Capstone Roadmap And Evaluation — Claude Code Guide

Run the capstone as a milestone roadmap

A capstone roadmap is a sequence of verifiable stages, not a long list of ideas. The key result remains one core flow that can be run, checked, and shown.

If functionality does not add engineering value, remove it. A scope freeze before the demo protects the result from a last wave of unverified ideas.

Make regular entries in EVIDENCE.md

The log should show the cause-and-effect relationship: what was checked, which decision was made, and how the result was confirmed. Record prompts to Claude, your own decisions, completed checks, risks, and scope changes.

Useful facts include a smoke check of the core flow, a confirmed empty-input problem, removal of an unnecessary feature, or an explanation of why production deployment is outside the project.

## 2026-09-13 — happy path
- Decision: keep one core flow, without production deploy
- Claude helped: draft verification plan
- Checks: local run and smoke scenario
- Result: passed / failed with a short fact
- Risks: integration with real data deferred

Evaluation criteria

• a reproducible working scenario;
• control of the project boundaries;
• consistency between SPEC.md and the actual implementation;
• understandable Git changes and commits;
• relevant checks;
• a quality README and clear demonstration;
• transparent use of Claude Code;
• awareness of risks and an honest list of limitations.

Demo and defense structure

1. Explain the user problem.
2. Show one main scenario from start to finish.
3. Describe Claude Code's contribution and how it was checked.
4. Show the README, SPEC.md, and evidence needed for reproduction.
5. Name the deliberately unimplemented parts and trade-offs.
6. Demonstrate a stable local run without unnecessary new capabilities.

Final checklist before the demo

• the core flow runs locally;
• the README makes the run reproducible;
• smoke checks were completed and recorded;
• EVIDENCE.md contains the decision history;
• known limitations are documented;
• the presentation scenario is clear to an outside person;
• no new features are being added.