Library / Problem Structuring and Decision Support Principles Framework
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Source changed 2026-10-03 08:25:59 UTC · snapshot created 2026-10-03 08:26:43 UTC · last check 2026-10-03 09:50:10 UTC

PSD.1:4.5 - Record the bounded engagement question or exact stop

Use the smallest account that another participant or later use must recover:

Result positionRequired content
intended returnThe smallest decision-support result sought now, including blocker or abstention as valid branches.
recipient and useWho receives the result, which decision or Work can change, and the horizon.
holder or subjectThe exact subject, configuration, place, population, or interval needed by the current question.
participant positionsDecision-support performer and choice owner, plus only the assignments or authority facts the current use needs.
current boundaryIncluded concerns and consequences, important exclusions, and why that cut is usable now.
missing value or next branchThe exact participant, formulation, scope, source, alternative, evidence, authority, or other result still needed.
reopen conditionThe smallest observable change that can alter the question, scope, authority boundary, or next branch.

A compact result may be one sentence and one stop:

For [recipient] and [receiving decision], prepare [return] about [subject] within [horizon]; [choice owner] retains the later choice. The engagement is blocked until [exact missing value] is recovered.

Do not add a role register, stage model, workshop plan, evidence pack, or account field merely because a larger case might need it.