Welcome to the Intent-Based Engineering framework community! This repository hosts discussions for the framework while documentation lives on GitLab.
Primary Documentation: gitlab.com/vigilkeep/intent-based-engineering
The Intent-Based Engineering framework provides systematic approaches for:
- Preserving decision context and rationale (preventing "archaeological software")
- Separating capabilities from constraints in architecture
- Creating self-describing software systems
- Building knowledge that survives team changes
This is research-in-progress seeking validation through real-world implementation experiences.
Share your framework application experiences—successes, failures, challenges, and lessons learned.
Post here when:
- You've tried applying framework concepts
- You want feedback on your approach
- You're documenting results (positive or negative)
- You have questions about implementation
Propose reusable patterns or document failures for community learning.
Post here when:
- You've discovered a reusable approach
- Something didn't work and you want to document it
- You want feedback on pattern applicability
- You're ready to progress a pattern's confidence level
Suggest evidence-based improvements to framework concepts and documentation.
Post here when:
- You've found framework limitations
- Documentation is confusing or incomplete
- You have evidence-based suggestions
- You want to discuss framework scope
Collaborate on empirical validation of framework hypotheses.
Post here when:
- Proposing validation studies
- Sharing research findings
- Seeking research collaboration
- Contributing to framework validation
Ask questions and get help understanding framework concepts.
Post here when:
- You're getting started
- You need clarification on concepts
- You're exploring how framework relates to other approaches
- You have general questions
Discuss preservation philosophy and connections to other Vigil Keep projects.
Post here when:
- Exploring knowledge preservation concepts
- Connecting framework to broader preservation mission
- Sharing cross-project insights
- Building community culture
We use GitHub and GitLab together because each excels at different things:
GitHub (Here):
- ✅ Rich discussion features with categories
- ✅ Q&A format with accepted answers
- ✅ Easy threading and exploration
- ✅ Good for open-ended conversations
- ✅ Natural community building
GitLab (Primary Repository):
- ✅ Framework documentation source of truth
- ✅ Templates and implementation guides
- ✅ Part 8 Living Documentation (Wiki)
- ✅ Formal contributions via merge requests
- ✅ Version control for documentation
Discuss Here (GitHub)
↓
Explore & Get Feedback
↓
Formalize There (GitLab)
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Submit Documentation
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Recognition Both Places
Start Here: Questions, experiences, ideas, patterns
Formalize There: Documentation, templates, formal contributions
This framework represents testable hypotheses requiring validation through diverse real-world application. We're not claiming proven methodology—we're seeking evidence to validate or invalidate our approaches.
Your failures are as valuable as your successes. If you tried the framework and it didn't work, that information is critical for framework evolution. Intellectual honesty strengthens understanding.
Framework evolves based on implementation evidence, not theoretical arguments. Your real-world experiences—with sufficient context—are how we learn what actually works.
Confusion signals documentation improvement opportunities. Critique reveals blind spots. Alternative approaches expand solution space. Questions are contributions, not interruptions.
Easiest Contribution: Tell us about your framework application attempts in Implementation Experiences.
What We Want to Know:
- What you tried and why
- What worked and what didn't
- What surprised you
- What you'd do differently
Honesty > Polish: Partial information and in-progress experiences are valuable.
Most Valuable Contribution: Use templates from GitLab to formally document your experience.
Process:
- Discuss approach here first (optional but helpful)
- Apply framework to your project
- Document using GitLab template
- Submit via merge request or Wiki edit
- Recognition on both platforms
Reusable Knowledge: Extract patterns from your experience and share for community validation.
Start Here: Patterns and Anti-Patterns
Confidence Progression:
- ⚡ Hypothesis → 🌱 Early Evidence → ✅ Validated → 🏆 Proven
Questions help everyone. Ask in General Q&A.
Good Questions Include:
- Your context (team size, domain, experience)
- What you've already tried or read
- Specific confusion or challenge
- Concrete example if applicable
Community support is valuable contribution. Share your experience and perspective when you can help others.
✅ Specific Context: Describe your environment, constraints, team
✅ Real Examples: Concrete situations, not vague observations
✅ Evidence-Based: Data, measurements, or multiple implementations
✅ Honest Assessment: Acknowledge both successes and failures
✅ Open Exploration: Invite input rather than seeking validation
Intellectual Honesty: Frame hypotheses as hypotheses, acknowledge uncertainty
Evidence-Based: Label speculation clearly, prefer measurements when available
Respectful Skepticism: Critique ideas not people, welcome alternatives
Learning-Oriented: Questions are opportunities, mistakes are lessons
Collaborative: Framework improves through community input
- Main Repository
- Templates Directory
- Part 8 Living Documentation
- Contributing Guidelines
- Discussion Guidelines
Version: v0.x (Active Validation Phase)
Path to v1.0 requires:
- 10+ documented implementations across diverse contexts
- Multiple patterns reach "Validated" confidence level
- Research studies validate key hypotheses
- Anti-pattern library documents failure modes
- Community consensus on core concepts
Your Participation Accelerates v1.0: Every discussion, implementation, pattern, and honest assessment moves framework toward validated methodology.
We're committed to welcoming, inclusive, harassment-free community. All participants should:
- Be Respectful: Kindness and professionalism
- Be Constructive: Helpful feedback and alternatives
- Be Inclusive: Welcome diverse perspectives and experience levels
- Be Honest: Share authentic experiences, acknowledge uncertainty
- Be Learning-Oriented: Mistakes are opportunities
Report concerns to maintainers via GitLab.
All contributions to this community space are made under the Apache License 2.0.
Framework documentation on GitLab is under CC BY 4.0.
Whether you're implementing the framework, questioning its assumptions, exploring patterns, or simply learning, your perspective strengthens collective understanding.
Negative results are welcome. Questions are contributions. Honest assessment over promotion.
We look forward to learning with you.
Questions? Start a discussion in General Q&A
Ready to contribute? See Contributing Guidelines on GitLab
Want to understand framework? Read framework documentation on GitLab