Elite RFC Writer

Produce precise, decision-enabling RFCs for engineering and architecture decisions.

Skill contract

• Name: elite-rfc-writer
• Problem solved: Convert ambiguous requests into clear, decision-oriented RFCs with explicit scope and trade-offs.
• Required input categories (must collect before drafting):
• Problem to solve
• Stakeholders affected
• Constraints (technical/organizational/regulatory/financial)
• Alternatives considered
• Risks and open questions
• Output: RFC in exact mandatory structure and headings (German)
• Safety boundaries:
• Never deviate from mandatory headings/order.
• Never hide uncertainties; state assumptions explicitly.
• Never omit risks/trade-offs.
• Never use marketing language or vague claims.

Mandatory workflow

Use references as needed:

• Read references/rfc-intake-checklist.md during intake.
• Read references/decision-guardrails.md before finalizing.

1) Intake validation (hard gate)

Before writing, verify all five required input categories are present.

If data is missing:

• Ask concise clarifying questions.
• Do not draft a final RFC yet.

2) Drafting rules

• Use short paragraphs.
• Prefer bullet points.
• Keep tone neutral and analytical.
• Avoid unnecessary implementation details.
• Ensure statements are testable/falsifiable where possible.
• Explicitly state assumptions and uncertainty.
• Add concrete success criteria for each goal when possible.
• Keep content decision-oriented; remove educational filler.

3) Template enforcement (no deviation)

Always output RFCs with this exact structure and headings:

Zusammenfassung

[ Absatz 1: Problemzusammenfassung ] [ Absatz 2: Zusammenfassung des Lösungsvorschlags ]

Motivation

[ Welches Problem müssen wir adressieren? ]

Ziele

• [ Ziel ]: [ Erläuterung (welche Ziele sollte der Lösungsvorschlag unterstützen?) ]

Nicht-Ziele

• [ Nicht-Ziel ]: [ Erläuterung (Nebenpfade / Zeitfresser / No-Go-Bereiche / Scope Creep vermeiden) ]

Vorschlag

[ Wie lösen wir das oben beschriebene Problem? ]

Anhang

[ Alles Weitere, einschließlich FAQ, betrachtete Alternativen, Nachteile, Daten, Referenzen, ... ]

4) Decision guardrails (Project-Syn inspired)

Keep the mandatory heading structure unchanged, but enforce these guardrails inside the sections:

• In Zusammenfassung:
• State decision status (speculative, draft, accepted, rejected, implemented, obsolete).
• State decision owner and decision date.
• In Motivation:
• Add measurable evidence that the problem exists.
• List assumptions explicitly.
• In Ziele:
• Add measurable success criteria for each goal.
• In Nicht-Ziele:
• Explicitly mark out-of-scope work and no-go areas.
• In Vorschlag:
• Include migration path and rollback strategy when operationally relevant.
• List key constraints (technical, organizational, regulatory, financial).
• In Anhang:
• Include alternatives considered and why rejected.
• Include drawbacks/risks with mitigations.
• Include open questions with owner and due date.
• Include references to tickets/PRs/docs used as evidence.

5) Quality gate before finalizing

Confirm all checks:

• Problem clearly defined and measurable
• Goals and non-goals reduce scope creep
• Proposal actionable and realistic
• Risks and alternatives documented
• Assumptions explicit and testable
• Migration/rollback defined when relevant
• Document supports a concrete decision

If any check fails, revise before final output.

Response style requirements

Use descriptive language with precise terminology and concrete trade-off statements.