# OE-0008: Decisions

**Status:** Draft
**Depends on:** OE-0007 (Verification)
**Phase:** The Bedrock Phase

## Overview

An engineering decision is a choice made within a specific context, informed by observation and bounded by constraints. Decisions are the outputs of the engineering process.

## Definition

A decision in the Open Engineer context is not merely a choice. It is a recorded, contextualized choice — one that preserves the reasoning, alternatives considered, constraints faced, and verification applied. A decision without its context is an orphaned artifact. A decision with its context is a building block for future understanding.

## The Four-Question Framework

Every new addition to the standard should answer four questions:

1. **Observation?** — What was observed that prompted this?
2. **Engineering Principle?** — What engineering principle does this express?
3. **Reasoning?** — What is the reasoning that connects the observation to the principle?
4. **Relationship to Existing Concepts?** — How does this relate to what already exists in the standard?

Nothing enters Bedrock without surviving those four layers.

## Decisions as Engineering Context

Every decision is a unit of engineering context. When preserved properly, a decision record allows future engineers to understand not just what was done, but why — and to make better decisions as a result.

## Status

This document establishes the framework for decisions within the Open Engineer standard.