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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:
- Observation? — What was observed that prompted this?
- Engineering Principle? — What engineering principle does this express?
- Reasoning? — What is the reasoning that connects the observation to the principle?
- 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.