFRA-06, NAV-01 through NAV-04) to its verification method (T/A/I/D), the specific test or reference that verifies it, and the current pass/fail status. A requirement with no test reference is flagged as "OPEN" — it exists as a claim but has not yet been verified.
Phase gates use compliance reports: a phase cannot be marked complete until its associated requirements reach 100% coverage with all tests passing. This enforces the verification discipline that distinguishes NASA SE documentation from informal project documentation — completion is defined by verified requirements, not by "it feels done."
History
The V&V approach was inspired by NASA's Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) practices. NESC was created after the Columbia disaster to provide independent technical assessment of NASA programs — its core principle is that every safety-critical claim must be independently verifiable, not just asserted by the team responsible for the work. For documentation projects, "safety-critical" translates to "accurate and consistent."
The GSD Skill Creator documentation site applies this principle: 46 requirements span 9 phases and 175+ pages. Without a traceability matrix, it is impossible to know which requirements are satisfied by which pages, or whether a change to one page invalidates a requirement that was previously satisfied. The V&V infrastructure provides this visibility continuously — not just at the end of a phase, but throughout development.
Phase 8 (Quality Verification) is the primary consumer of CAP-138. It runs the V&V infrastructure against all 139 capability pages, generates the compliance report, and provides the phase gate artifact that marks Phase 8 complete. The infrastructure was designed with Phase 8's requirements in mind — the matrix format, TAID codes, and report format are all specified to meet Phase 8's verification needs.
Key Concepts
A requirements traceability matrix is like a homework grade book for a complex project. Each row is a requirement (like a homework assignment). Each column tracks whether that requirement has been attempted (test reference assigned) and passed (status = PASS). The teacher (V&V infrastructure) doesn't ask "do you think you've done all your homework?" — they check the grade book. If a row is empty, the homework isn't done, regardless of what the student says.
TAID codes tell you not just whether homework was done, but how it was verified: T means "the teacher ran an automated test on it," A means "the teacher did the math," I means "the teacher read it carefully," and D means "the student ran the procedure in front of the teacher." Different types of requirements call for different verification methods — you can't verify "the system boots correctly" by just reading about it (I); you have to demonstrate it (D).