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Operating Principles

Purpose: Deliberate choices about how we operate — distinct from assumptions (beliefs that could be wrong). When a principle changes, trace through affected docs and recalibrate.

Principles Registry

ID Principle Rationale Impact Docs Affected
P1 Rotating leads (3 new per course) Prevents burnout, brings fresh energy 🟠 High center-operations.md, mega-course-january.md, how-to-volunteer.md
P2 12-month runway for community programs Community doesn't form in 90 days (learned: I1) 🟠 High assumptions.md, domain-brief.md, lessons-learned.md
P3 Low-pressure intro sessions (no sales push) Trust before transaction; repeat visitors go deeper 🟡 Medium mega-course-january.md, messaging-templates.md
P4 Communicate the "why" on every pivot Decision opacity breaks trust (learned: I2) 🟡 Medium ways-of-working.md, communication-systems.md
P5 Central team enables, not controls 2 people support and follow leads — not bottlenecks 🟠 High ways-of-working.md, center-operations.md
P6 Warm handoffs (previous lead available 2 weeks) Continuity across transitions 🟡 Medium ways-of-working.md
P7 Guiltless learning space for new leads Mistakes are learning, not failures 🟡 Medium how-to-volunteer.md, ways-of-working.md
P8 Diverse representation matters People need to see themselves in the community 🟡 Medium neighborhood-presence.md, domain-brief.md
P9 Footfalls before conversions Optimize for presence first; registrations are lagging indicator 🟡 Medium metrics-framework.md, neighborhood-presence.md
P10 Familiar tools for volunteers General volunteers use Google Sheets, WhatsApp, Slack — not backend systems 🟢 Standard technical-setup.md, communication-systems.md

Impact Grading

Grade Meaning Recalibration Scope
🟠 High Uncommon in wellness orgs; high impact if violated Multiple playbooks, board expectations, volunteer training
🟡 Medium Somewhat distinctive; moderate ripple Specific playbooks, messaging templates
🟢 Standard Common practice; low differentiation Localized updates, minimal ripple

How to Use This

When adding a new principle

  1. Add to registry with ID, rationale, impact grade
  2. List all docs that depend on this principle
  3. Ensure those docs reference the principle ID (e.g., [per P1])

When changing a principle

  1. Review all docs in "Docs Affected" column
  2. Update each doc to reflect the change
  3. Note the change in lessons-learned.md if it came from experience

When something fails

  1. Check if it violated a principle (expected) or revealed a new principle (learning)
  2. If new learning → add to principles with "learned from" reference
  3. If violated existing principle → strengthen the principle's visibility in affected docs

Traceability: Principles → Assumptions → Lessons

PRINCIPLES (deliberate choices)
    ↓ inform
ASSUMPTIONS (beliefs being tested)
    ↓ when invalidated, become
LESSONS LEARNED (what we now know)
    ↓ may surface new
PRINCIPLES (updated operating choices)
Source Extracted Principles
From Assumptions C43→P2, C46→P3, C47→P1, C48→P7, C49→P5, C50→P6, C12→P8, C45→P9, C27→P10
From Invalidated I1→P2 rationale, I2→P4

Last updated: 2025-12-25

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