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Version and Licensing

This section documents the current version, licensing terms, and attribution principles for the System Design Lens (SDL). Its purpose is to ensure clarity, traceability, and responsible reuse across derivative works, teaching materials, internal playbooks, and organizational systems built using this doctrine.

Version Information

Attribute Description
System Name System Design Lens (SDL)
Version V1.0
Status Stable — doctrinal release
Release Date December 2025
Canonical Reference The Discipline of Decision Design
Maintained by 3in3.dev
Latest Online Documentation Always find the latest version and web source here.

Version 1.0 Summary (Current)

Version 1.0 establishes System Design Lens as a decision-design doctrine, not a framework or operating model.

It formally defines:

  • Systems as decision machines, not practices or rituals
  • A fixed set of canonical dimensions for system analysis and design
  • Observable failure as the non-negotiable entry condition for system work
  • Artifacts and constraints as mandatory enforcement mechanisms
  • Misuse modeling as a first-class design requirement
  • Minimal Viable Systems (MVS) as the default construction strategy
  • Explicit rules for system replacement, subordination, and retirement

Version 1.0 is intentionally complete. Future versions are expected to extend applicability or clarify edge cases, not to alter the core logic.

Versioning Policy

  • Major versions (V2, V3, …) may introduce new decision categories, canonical dimensions, or system shapes that expand the doctrine.
  • Minor revisions (V1.1, V1.2, …) provide clarifications, refinements, examples, or misuse guidance without changing core rules.
  • Patch revisions correct errors, language precision, or internal consistency.
  • All published versions remain permanently valid for reference and citation.
  • Backward compatibility is prioritized at the conceptual level: new material must not invalidate the original decision logic.

License

System Design Lens (SDL) is released as open intellectual infrastructure for decision and system design.

License Type: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

You are free to:

  • Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format.
  • Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.

Under the following terms:

  • Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
  • No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.

Attribution & Citation

To attribute this work, please use the following reference:

System Design Lens (SDL), from The Discipline of Decision Design by 3in3.dev — licensed under CC BY 4.0 via 3in3.dev.

For derivative works, adaptations, or internal frameworks:

  • Clearly state that the work is based on or adapted from System Design Lens
  • Identify what has been modified, extended, or omitted
  • Preserve original terminology where possible to avoid semantic drift

Attribution Guidelines for Derivative Works

If you reuse or adapt SDL:

  1. Retain core definitions (decision types, canonical dimensions, non-negotiable rules).
  2. Do not present SDL-derived material as proprietary or closed.
  3. Clearly separate original SDL doctrine from local adaptations or extensions.
  4. If teaching or embedding SDL inside another framework, ensure SDL remains a lens, not a rebranded method.

Recommended phrasing for adaptations:

“Adapted from System Design Lens (SDL), licensed under CC BY 4.0.”

Scope Boundary

System Design Lens deliberately does not prescribe:

  • specific tools or templates
  • organizational structures
  • process cadences
  • technology stacks
  • cultural or motivational techniques

SDL governs how systems are reasoned about, not how organizations are run day to day.

Misrepresenting SDL as an operating model or methodology violates the intent of the doctrine, even if license terms are met.

© 2025 3in3.dev
Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/