The design contract
A decision should retain enough source context for an authorized reviewer to understand how it was reached.
Scope and objects
- Typed data transforms
- Health and freshness rules
- Source and revision lineage
- Workflow execution history
Workflow principles
Preserve source versions and transformation context.
Flag data-quality and freshness failures.
Connect the decision with the evidence and permissions used.
Applying the contract
For a specific engagement, identify the authoritative records, source versions, identity and access context, allowed state transitions, and receiving outcome. Document the approval and the evidence needed to accept the action.
Failure and recovery
Preserve the request identity and source intent. A timeout or partial handoff should leave a visible unresolved state until the authoritative outcome can be reconciled. Recovery follows the defined action contract and the responsible owner.
Acceptance evidence
The delivery record should connect the agreed baseline, representative inputs, permissions, relevant failure cases, observed outcomes, and operating responsibilities. A change in scope or environment requires review of the applicable contract.