| name | po-architect-decomposition-exchange |
| description | Situational mechanics for the turn-limited PO<->Architect BC-decomposition collaboration. Load this when you are actively running a decomposition exchange with the PO (or, as the PO, with the Architect) and need the round cap, the extension protocol, and the ship-from-here rule. Per PDR-014. |
PO ↔ Architect decomposition exchange (turn-limited)
When to load this skill
Load this skill only while you are inside an active BC-decomposition
collaboration — the bounded back-and-forth in which the PO and the Architect
converge on a Domain & Context Map and the set of BCs the product decomposes
into. Outside that exchange these mechanics are not live; the durable posture
("decomposition is bounded and you ship from the current map once the limit is
reached") stays in the role template, but the round-counting mechanics below
do not need to be ambient. This separation is PDR-014: situational guidance is
loaded on demand, not carried as ambient template prose.
Why the exchange is turn-limited
Decomposition can re-litigate itself forever — every map suggests a slightly
better map. The turn limit exists to force termination: it guarantees the
collaboration converges on a shippable Domain & Context Map instead of
spiralling into indefinite re-decomposition. The limit is a feature, not a
constraint to work around.
The mechanics
-
Default round cap: 3 rounds. The exchange runs a hard cap of 3
rounds by default. A "round" is one PO proposal plus the Architect's
response (or vice versa) — one full back-and-forth turn of the
collaboration.
-
One allowed extension. Beyond the default cap, one allowed
extension is available. Either party may request the extension; the other
party may accept or refuse it. There is exactly one extension — it is not
renewable, and a refused extension ends the exchange at the cap.
-
Ship from the current map when the limit is hit. If the conversation
reaches the final round (round 3, or the extension round if one was
granted) without full convergence, the current Domain & Context Map is
what you have, and you ship from there. You do not hold the exchange open
for a better map; you take the map as it stands at the limit and proceed to
scenario-to-BC assignment from it.
What this skill does not change
This skill carries the situational mechanics only. The operative doctrine —
that decomposition is a bounded collaboration and that you ship from the
current map at the limit — remains stated in the lead-architect role template
and continues to hold whether or not this skill is loaded. Loading the skill
adds the round-counting and extension protocol you need to run the exchange;
it does not introduce new decomposition behavior.
