Request for Comment (RFC)

<aside> 🔆 *This is a lightweight template for planning architecturally significant work and seeking feedback.

Start with ‘Context /Problem’ and remove instructions as you go.
Share your problem statement with your stakeholders before you brainstorm solutions
Brainstorm solutions and share them with stakeholders before picking a direction
As you articulate your solution keep sharing! The closer to a final decision you are - the more people should have already seen it.

Don’t polish the document too early!*

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<aside> 💬 Giving and receiving feedback is always hard! To make it easier - keep these tips in mind:

Seek feedback early and often! Don’t wait until the document is perfect and your decision is too hard to change.
Feedback should focus on understanding the problem or trying to solve it. We aren’t here to nitpick - we are here to collaborate and help our users.
Adjust your feedback to the state of the document. In the early draft stages don’t fret grammar and structure.
Add and discuss feedback as comments. Incorporate decisions and clarification into the document. Resolve comments and don’t make future readers dig through huge discussion threads.

Consciously seeking feedback helps us learn from each other and makes for a better project. Give it the time it deserves.

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Problem

START HERE

What problem or circumstance necessitates this project? Articulate the problem you are trying to solve, not the solution.

The less you talk about software, and the more you talk about your end-users, the closer you are to understanding the real underlying issue.

Success Criteria

In 2-3 sentences summarise what your solution will provide for your end users. Then list out how you will know once you are successful. Remember - your goal isn’t to ship software, it’s to relieve your users’ pain.

[ ] Users can complete X task in Y seconds…
[ ] Task A is automatically completed for users…
[ ] Users are no longer blocked when they try to…

DACI

Who cares about this project, who needs to contribute and who do you need to consult?

Role	Name	Reason
Driver	Jane Doe	Who is responsible for making sure decisions are made? Who will make sure people are informed?
Approver		Who has the final say? Who is ultimately responsible for the success of the project?
Contributor		Who will contribute to the project plan? Who has the expertise?
Informed		Who needs to keep up-to-date on the project by won’t be directly involved? Will anyone be impacted by the project?

Proposal

Overview

Describe your proposed solution in broad detail. Start by brainstorming lots of different solutions and then discard approaches that won’t work.

A picture is worth 1,000 words. Use the lightweight mermaid syntax to visualize your proposal. (Change “Split” to “Preview” to hide the code)