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Dimension classification troubleshooting

Resolve missing, ambiguous, or inconsistent Case classifications before they distort coverage analysis.

Dimension classification troubleshooting

Symptoms

  • Many Cases show no value for an important Dimension.
  • Similar Cases receive different ontology values without a clear reason.
  • One Case appears to belong to several mutually exclusive values.
  • A coverage gap disappears or appears after labels change, although the Case set did not.
  • Reviewers cannot tell whether unknown, not applicable, and missing classification mean different things.

Likely causes

  • The Dimension definition or ontology values overlap.
  • Required Case context is absent from the classification view.
  • The schema changed after existing Cases were classified.
  • The Dimension bundles independent behavior axes or leaves absence undefined.

Diagnose the schema before the Cases

  1. Open the Dimension and read its definition, ontology values, examples, and origin.
  2. Decide whether the values are intended to be mutually exclusive, multi-label, ordered, or merely descriptive. Do not infer this from label names alone.
  3. Sample Cases from each value plus unclassified Cases. Compare the full Case context, not only the short input shown in a table.
  4. Look for overlapping definitions, missing fallback treatment, context fields unavailable to classification, or a Dimension that bundles more than one behavior axis.
  5. Check whether the Dimension or ontology changed after the Cases were classified.

Fix

  • Correct an individual Case classification when the schema is clear and the Case was mislabeled.
  • Improve the Dimension definition or ontology descriptions when reviewers interpret them differently.
  • Split a Dimension when one label depends on two independent behavior axes.
  • Add an explicit unknown or not-applicable treatment when absence carries meaning.
  • Reclassify affected Cases after a schema change, then review coverage plans and Snapshot boundaries before relying on segment results.

Do not repair a misleading coverage chart by editing counts or selecting convenient Cases. Correct the Dimension or classification state that produced it.

Prevention

Define the classification rule and unknown treatment before broad use, attach representative examples to each value, and test boundary Cases with more than one informed reviewer. Review affected classifications whenever the Dimension schema changes.

Verification

Have two informed reviewers classify a small boundary sample using only documented context. Agreement is evidence that the schema is usable; disagreement should produce a clearer definition, better context, or an explicit unresolved boundary—not forced consensus.

Worked example

Example: overlapping source-support values

Cases alternate between implied support and conflicting source because one document implies compatibility while another denies it. The team clarifies that any authoritative contradiction uses conflicting source, adds examples, and reclassifies the affected Cases. They review the benchmark plan before creating a new Snapshot.

Source confidence

Code-backed: Dimension list/detail surfaces, record-table classification utilities, and classification types establish how Dimension values appear on Cases. The product cannot determine whether a Project's vocabulary is conceptually sound without human review.

Related workflows

Reference / Coverage EngineeringDimensions and OntologyDefine reusable behavior axes and their allowed values, then inspect how cases and benchmarks cover them.Task / Coverage EngineeringGenerate a dimension schemaAsk Teammately for coverage-dimension proposals, then accept only the dimensions and ontology values that describe meaningful behavior.Reference / Object ModelCoverage dimensionsOrganize cases by the behavior axes that matter to product correctness.Troubleshooting / Recovery LibraryStale DimensionsRefresh Dimensions and ontology values that no longer explain the current behavior space without rewriting historical evidence.

Related reference

Reference / Object ModelCoverage dimensionsOrganize cases by the behavior axes that matter to product correctness.Reference / Object ModelOntologyUse ontology values to classify cases consistently within each coverage dimension.Reference / Reference LibraryMetadata and contextUse record context and metadata fields to make Teammately cases easier to filter, review, and analyze.

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Related docs

Object Model Dimensions and ontology Learn how dimensions and ontology values define the coverage space for a Teammately project. Coverage Engineering Dimensions and Ontology Define reusable behavior axes and their allowed values, then inspect how cases and benchmarks cover them. Coverage Engineering Generate a dimension schema Ask Teammately for coverage-dimension proposals, then accept only the dimensions and ontology values that describe meaningful behavior.
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