Design Principles SPEC-02
These principles are normative and apply to every model created using this specification.
These Principles operate within, and shall not contradict, the Canonical Principles of the OCOM Constitution (Core/Constitution.md).
1. Organization Before Technology
Operational models describe organizations independently of software, platforms, vendors, and implementation technologies. Technology implements the model but never defines it.
2. Entity-Centric Modeling
Object is the universal abstraction of the operational model (Constitution §1). Entity is a specialization of Object. Every operational concept shall be represented through identifiable entities. Entities are the primary building blocks of the operational model.
3. Explicit Ownership
Every entity shall have a clearly defined owner responsible for its lifecycle, integrity, and operational consistency. Ownership shall never be implicit.
4. State-Based Operations
Operational activities exist to transform entity states. Every significant operational change should be represented as a state transition.
5. Domain Responsibility
Responsibilities belong to domains. Domains define accountability, governance, and operational boundaries.
6. Separation of Model and Implementation
Implementations adapt to the operational model; the operational model never adapts to implementation-specific constraints (Constitution §13). The operational model shall remain independent of software architecture, databases, APIs, programming languages, and infrastructure. Implementations may change without changing the operational model.
7. Single Source of Truth
Each operational concept shall have a single authoritative definition within the model. Duplicate definitions should be avoided.
8. Semantic Consistency
Equivalent concepts shall be modeled consistently throughout the specification. Naming, behavior, and relationships should remain predictable.
9. AI Interpretability
Operational models should be understandable by both humans and artificial intelligence without requiring implementation-specific knowledge.
10. Evolvability
The framework shall support organizational evolution without requiring redesign of the underlying operational model.
11. Separation of Professional Responsibility
This principle is canonically stated in Constitution §14 — Professional Responsibility (Core/Constitution.md). OCOM deliberately separates the management of operational memory from professional expertise. OCOM is responsible for Operational Memory, the Object Model, Knowledge Management, Context Preservation, Workflow Coordination, Decision Tracking, and Action Tracking. Professional functions of the organization — including Legal, Compliance, Finance, Security, and HR — are responsible for expert judgments and decisions within their domains. OCOM shall not substitute for professional expertise; it supports that expertise through structured operational memory.
Conformance
All models created using this specification shall conform to these principles.
Revision History
| Version | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 0.2 | 22 July 2026 | Compiled reading path, approved by the Architecture Committee with editorial changes (Specification/Committee Review Package.md). |
| 0.2 | 22 July 2026 | Committee Review: an earlier draft retitled Principle 9 to "Interpretability"; the Architecture Committee directed reversion to the source title, on the basis that retitling a sourced principle is an architectural judgment requiring an ADR, not an editorial choice. |
| 0.2 | 4 September 2026 | Resynchronised with Core/Principles.md after Principle 11 (ADR CAND-003, 23 July 2026) and the Constitution cross-references in Principles 2 and 6 (CAND-006) were added to the source; editorial recompilation, no content of its own. |
| 1.0 | 17 September 2026 | Version label 1.0; the one sentence that departed from Core/Principles.md (an editorial count of the principles) restated verbatim; content otherwise unchanged and verified verbatim against Core/Principles.md as of this date. |
| 1.0 | 19 September 2026 | The subordination sentence of Core/Principles.md, "These Principles operate within, and shall not contradict, the Canonical Principles of the OCOM Constitution", was missing from a chapter whose Source line declares verbatim compilation; compiled now. Found by the survey that CAND-018 rests on. No requirement changed in any source document. |
Source: compiled from Core/Principles.md, verbatim, including principle titles. (Committee Review, 22 July 2026: an earlier draft retitled Principle 9 to "Interpretability"; the Architecture Committee directed reversion to the source title, on the basis that retitling a sourced principle is an architectural judgment requiring an ADR, not an editorial choice.) (4 September 2026: resynchronised with Core/Principles.md after Principle 11 (ADR CAND-003, 23 July 2026) and the Constitution cross-references in Principles 2 and 6 (CAND-006) were added to the source; editorial recompilation, no content of its own.) (17 September 2026: recompiled as v1.0 against the canonical documents as of this date; see Revision History)