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Engineering Stage

ES-101 — Vision and Problem Definition

Move through ES-101 and connect guidance, templates, examples, and project artifacts.

Lifecycle: Framing Page: Navigation

ES-101 Navigation

Purpose

This page explains how to move through ES-101 and where the resulting artifacts belong.

ES-101 is the first stage that produces project-specific engineering evidence. Navigation must therefore connect the stage guidance, templates, completed examples, and the project workspace.


ES-101 path

Complete ES-101 in this order:

README
  ↓
navigation.md
  ↓
engineering_context.md
  ↓
activities.md
  ↓
evidence.md
  ↓
outputs.md
  ↓
readiness_gate.md
  ↓
stage_manifest.md
  ↓
ES-102

Repository areas used in this stage

ES-101 uses four repository areas.

engineering/ES-101/

Guidance for completing the stage.

template-library/vision/

Reusable blank structures for vision artifacts.

examples/lmu-coicp/vision/

Completed examples showing what good vision evidence can look like.

docs/vision/

Your project-specific vision artifacts.


What to copy

Copy the templates from:

template-library/vision/

into:

docs/vision/

Then complete them for your project.

Do not edit the original templates.

Do not edit the LMU/COICP examples unless you are maintaining the reference example.


Expected project artifacts

By the end of ES-101, your project should contain:

docs/vision/problem_statement.md
docs/vision/vision_statement.md
docs/vision/stakeholders.md
docs/vision/scope.md
docs/vision/assumptions.md
docs/vision/success_metrics.md
docs/vision/vision_readiness_summary.md

If your project needs additional vision artifacts, add them under docs/vision/ using clear names.


How to use the examples

The LMU/COICP examples are not answers to copy.

They are reference evidence.

Use them to understand:

  • expected level of specificity;
  • appropriate artifact length;
  • how to state uncertainty;
  • how to separate problem from solution;
  • how to make assumptions visible;
  • how to define success without overpromising.

Move forward only when the current artifact is clear enough to support the next artifact.

For example:

  • do not write success metrics until the problem is clear;
  • do not finalize scope until stakeholders are identified;
  • do not complete the readiness summary until assumptions and boundaries are explicit.

Common pitfall

Common Pitfall

Do not complete artifacts in isolation.

The problem statement, vision statement, stakeholders, scope, assumptions, and success metrics should reinforce one another. If they conflict, resolve the conflict before continuing.


Engineering insight

Engineering Insight

Good navigation is more than file order. It is dependency order.

The right sequence helps engineers make better decisions.


Continue to Engineering Context

Continue through ES-101 by moving to Engineering Context.

Continue to Engineering Context →