The Question the Whole Stack Was Built to Ask

Three layers exist now: requirements, features, code. Which means I can finally compute the question that started all this. Is every success criterion actually enforced and verified, or does it just sound nice in YAML?

The traceability matrix walks each criterion to its invariant, the invariant to the enforcing code, and on to the verifying tests. Every row gets a blunt status: verified, partial, unenforced, unverified, unmapped, phantom. One number sits on top, the percentage of business criteria with a complete chain. Watching that number compute for the first time was the best moment of this project so far.

The worst moment came the same day. I realized what “verified” means here. The chain exists. A verifier is linked, not proven passing on the current commit. Existence is not evidence. I almost shipped the strong word for the weak fact.

The gap between "a test exists" and "the test passed, and actually constrains the code" is its own problem, big enough to deserve its own release.

I’m writing the gap down so I can’t pretend I didn’t see it.