Purpose

3.1 One Vision Document #

Every Project must have exactly one Vision Document. It states the essential problem being solved, the concrete desired future state, and the long-term goals that define success. It is short, stable, free of implementation detail, and written so that the gap between current reality and the desired outcome is clear, credible, and memorable after a single reading. It is the first artifact created and is human-authored. [GP-13; GP-68; LSA]

3.2 Highest stability #

The Vision Document is the highest-stability artifact of the Project. It must change only rarely, and only through the controlled change Gate (§9.2) and a Decision Record (§11).

No implementation choices, technology selections, material choices, vendor names, or detailed design decisions, etc. may appear in the Vision Document. Those details belong in lower-stability documents. [GP-50; GP-51; LSA]

3.3 Hierarchy of intent #

The Vision Document sits at the top of the hierarchy. Every lower-level document that states or plans work (Component Specifications, Plan Documents, design documents, etc.) must explain how it serves the goals stated in the Vision Document. No lower-level document may change, contradict, or redefine the problem, desired future state, or long-term goals that the Vision Document has already accepted. [GP-13]