Refactor Process

Apply the execution contract before this procedure.

Quick Reference

Aspect	Rule
Pre-requisite	Characterization tests must exist and be Green before any edits
Step Size	One atomic transformation at a time (rename variable, extract method, etc.)
Verification	Run tests after every single step
No Behavior Changes	No new features, bug fixes, or changed return values during refactoring
Rollback	If tests turn Red, undo immediately — do not debug in a broken state

Run the existing tests for the class or module.
If coverage is missing or weak, write characterization tests (tests that capture the current behavior, including edge cases and errors).
Verify all tests are Green before proceeding.