Decision Provenance
Can you answer “why is this weird thing here?” A sensor of archaeological accessibility — can you determine why code exists, not just what it does?
Decision provenance traces the history of a design decision: the ADRs, PRs, discussions, and constraints that led to the current code. When provenance is lost, the code becomes untouchable — nobody knows whether it can be changed safely.
Sensor properties
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Oracle strength | Low — missing provenance is a risk factor |
| Independence | High — history is independent of current code |
| Scope | Module-level |
| Feedback latency | Days |
| Actionability | Exploratory — shows whether provenance exists |
| Type | Retrospective |
What it cannot detect
Decision provenance can only exist where decisions were recorded. Decisions made verbally, in deleted branches, or in private messages are invisible to this sensor.