ES-100 Stage Manifest¶
Manifest purpose¶
This manifest is the structured contract for ES-100.
It defines what the stage is, why it exists, what it requires, what it produces, and how completion is evaluated.
Stage identity¶
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Stage ID | ES-100 |
| Stage Name | Start Here |
| Stage Family | Orientation and Platform Onboarding |
| Stage Type | Foundational onboarding |
| Estimated Effort | 30–60 minutes |
| Prerequisites | None |
| Previous Stage | None |
| Next Stage | ES-101 — Vision and Problem Definition |
| Primary Output | Engineering readiness |
| Publication Status | Production-ready |
Stage mission¶
Prepare engineers to confidently begin a trustworthy intelligent systems project by introducing the ETIS Engineering Platform, its engineering philosophy, repository organization, evidence model, navigation, and workflow.
Primary engineering question¶
How is engineering work organized within the ETIS Engineering Platform?
Inputs¶
| Input | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Starter Kit repository | Yes | Engineer should have access to the repository or published site. |
| Prior ETIS knowledge | No | ES-100 assumes no prior ETIS experience. |
| Project definition | No | Project-specific work begins in ES-101. |
| Engineering team | No | ES-100 can be completed individually or as a team. |
Outputs¶
| Output | Repository Location | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering readiness | Not a file | Engineer understands how to begin. |
| Completed readiness gate | engineering/ES-100/readiness_gate.md |
Used as self-check or team checkpoint. |
| Platform orientation | Not a file | Engineer understands navigation, evidence, and stage flow. |
| Next-stage transition | engineering/ES-101/README.md |
Engineer is ready to begin ES-101. |
Required evidence¶
ES-100 produces minimal project evidence by design.
Required evidence is readiness evidence:
| Evidence | Description |
|---|---|
| Readiness gate completion | Engineer can answer the ES-100 readiness questions. |
| Navigation confidence | Engineer can locate current and next stage materials. |
| Evidence awareness | Engineer understands where future artifacts will belong. |
| AI verification awareness | Engineer understands AI output requires human verification. |
Activities¶
| Activity | Purpose | Related Page |
|---|---|---|
| Read orientation | Understand why ES-100 exists. | README |
| Learn navigation | Understand how to move through the platform. | Navigation |
| Complete first-day path | Perform practical onboarding. | First Day Guide |
| Understand journey | Learn how stages organize engineering work. | Engineering Journey |
| Review principles | Learn foundational ETIS doctrine. | Engineering Principles |
| Review stage map | Understand lifecycle progression. | Stage Map |
| Review glossary | Establish shared terminology. | Glossary |
| Complete readiness gate | Verify readiness for ES-101. | Readiness Gate |
Completion criteria¶
ES-100 is complete when the engineer can:
- explain the purpose of the ETIS Engineering Platform;
- describe the Engineering Stage model;
- navigate the ES-100 materials;
- explain Repository-Centered Engineering;
- explain Evidence-Centered Engineering;
- distinguish artifacts from evidence;
- explain “AI proposes; engineers verify”;
- identify ES-101 as the next stage;
- complete the readiness gate.
Success criteria¶
ES-100 succeeds when a first-time engineer can begin ES-101 without external explanation.
The engineer does not need mastery.
The engineer needs orientation, confidence, and a clear next action.
Dependencies¶
ES-100 has no upstream dependencies.
Downstream stages depend on ES-100 for:
- shared terminology;
- navigation convention;
- readiness gate convention;
- evidence-centered expectations;
- AI verification expectations;
- stage-based engineering discipline.
Risks if skipped¶
Skipping ES-100 may result in:
- unclear repository use;
- inconsistent artifact placement;
- premature project decisions;
- weak evidence habits;
- misuse of AI assistance;
- confusion about stage order;
- false progress into later stages.
Maintenance notes¶
Future updates to ES-100 should preserve:
- the one-question stage model;
- progressive disclosure;
- mentoring voice;
- cross-link consistency;
- readiness gate structure;
- repository-centered doctrine;
- evidence-centered doctrine.
Changes that alter stage philosophy should be treated as platform-level changes, not local edits.