Mandate & slicing
Status: methodological draft, to be adapted — not ratified in consuming projects.
Why mandates matter
A request is not permission. A mandate binds a goal to a versioned baseline, narrow capabilities, and observable closure criteria.
| Dimension | Required question | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Baseline | Which repo, commit and worktree? | Fingerprint + git status |
| Scope | Which paths may change? | Allowed paths and exclusions |
| Authority | Who may read, write, execute or publish? | Explicit scoped grant |
| Gate | What means success or failure? | RED/GREEN checks |
| Output | What can be delivered? | Patch, evidence, docs, decision |
Work units
A program contains workstreams; a workstream contains causal slices; each slice has one verifiable objective. A task list is not evidence of completion.
Entrance gate
Begin only once dangerous unknowns are declared. Hypotheses are allowed but must be labeled.
Exercise
Draft MANDATE.md for a fictional notification sorter without touching storage. Name three forbidden actions.
Self-check
Include baseline commit, file scope, explicit prohibitions, deterministic test, stop condition and inspectable output. Deployment is not implied.Engineering problem
A notification sort is requested, but “improve” defines neither outcome nor scope.
Reproducible method
- Pin HEAD and Git status
- define input [urgent, normal, urgent], expected output and sorter paths
- name the person who can accept the diff
- stop if storage changes become necessary.
Responsibilities: the author proposes and records results; the reviewer challenges the oracle; the consuming project owner decides adoption.
Example, counterexample and failure
Example: preserve the order of the two urgent items and leave storage untouched. Counterexample: “optimize the whole system.” Failure: a new requirement silently expands scope; obtain a recorded amendment.
Artifacts and qualification
MANDATE.md with baseline, grants, oracle, exclusions and expiry; before/after file inventory.
The diff touches only the sorter; the test checks order and stability; the owner explicitly accepts scope. A path inventory alone does not prove sorting quality.
Transfer exercise
Apply this method to fictional Courier. Produce the artifacts above, then invent a case that invalidates an overbroad conclusion.