RFD 0001

Requests for Discussion

Author: Cole <cole@edilytics.com> published process meta

Overview

This document describes the Request for Discussion (RFD) process used by our team to propose, discuss, and document architectural decisions and design choices.

What is an RFD?

An RFD (Request for Discussion) is a document that captures ideas, proposals, and decisions in written form. RFDs are modeled after IETF RFCs and are designed to encourage timely discussion over polished submissions.

When to Write an RFD

Write an RFD when you want to propose:

  • Architectural or design decisions for software
  • API changes (internal or external)
  • Process changes
  • New features or significant changes to existing functionality

RFD States

RFDs progress through the following states:

State Description
Draft Work in progress, not ready for review
Published Finalized and approved for implementation

Document Structure

Each RFD should include:

  1. Title - A clear, descriptive title
  2. Author - Who wrote this RFD
  3. State - Current status (draft or published)
  4. Overview - Brief summary of the proposal
  5. Background - Context and motivation
  6. Proposal - Detailed description of what's being proposed
  7. Alternatives - Other approaches considered

Visibility

RFDs can be either:

  • Private (default) - Only visible to authenticated team members
  • Public - Visible to anyone

Set visibility in the frontmatter:

visibility: public  # or private (default)