1.6 KiB
RFC-0003: Engineering Context
Status: Proposed Phase: The Bedrock Phase
Abstract
This RFC formally proposes that "preserving engineering context" be the defining purpose of the Open Engineer standard.
Motivation
The project needs a precise, single-sentence definition to anchor all subsequent work. "Open Engineer is an open standard for preserving engineering context" emerged naturally during development and was strongly affirmed by the project's participants.
Observation
When engineers lose context — the reasoning behind decisions, the alternatives considered, the constraints faced — they are forced to re-derive understanding from first principles. This is wasteful and error-prone. The most valuable thing an engineering standard can preserve is not the final artifact, but the context that produced it.
Engineering Principle
Open Engineer is an open standard for preserving engineering context. Everything else extends from that.
Reasoning
Context is the thread made concrete. Without context, engineering knowledge degrades with each generational handoff. With context preserved, each generation begins closer to bedrock than the last. This single focus — context preservation — provides a clear criterion for every decision the standard makes: does this help preserve engineering context, or does it not?
Relationship to Existing Concepts
Engineering context is the unit of preservation. It is carried by the thread (OE-0001). It is built from observations (OE-0004) and surveys (OE-0005). It is verified (OE-0007) and stewarded (OE-0009).