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|status = Active Development
|status = Active Development
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= Decision Records: Governance Memory =
'''Calibration Reports''' record how a page’s content or status changed in one event. 
'''Decision Records''' record '''why a governance rule, taxonomy choice, or structural convention''' exists — including rejected alternatives — so a later contributor can tell '''“considered and chosen”''' from '''“never questioned.”'''
A Decision Record is '''governance memory''', not a second cal-report archive and not objective final truth. Treating it as “debate closed forever” would itself be Reality Override.
{{GameModule
{{GameModule
| type = Meta & Framework
| type = Meta & Framework
<!-- HIDDEN GUIDE: existing controlled vocabulary only -->
| category = [[:Category:Meta & Framework|Meta & Framework]]
| category = [[:Category:Meta & Framework|Meta & Framework]]
| Functional Layer = Governance
| Calibration Type = Governance
<!-- HIDDEN GUIDE: Governance, Diagnostic, Maintenance, Framework, Calibration — param name Calibration Type -->
| Application Layer = Framework Infrastructure
| Application Layer = Framework Infrastructure
| Version = 0.2
<!-- HIDDEN GUIDE: Multi-Layer, Framework Infrastructure, Individual, Institutional, Civilizational -->
| Version = 0.3
| Maturity = Development
| Maturity = Development
| Last Updated = 2026-07-14
| Last Updated = 2026-07-14
| description = Defines what a Decision Record is, when one is required, where it lives, and how to write one — the governance memory layer explaining why rules exist, not just what they are.
<!-- CRITICAL: static only. Must match review_date. FORBIDDEN: magic words -->
| description = What a Decision Record is, when required, where it lives, how to write one — governance memory for why rules exist, not what changed in one cal pass.
}}
}}
 
== Principles ==
= Decision Records: Governance Memory =
* Preserve reasoning; do not advocate.
 
* State rejected alternatives fairly enough that their appeal is understandable.
'''Calibration Reports and Calibration Logs record how a page's content and status changed. Decision Records record why a governance rule, taxonomy category, or structural convention exists in its current form — including the alternatives that were rejected and why.''' The purpose of a Decision Record can be stated in one question: '''was this actually considered, or just never questioned?''' Without an answer to that question preserved somewhere, a future contributor who disagrees with a rule has no way to tell the difference.
* Separate observed facts from judgment calls.
 
* Enable later recalibration; do not freeze debate by archival theater.
== Decision Record Principles ==
* Stay short enough to be read.
 
* '''Open — Unresolved''' is a valid complete status when disagreement is deliberately preserved.
These are not procedures — they are the philosophy the procedures below exist to serve. A Decision Record should:
== What it captures (one decision) ==
 
* Unique ID (DR-NNNN)
* Preserve reasoning, not advocate for it.
* Record rejected alternatives fairly enough that a future contributor can understand why they were attractive in the first place.
* Distinguish observed facts from judgment calls.
* Make later recalibration possible rather than freezing debate.
* Be concise enough that future contributors will actually read it.
 
'''A Decision Record documents governance reasoning, not objective truth.''' Its existence means "we know why we currently do this" — not "this debate is closed forever." Treating a Decision Record as evidence a matter can no longer be questioned would itself be a Reality Override pattern.
 
== What a Decision Record Is ==
 
A Decision Record captures, for one specific structural decision:
* A unique ID
* What was decided
* What was decided
* Significant contributors to each position taken (not necessarily every participant)
* Significant contributors / positions (not every chat participant)
* What alternatives were considered and rejected, and specifically why
* Alternatives considered and why set aside
* The consequences of the decision — what else it affects or requires
* Consequences (what else must follow)
* Current status
* Status and date
* Date
* Superseded-by only when applicable (append-only; never delete old content)
 
== When required ==
== When a Decision Record Is Required ==
'''Trigger:''' Would a future contributor reasonably ask “why does this rule exist?” from the page alone? If yes → Decision Record. If the change is wording, sequencing, formatting, or error correction → no.
 
'''Typically yes:'''
'''Trigger test:''' Would a future contributor reasonably ask "why does this rule exist?" if they read only the current page, with no other context? If yes, a Decision Record is required. If the change is wording, sequencing, formatting, or a correction of an actual error, it is not.
* Establish, rename, or retire a taxonomy category or controlled Type
 
* Adopt or reject a rule, threshold, or formula other pages must follow
Concretely, required when a change:
* Resolve a real disagreement where the losing side had merit worth preserving
* Establishes, renames, or retires a taxonomy category or Type.
* Change a structural convention (e.g. static dates only, report tiers, log vs Talk)
* Adopts or rejects a proposed rule, threshold, or formula.
'''Typically no:''' typos, clarity edits, routine field updates, single-page content cal already explained by a [[Calibration Report Standard Format|Calibration Report]].
* Resolves a genuine disagreement between contributors or reviewers, especially one where the losing position had real merit worth preserving.
== Where it lives (hybrid, keep thin) ==
* Changes a structural convention other pages are expected to follow.
{| class="wikitable"
 
! Layer !! Role
Not required for: typo fixes, rewording for clarity, routine field updates, or anything already fully explained by a normal Calibration Report.
|-
 
| '''[[Decision Records: Governance Memory/Index]]'''
== Where Decision Records Live (Hybrid Model) ==
| Chronological scannable list: ID, date, title, primary page(s), link to full text. '''No long-form.'''
 
|-
'''1. Central Index — [[Decision Records: Governance Memory/Index]]'''
| '''`PageName/Decision Records`'''
A single, chronological, scannable list of every Decision Record, by ID. Each entry: ID, date, short title, page(s) concerned, link to full record. Browsing/search only — never long-form content.
| Full write-ups for decisions primarily owned by that governance page. Optional sibling of `/Calibration Log` — '''not''' required on every content page. See [[Calibration Log: When to Create One]] and [[Template:Calibration Template]].
 
|-
'''2. Per-Page Subpages — `PageName/Decision Records`''' (naming locked: matches `/Calibration Log` convention exactly)
| '''Talk only'''
Full content lives on a subpage attached to the governance page it primarily concerns.
| Acceptable for a single short decision on an infrastructure page that stays Talk-only — still '''register the ID on the Index''' so it is findable.
 
|-
'''For decisions spanning multiple pages:''' the record lives on whichever page is most directly responsible for enforcing the decision, with a cross-reference added to other pages involved, and the Index entry notes all affected pages.
| '''This page'''
 
| Defines the standard; may host early records only until Index + per-page homes exist — prefer Index + owner page.
== ID Format ==
|}
 
'''Multi-page decisions:''' full text on the page that '''enforces''' the rule; Index lists all affected pages; cross-link others.
Every Decision Record receives a sequential ID: '''DR-0001, DR-0002, DR-0003...''', assigned in the order created, never reused even if a record is later superseded or rejected. Pages may reference a decision by ID alone (e.g. "see DR-0004") once the record exists, rather than restating its full title.
'''Do not triple-log:''' Decision Record = why the rule exists. Do not paste full cal reports here. Scars may point here in one line ([[Calibration Failure Log]]).
 
== ID format ==
== How to Write a Decision Record ==
Sequential '''DR-0001, DR-0002, …''' assigned at creation, '''never reused''' if superseded or rejected. Cite by ID once registered (“see DR-0004”).
 
== How to write ==
<pre><nowiki>
<pre><nowiki>
=== DR-XXXX: [Short, specific title] ===
=== DR-XXXX: [Short specific title] ===
'''Decision:''' [What was actually decided — one sentence]
'''Decision:''' [One sentence]
'''Status:''' Proposed / Adopted / Superseded / Rejected / Open — Unresolved
'''Status:''' Proposed / Adopted / Superseded / Rejected / Open — Unresolved
'''Significant contributors:''' [Major positions and who held them — not necessarily every participant]
'''Significant contributors:''' [Positions and who held them]
'''Reasoning:''' [Why the adopted position won]
'''Reasoning:''' [Why the adopted path won — or why left open]
'''Alternatives considered:''' [What else was proposed, and specifically why it was set aside]
'''Alternatives considered:''' [What else, and why set aside]
'''Consequences:''' [What this decision requires or affects elsewhere — other pages, future conventions, follow-up work]
'''Consequences:''' [Pages, conventions, follow-up]
'''Date:''' YYYY-MM-DD
'''Date:''' YYYY-MM-DD
'''Superseded by:''' [DR-XXXX, date — only if applicable]
'''Primary page:''' [[…]]
'''Superseded by:''' [DR-XXXX — only if applicable]
</nowiki></pre>
</nowiki></pre>
 
'''Superseding:''' mark old status Superseded; add new ID/date; leave original text intact (same append-only discipline as cal reports).
'''"Open — Unresolved" is a valid, complete status''' — not every decision needs forced closure. A deliberately preserved disagreement (see the severity/disclosure tension in [[Standards: Types and Calibration Obligations]]) is a complete record on its own; the record's job is to preserve reasoning on both sides, not manufacture resolution. See [[Breadcrumb Philosophy]].
== Relationship to other mechanisms ==
 
'''Superseding a Decision Record:''' never delete or overwrite a superseded record's content. Mark its status "Superseded," add the superseding record's ID and date, and leave the original content fully intact as historical record — consistent with the append-only principle used throughout this project (Talk page Calibration Reports, page history).
 
== Relationship to Other Mechanisms ==
 
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
! Mechanism !! Question Answered
! Mechanism !! Question
|-
| Versioning / page history || When did the text change?
|-
| Calibration Report || How did this pass change content or status?
|-
|-
| Versioning || When did it change?
| Calibration Log || What is the maintained current-state hub (when one exists)?
|-
|-
| Calibration Report || How did it change?
| Decision Record || Why does this '''rule/convention''' exist?
|-
|-
| Calibration Log || What's its current calibration state?
| Breadcrumb || What intentional incompleteness is still open?
|-
|-
| Decision Record || Why does this rule exist?
| Calibration Failure Log || What design scars taught a reusable lesson?
|-
|-
| Breadcrumb || What is still unresolved?
| Known Site Issues || What is technically broken?
|}
|}
== Creating a /Decision Records subpage ==
Most pages never need one. When the [[#When a Decision Record Is Required|when]] test says a dedicated home is warranted (hub owns ongoing governance decisions), create <code>PageName/Decision Records</code> from the preload seed:


Decision Records are historical, like Calibration Reports — but narrower: a Calibration Report documents one review pass on one page; a Decision Record documents one structural decision, possibly debated across multiple passes, pages, or contributors before resolving (or deliberately not resolving).
* '''[[Template:Decision Records Seed]]''' — starting structure only; do not transclude on live content pages.


== Worked Precedent ==
Register every new DR on [[Decision Records: Governance Memory/Index]] '''in the same edit'''. Hub children (e.g. diagnostic game subpages) link to the '''hub''' Decision Records or Talk via transparency menus — they do not each get their own DR subpage by default.


[[Standards: Types and Calibration Obligations/Decision Records]] predates this page and should be treated as the de facto first per-page Decision Records subpage — retroactively conforming to this standard (adding IDs, Consequences fields, and updated Status values) is a follow-up task, not required immediately.
== Worked precedent ==
[[Standards: Types and Calibration Obligations/Decision Records]] predates this standard. Treat as early per-page home; retrofit IDs / Consequences / Status when practical — not a blocker for new DRs.


== Seed candidates (file on Index + owner page; not all need subpages) ==
Use these as the first Index rows when building [[Decision Records: Governance Memory/Index]]:
* Static dates only on Last Updated / review_date (no magic words)
* instrument_grade five-level scale; AI round-robin ≠ Confirmed standing
* Calibration Type param name retained (display may say Functional Layer)
* Official cal report shape + procedure tiers (pre-cal / Development / Confirmation / Ripple)
* Talk vs `/Calibration Log` decision procedure
* Decision Records optional sibling — not every page
* Calibration Failure Log = thin scar index, not full archive
* Maintenance Dashboard = queues + links, not report host
* NCR vs breadcrumb vs developmental alignment routing
Assign DR-0001… in the order you actually write them; do not reserve numbers for “planned” rows.
== See also ==
* [[Decision Records: Governance Memory/Index]] — create if missing
* [[Calibration Report Standard Format]]
* [[Calibration Log: When to Create One]]
* [[Page Structure Calibration Checklist]]
* [[Breadcrumb Philosophy]]
'''See the Game. Refuse the Game. Build Better.'''
'''See the Game. Refuse the Game. Build Better.'''
== Open Calibration Items ==
* Create Index page and register first adopted DRs from seed list
* Retrofit Standards: Types…/Decision Records when touching that area
* Point Checklist “Decision Index” link here / Index
''See the Page Transparency & Calibration section above for this page's Calibration Log / Decision Records / Talk links.''
{{RelatedPages}}
{{Standalone Transparency}}
{{Standalone Transparency}}
{{Calibration Maintenance}}
{{Calibration Dependent}}
{{Calibration Dependent}}
{{Calibration Dependencies Display}}
{{Calibration Dependencies Display}}
 
{{Calibration Maintenance}}
{{Framework Reference}}
{{Calibration Procedure Reference}}
{{Tracking Logs Reference}}
[[Category:Meta & Framework]]
[[Category:Meta & Framework]]
[[Category:Site Maintenance]]
[[Category:Site Maintenance]]
<div style="display:none;">
{{Resource
{{Resource
| Title = Decision Records: Governance Memory
| Title = Decision Records: Governance Memory
| URL = https://www.thesovereigngames.com/wiki/Decision_Records:_Governance_Memory
| URL = https://www.thesovereigngames.com/wiki/Decision_Records:_Governance_Memory
| Description = Defines what a Decision Record is, when one is required, where it lives, and how to write one — the governance memory layer explaining why rules exist.
| Description = Governance memory standard: what a Decision Record is, when required, where it lives, how to write one — why rules exist.
| Category = Meta & Framework
| Category = Meta & Framework
}}
}}
</div>
{{Admin Page Status
{{Admin Page Status
| categorization = Done
| categorization = Done
Line 130: Line 150:
| instrument_grade = Development
| instrument_grade = Development
| validation = Low
| validation = Low
| calibration_rationale = Single-round review (ChatGPT, Grok) incorporated in full — all substantive suggestions adopted (Principles, Consequences, expanded Status, IDs, supersession handling, governance-reasoning-not-truth guardrail). Title changed per project owner's synthesis of Grok's two options. Not yet tested: Index page doesn't exist, retrofit of the precedent page not yet done.
| calibration_rationale = Tightened hybrid storage (Talk allowed if Index registered); anti-triple-log; seed DR candidates from recent framework decisions; Application Layer vocabulary. Content of individual DRs not written this pass. Dates unchanged.
| review_confidence = High
| review_confidence = Moderate
| review_date = 2026-07-14
| review_date = 2026-07-14
| reviewed_by = Sovereign
| reviewed_by = Sovereign
Line 146: Line 166:
| terminology_consistent = Yes
| terminology_consistent = Yes
| standing_check = Self-assessed only
| standing_check = Self-assessed only
| drift_report_status = None open
| drift_report_status = Breadcrumb-Open
| depends_on = Breadcrumb Philosophy; Standards: Types and Calibration Obligations/Decision Records; Calibration Log: When to Create One
| depends_on = Breadcrumb Philosophy; Calibration Log: When to Create One; Calibration Report Standard Format; Page Structure Calibration Checklist
}}
}}

Latest revision as of 17:16, 24 July 2026

CYCLE Calibration position — Active Development

This page is a conceptual instrument under Permanent Beta. It declares a real calibration position, not a finished product waiting to ship. Checking continues; an edit is only required when evidence demands it. Stage: Seed to Fruit.

Feedback welcome — especially clarity, failure modes, and calibration gaps. Use discussion or Contribute.



Decision Records: Governance Memory

Calibration Reports record how a page’s content or status changed in one event. Decision Records record why a governance rule, taxonomy choice, or structural convention exists — including rejected alternatives — so a later contributor can tell “considered and chosen” from “never questioned.” A Decision Record is governance memory, not a second cal-report archive and not objective final truth. Treating it as “debate closed forever” would itself be Reality Override.



Sovereign-Games-OG-Image.jpg

Meta

Decision Records: Governance Memory

Type Meta & Framework
Functional Layer Governance
Application Layer Framework Infrastructure
Category Meta & Framework
Version 0.3
Maturity Development
Last Calibration 2026-07-14
Status Permanent Beta
Description What a Decision Record is, when required, where it lives, how to write one — governance memory for why rules exist, not what changed in one cal pass.

Core Principles

  • Reality gets final vote
  • See the Game. Refuse the Game. Build Better.
  • Permanent Beta

Navigation

Related


Principles

  • Preserve reasoning; do not advocate.
  • State rejected alternatives fairly enough that their appeal is understandable.
  • Separate observed facts from judgment calls.
  • Enable later recalibration; do not freeze debate by archival theater.
  • Stay short enough to be read.
  • Open — Unresolved is a valid complete status when disagreement is deliberately preserved.

What it captures (one decision)

  • Unique ID (DR-NNNN)
  • What was decided
  • Significant contributors / positions (not every chat participant)
  • Alternatives considered and why set aside
  • Consequences (what else must follow)
  • Status and date
  • Superseded-by only when applicable (append-only; never delete old content)

When required

Trigger: Would a future contributor reasonably ask “why does this rule exist?” from the page alone? If yes → Decision Record. If the change is wording, sequencing, formatting, or error correction → no. Typically yes:

  • Establish, rename, or retire a taxonomy category or controlled Type
  • Adopt or reject a rule, threshold, or formula other pages must follow
  • Resolve a real disagreement where the losing side had merit worth preserving
  • Change a structural convention (e.g. static dates only, report tiers, log vs Talk)

Typically no: typos, clarity edits, routine field updates, single-page content cal already explained by a Calibration Report.

Where it lives (hybrid, keep thin)

Layer Role
Decision Records: Governance Memory/Index Chronological scannable list: ID, date, title, primary page(s), link to full text. No long-form.
`PageName/Decision Records` Full write-ups for decisions primarily owned by that governance page. Optional sibling of `/Calibration Log` — not required on every content page. See Calibration Log: When to Create One and Template:Calibration Template.
Talk only Acceptable for a single short decision on an infrastructure page that stays Talk-only — still register the ID on the Index so it is findable.
This page Defines the standard; may host early records only until Index + per-page homes exist — prefer Index + owner page.

Multi-page decisions: full text on the page that enforces the rule; Index lists all affected pages; cross-link others. Do not triple-log: Decision Record = why the rule exists. Do not paste full cal reports here. Scars may point here in one line (Calibration Failure Log).

ID format

Sequential DR-0001, DR-0002, … assigned at creation, never reused if superseded or rejected. Cite by ID once registered (“see DR-0004”).

How to write

=== DR-XXXX: [Short specific title] ===
'''Decision:''' [One sentence]
'''Status:''' Proposed / Adopted / Superseded / Rejected / Open — Unresolved
'''Significant contributors:''' [Positions and who held them]
'''Reasoning:''' [Why the adopted path won — or why left open]
'''Alternatives considered:''' [What else, and why set aside]
'''Consequences:''' [Pages, conventions, follow-up]
'''Date:''' YYYY-MM-DD
'''Primary page:''' [[…]]
'''Superseded by:''' [DR-XXXX — only if applicable]

Superseding: mark old status Superseded; add new ID/date; leave original text intact (same append-only discipline as cal reports).

Relationship to other mechanisms

Mechanism Question
Versioning / page history When did the text change?
Calibration Report How did this pass change content or status?
Calibration Log What is the maintained current-state hub (when one exists)?
Decision Record Why does this rule/convention exist?
Breadcrumb What intentional incompleteness is still open?
Calibration Failure Log What design scars taught a reusable lesson?
Known Site Issues What is technically broken?

Creating a /Decision Records subpage

Most pages never need one. When the when test says a dedicated home is warranted (hub owns ongoing governance decisions), create PageName/Decision Records from the preload seed:

Register every new DR on Decision Records: Governance Memory/Index in the same edit. Hub children (e.g. diagnostic game subpages) link to the hub Decision Records or Talk via transparency menus — they do not each get their own DR subpage by default.

Worked precedent

Standards: Types and Calibration Obligations/Decision Records predates this standard. Treat as early per-page home; retrofit IDs / Consequences / Status when practical — not a blocker for new DRs.

Seed candidates (file on Index + owner page; not all need subpages)

Use these as the first Index rows when building Decision Records: Governance Memory/Index:

  • Static dates only on Last Updated / review_date (no magic words)
  • instrument_grade five-level scale; AI round-robin ≠ Confirmed standing
  • Calibration Type param name retained (display may say Functional Layer)
  • Official cal report shape + procedure tiers (pre-cal / Development / Confirmation / Ripple)
  • Talk vs `/Calibration Log` decision procedure
  • Decision Records optional sibling — not every page
  • Calibration Failure Log = thin scar index, not full archive
  • Maintenance Dashboard = queues + links, not report host
  • NCR vs breadcrumb vs developmental alignment routing

Assign DR-0001… in the order you actually write them; do not reserve numbers for “planned” rows.

See also

See the Game. Refuse the Game. Build Better.

Open Calibration Items

  • Create Index page and register first adopted DRs from seed list
  • Retrofit Standards: Types…/Decision Records when touching that area
  • Point Checklist “Decision Index” link here / Index

See the Page Transparency & Calibration section above for this page's Calibration Log / Decision Records / Talk links.


Structural Connections


Page Transparency & Calibration

This page is under continuous calibration in line with the Permanent Beta principle.

Public Discussion Welcome

Questions, suggestions, feedback, disagreement, and proposed improvements are welcome on the Talk page.

Light rules:

  • Prefer evidence and concrete examples over slogans.
  • Apply Diagnostic Inversion Test when criticizing — the same standard to this page that you would apply elsewhere.
  • Distinguish observation from conclusion.
  • Calibration entries and Decision Records are maintenance records; public discussion belongs in ordinary Talk threads.
  • This framework remains in Permanent Beta. Better calibration is always in scope.



Calibration Dependent

Pages that list this page as a load-bearing dependency:

Page Priority Instrument Grade Last Updated Cycle Status Drift Status
Insights and Future Layers Core Experimental 2026-07-14 Current Breadcrumb-Open
Calibration Report Standard Format Core Experimental 2026-07-20 Current Breadcrumb-Open
Decision Records: Governance Memory/Index Core Development 2026-07-14 Current Breadcrumb-Open
Standards: Types and Calibration Obligations Core Development 2026-07-20 Current Breadcrumb-Open
Page Structure Calibration Checklist Core Development 2026-07-14 Current Breadcrumb-Open
Calibration Failure Log Supporting Experimental 2026-07-24 Current Breadcrumb-Open
Standards: Types and Calibration Obligations/Decision Records Supporting Development 2026-07-14 Current None open

If this page is edited substantively, review the list above per the Ripple Review rule — see Calibration Dependencies: Standards and Process#Rule: Core-Priority Changes Trigger Mandatory Ripple Review.


Calibration Dependencies

Pages this page relies on as load-bearing dependencies: Breadcrumb Philosophy • Calibration Log: When to Create One • Calibration Report Standard Format • Page Structure Calibration Checklist If incorrect, edit the `depends_on` field in Admin Page Status — do not edit this section directly, it is auto-generated.



Calibration References

This page is calibrated against the following core standards and reference materials:



Page Construction & Maintenance References

How we construct, maintain, and utilize each page as a self-admin control panel.

  • Distributed Instrumentation — the architectural principle behind why this page (and every page) carries its own live instrumentation, rather than relying on a separate central dashboard.
  • Page Structure Calibration Checklist — the Step 0 structural pass every page should pass before content calibration begins; this page's own structure should be checkable against it.
  • Template:New Page Seed — the seed template this page's basic structure was built from.
  • Calibration Log: When to Create One — the decision procedure this page's own Talk-only vs. dedicated-log status was decided against.
  • Framework Features Reference — maintains consistency and traceability across the framework's structural features while avoiding unnecessary maintenance overhead; consult before introducing a new structural pattern this page might otherwise duplicate.



Calibration Procedure

In development. See Calibration Procedure for current status. No formal step-by-step procedure exists yet beyond the practices demonstrated across individual pages developed during the initial creation of this project.



Tracking & Log Pages



Page Reference

Title Decision Records: Governance Memory
URL https://www.thesovereigngames.com/wiki/Decision_Records:_Governance_Memory
Description Governance memory standard: what a Decision Record is, when required, where it lives, how to write one — why rules exist.
Category Meta & Framework



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