Definition
A Discovery is evidence-based engineering knowledge captured from practical work — an observation, recorded with the evidence behind it, so it can later be evaluated and, if warranted, formalized. A Discovery is not an Architectural Decision, not a Specification, and not an implementation artifact; it carries no authority on its own.
Why It Matters
Organizations repeatedly rediscover the same engineering knowledge because observations made during one initiative are rarely captured in a form the next initiative can reuse. Discoveries preserve those observations as reusable organizational assets, forming the entry point into AAOE's Knowledge Engineering lifecycle.
Related Concepts
- Discovery Lifecycle
- Architecture Decision Record
- Specification
- Case Study
References
- DISC-0000 — Discoveries
- DISC-0001 — Discovery Lifecycle
- GV-0006 — Discovery Acceptance Process
- OM-0006 — AAOE Meta-Model