AAOE Operating Model

Purpose

The Operating Model describes how AAOE engineering work is organized: how responsibilities are divided between the people and agents involved, and how architecture becomes implementation. It is the entry point into a set of detailed specifications; it does not itself define their mechanics.

This document does not restate the decisions already recorded in docs/00-governance/decisions, nor does it duplicate the specifications it points to. It builds on the former and summarizes the latter.

Core Principles

• Work is organized around canonical knowledge, not around any single tool, channel, or publishing surface.
• Architecture is decided before implementation begins; implementation follows a defined work order rather than ad hoc instruction.
• AI-assisted work is a proposal until a human accepts it. Throughput comes from delegation, not from removing accountability.
• Structure should stay legible as the ecosystem grows: new work fits into an existing lifecycle instead of inventing a new process each time.

Roles

AAOE engineering work is carried out by four roles: Human Architect, Implementation Agent, Human Reviewer, and Release Manager. Their responsibilities, authority, and interactions are fully defined in Roles & Responsibilities.

Engineering Lifecycle

AAOE engineering work moves through a defined sequence of stages, from architectural intent to approved, merged knowledge:

Architecture
        ↓
Work Order
        ↓
Implementation
        ↓
Implementation Report
        ↓
Architecture Review
        ↓
Approval
        ↓
Merge
        ↓
Next Work Order

The full lifecycle — its guiding principles, stage-by-stage description, artifacts, and transition rules — is defined in the Engineering Lifecycle specification.

The Work Order is the artifact that carries architectural intent into implementation. Its canonical structure and the standard Implementation Report it produces are defined in the Work Orders specification.

Operating Model Specifications

This README is the entry point into the Operating Model. Detailed behavior is defined in the following specifications:

• Engineering Lifecycle — the stages, artifacts, and transition rules that govern how work progresses.
• Work Orders — the canonical interface between Architecture and Implementation.
• Roles & Responsibilities — who participates in the lifecycle, and their responsibilities and authority.
• Architecture Review — how completed work is evaluated against approved architectural intent.
• Release Management — how approved work is integrated into AAOE's canonical knowledge.
• AAOE Meta-Model — the architectural blueprint consolidating AAOE's specifications into one end-to-end model.

Future Specifications

This document establishes the Operating Model at v0.1: a map of AAOE's engineering specifications, not a complete definition on its own. Additional specifications may be introduced as AAOE evolves; this README will continue to serve as their entry point.