# Intake Definition of Comprehension (DoC)

**applies_to:** `intake`  
**Assessment outcomes:** `unassessed` | `DoC-Ok` | `DoC-Failed`  
**Does not apply to:** workplan, task, decision, engagement, register-entry

An intake is a **discovery** work record (a find / spark). **DoC** is the quality
policy for “we understand this demand or signal well enough to route or promote.”
It is **not** implementation design and **not** Definition of Ready.

Lifecycle `status` (open / vetted / routed / closed) is independent of DoC
assessment. Prefer: treat **DoC-Ok** as the quality bar before confident
`vetted` → `routed` → promote. Process may still move without DoC-Ok; that is
quality debt, not forbidden.

Related:

- Work-record umbrella: `dashboard/src/docs/work-records.md`
- Quality model: `docs/work-record-quality-gates.md`
- Delivery readiness: `policies/work-item-dor.md` (DoR)
- Intake reference: `dashboard/src/docs/intakes.md`

---

## Core checklist (all intakes)

An intake may be assessed **DoC-Ok** when all of the following hold:

- [ ] **Signal stated** — title (and description if non-obvious) says what was
  observed, asked, or found, not a vague “look into X.”
- [ ] **Why it matters** — at least one sentence of consequence if ignored
  (risk, opportunity, blocker, cost of delay).
- [ ] **Known unknowns listed** — what we do *not* know yet (owner, repo, scope,
  feasibility, counterparty intent, …), or an explicit “no material unknowns.”
- [ ] **Provisional ownership** — at least one of: `topic_id` / `workplan_id` /
  `repo_id` / domain hypothesis — **or** an explicit statement that ownership is
  still unknown and who will decide.
- [ ] **Next action** — one of: route, promote (to which kind if known), decline,
  absorb, or “needs more discovery” with a named follow-up.
- [ ] **Not a premature workplan** — the intake does not pretend to be a full
  task breakdown, DoD, or implementation design (those belong after promotion
  under DoR).

If any core item fails after assessment, record **DoC-Failed** and note the gap.

---

## Outside-originated profile

Use this section when the signal is **external** or **structurally sparse**:
external demand into the fleet, true third-party/upstream, mail/founder note
without repo context, or `origin` / tags such as `external-demand` /
`third-party`.

Additional criteria for **DoC-Ok** (on top of the core checklist):

- [ ] **Source of signal** — `origin` and, when available, `origin_ref` (or
  equivalent note) identify where the demand came from.
- [ ] **Boundary named** — one of: *ecosystem* (another fleet repo), *true
  third-party*, *external demand into us*, or *unknown* with a plan to classify.
- [ ] **No invented foreign structure** — we do not schedule *their* backlog as
  our workplan graph; we only record *our* understanding and *our* possible
  response.
- [ ] **Enough context to avoid premature promote** — promoting to task/workplan
  would not require guessing the owning repo or outcome shape; if it would,
  keep the intake open/vetted and list the missing facts under known unknowns.
- [ ] **Counterparty or channel** (when third-party or external) — who/what is
  outside, even if only “unknown maintainer of package X.”

Ecosystem-only signals (work for another registered repo) usually need routing
clarity, not the full third-party bar; still record boundary as ecosystem.

---

## Assessment practice (convention)

- Assessors: owning agent, domain owner, or human operator.
- Record outcome in a note, progress event, or later frontmatter/badge field:
  `DoC-Ok` or `DoC-Failed` plus date and short reason if failed.
- Re-assess after material new information; a prior DoC-Ok can become Failed or
  be superseded by a new Ok.
- **DoC-Ok does not authorize implementation** — only comprehension for
  routing/promotion. Delivery readiness is **DoR** on the resulting task or
  workplan.

---

## Explicit non-requirements

DoC does **not** require:

- Task breakdown, estimates, or acceptance tests
- Full solution design
- DoR or DoD criteria
- A workplan file to already exist
