[RFC Template] Title

Templates

Visible to members of this folder

Authors:

@nickname

@nickname

1 Executive Summary

A short paragraph or bullet list that quickly explains what you're trying to do.

2 Motivation

What motivates this proposal and why is it important?

Here we aim to get comfortable articulating the value of our actions.

3 Proposed Implementation

This is the core of your proposal, and its purpose is to help you think through the problem because writing is thinking.

Consider:

using diagrams to help illustrate your ideas.

including code examples if you're proposing an interface or system contract.

linking to project briefs or wireframes that are relevant.

4 Metrics & Dashboards

What are the main metrics we should be measuring? For example, when interacting with an external system, it might be the external system latency. When adding a new table, how fast would it fill up?

5 Drawbacks

Are there any reasons why we should not do this? Here we aim to evaluate risk and check ourselves.

6 Alternatives

What are other ways of achieving the same outcome?

7 Potential Impact and Dependencies

Here we aim to be mindful of our environment and generate empathy towards others who may be impacted by our decisions.

For example:

What other systems or teams are affected by this proposal?

How could this be exploited by malicious attackers?

8 Unresolved questions

What parts of the proposal are still being defined, or not covered by this proposal?

9 Conclusion

Here we briefly outline why this is the right decision to make at this time, and move forward!

10 RFC Process Guide, remove this section when done

By writing an RFC, you're giving insight to your team on the direction you're taking. There may not be a right or better decision in many cases, but we will likely learn from it. By authoring, you're making a decision on where you want us to go and are looking for feedback on this direction from your team members, but ultimately the decision is yours.

This document is a:

thinking exercise, prototype with words.

historical record, its value may decrease over time.

way to broadcast information.

mechanism to build trust.

tool to empower.

communication channel.

This document is not:

a request for permission.

the most up to date representation of any process or system

Checklist:

Copy template

Draft RFC (think of it as a wireframe)

Share as WIP with folks you trust, to gut-check

Send pull request when comfortable

Label accordingly

Assign reviewers (ask your manager if in doubt)

Merge yourself with 2 approved reviews

Recommendations

Tag RFC title with [WIP] if you're still ironing out details.

Tag RFC title with [newbie] if you're trying out something experimental or you're not completely convinced of what you're proposing.

Tag RFC title with [SWARCH] if you'd like to schedule a SWARCH review to discuss the RFC.

If there are areas that you're not convinced on, tag people who you consider may know about this and ask for their input.

If you have doubts, ask your manager for help moving something forward.

As the author/s, this is your decision. You are empowered to choose to move forward despite dissenting comments. We're not looking for consensus-driven decision-making.