shapinglisted

# Shaping Methodology A structured approach for collaboratively defining problems and exploring solution options. --- ## Multi-Level Consistency (Critical) Shaping produces documents at different levels of abstraction. **Truth must stay consistent across all levels.** ### The Document Hierarchy (high to low) 1. **Shaping doc** — ground truth for R's, shapes, parts, fit checks 2. **Slices doc** — ground truth for slice definitions, breadboards 3. **Individual slice plans** (V1-plan, etc.) — ground truth for implementation details ### The Principle Each level summarizes or provides a view into the level(s) below it. Lower levels contain more detail; higher levels are designed views that help acquire context quickly. **Changes ripple in both directions:** - **Change at high level → trickles down:** If you change the shaping doc's parts table, update the slices doc too. - **Change at low level → trickles up:** If a slice plan reveals a new mechanism or changes the scope of a slice, the Slices doc and shaping doc must reflect that. ### The Practice Whenever making a change: 1. **Identify which level you're touching** 2. **Ask: "Does this affect documents above or below?"** 3. **Update all affected levels in the same operation** 4. **Never let documents drift out of sync** The system only works if the levels are consistent with each other. --- ## Starting a Session When kicking off a new shaping session, offer the user both entry points: - **Start from R (Requirem