Core Model¶

The Commitment Design System (CDS) is a system model for discovering meaning, refining intent, and formalizing commitments.

CDS exists to narrow broad cooperation into a specific, accountable commitment — before execution begins. It focuses on the quality of upstream translation so delivery does not become the place where meaning and intent are discovered too late.

What CDS is¶

CDS is an upper-layer discipline for turning human reality into commitment-ready clarity:

It helps teams discover and align on meaning (conditions, needs, frictions, stakes).
It helps teams refine intent into a decision-grade form (outcomes, boundaries, constraints, tradeoffs, assumptions).
It helps teams formalize commitments so execution can be governed, adapted, and evaluated responsibly.

CDS is compatible with different delivery approaches and operating models. It does not prescribe how work must be executed; it designs what execution is accountable to deliver.

What CDS is not¶

Not a delivery methodology (it does not replace Agile/Lean/Scrum/Kanban).
Not requirements writing (it is commitment formation, not ticket production).
Not a strategy framework (it can support strategy, but focuses on when strategy becomes commitment).
Not a legal template (it can be expressed via contracts, but is not contract language).
Not a substitute for cooperation systems (it assumes cooperation dynamics exist and may be supported by broader systems such as HCS).

CDS lifecycle¶

CDS uses a simple lifecycle. These are steps, not phases of a project plan. Depending on stakes, they can be run lightly or deeply.

Step 1: Meaning Discovery¶

Discover and align on what is true, what is needed, and what is blocking progress — without jumping to solutions.

Turn meaning into decision-grade intent by making outcomes, boundaries, constraints, tradeoffs, assumptions, evidence, and decision rights explicit.

Step 3: Commitment Formalization¶

Freeze refined intent into an accountable commitment with governance, change protocol, evidence expectations, and revisit triggers.

Core interfaces¶

CDS is designed to connect to other systems. Two interfaces matter most.

Meaning Handshake¶

The interface between Meaning Discovery and Intent Refinement.

Purpose: ensure meaning is captured in a usable, inspectable form — so intent refinement starts from shared reality rather than assumptions.

Primary output: Meaning Handshake artifact.

Commitment Envelope¶

The interface between Commitment Formalization and execution runtimes.

Purpose: provide a stable, explicit commitment object that delivery can execute and govern without repeatedly re-discovering intent.

Primary output: Commitment Envelope artifact.

Core artifacts¶

CDS keeps artifacts lightweight and inspectable. The canonical outputs are:

Meaning Handshake (Meaning Discovery output)
Intent Package (Intent Refinement output)
Commitment Envelope (Commitment Formalization output)

Each lifecycle stage page defines:

purpose and boundaries
process and substages
artifact schema
core quality checks (“what good looks like”)
common failure patterns and recovery moves

Core roles¶

CDS is role-agnostic, but it requires these functions to be present (even if performed by the same person in small settings):

Sponsor — holds the why, sets priorities, accepts tradeoffs.
Decider — has authority to commit and resolve conflicts when needed.
Facilitator / Translator — runs the CDS process, surfaces assumptions, maintains clarity.
Domain voices — people closest to the work and constraints (business, technical, operational, risk/compliance as needed).
Delivery representative — ensures intent is plausible and commitment is executable.

Core quality checks¶

CDS quality checks prevent premature commitment. At a high level:

Meaning is sufficient when conditions, needs, frictions, and stakes are explicit and not mutually surprising.
Intent is decision-grade when outcomes, boundaries, constraints, tradeoffs, assumptions, evidence, and decision rights are explicit.
Commitment is formalized when ownership, governance, change protocol, evidence expectations, and revisit triggers are explicit.

Each lifecycle stage page defines concrete checks and “smells” (early warning signals).

How to read the next pages¶

Use the lifecycle pages as building blocks:

Meaning Discovery — what CDS must learn and align on first.
Intent Refinement — how CDS turns meaning into decision-grade intent.
Commitment Formalization — how CDS freezes intent into an accountable commitment ready for execution.