RMP.2:1 - Problem Frame

Research questions do not determine one universal design. The same practical use can be served by a controlled comparison, a field observation, a qualitative account of situated mechanism, historical source criticism, a computational challenge, a synthesis of an existing corpus, a mixed composition, or no new study at all. Each exposes different errors and requires different observations, sources, access, and domain judgements.

A design family can also change when one external fact changes. If an accelerated condition alters the failure mechanism, an experimental comparison may need a different relation or may cease to bear on the field claim. If a salinity sensor is invalid or a site is inaccessible, a proposed field design may collapse or give way to a source synthesis. If archival provenance is unresolved, the relevant historical contrast may be impossible. Calling such values “details to settle later” creates a fictitious design.

The opposite error is endless pre-design elaboration. Exact file names, trace serialization, local schedule placement, or other bounded implementation choices can remain after selection when they cannot change the family or criticism logic. RMP.2 needs a test that separates those needs from load-bearing unknowns.