definelisted

# Define Document Audience & Purpose Phase 1 of the document writing workflow. Conduct a focused interview to produce the audience-purpose statement that governs all downstream writing decisions. **Document topic**: $ARGUMENTS ## Interview Protocol Ask these questions in sequence. Wait for answers after each. Do not ask multiple questions at once. ### Question 1 — Reader Role "Who is the primary reader? What is their role (developer, manager, end user, teammate, etc.) and their knowledge level relative to *this specific topic* — not their general expertise?" ### Question 2 — Reader Goal "What does the reader need to accomplish after reading this? Pick the specific outcome: - Complete a task they couldn't do before - Learn a skill by doing it - Look up a specific fact or value - Understand *why* something works the way it does" ### Question 3 — Reader Gap "What does the reader NOT know that you do? What's the curse-of-knowledge risk — what assumptions are you tempted to make that the reader can't share?" ### Question 4 — Scope Boundary "What is explicitly out of scope? What will this document *not* cover, even if it's related?" ### Question 5 — Type Confirmation (Diataxis) Based on answers 1–4, propose the best Diataxis type and confirm: | Type | Reader state | Writer's job | Wrong when... | |---|---|---|---| | **Tutorial** | Doesn't know what they don't know | Guide by doing | Explaining instead of showing | | **How-to** | Knows goal, needs path | Steps only, no con