RF — TFW-32 / Phase C: Multi-Iteration Research Formalization¶
Date: 2026-04-10 Author: AI (Executor) Status: 🟢 RF — Complete Parent HL: HL-TFW-32 TS: TS Phase C
1. What Was Done¶
All 7 TS steps executed. 6 files modified, 0 new files created. No deviations from TS.
Changes by file¶
| # | File | Change | LOC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | .tfw/PROJECT_CONFIG.yaml |
Added min_iterations: 2 to tfw.research section (L48) |
+1 |
| 2 | .tfw/conventions.md |
§4 Research subfolder: added "Multi-iteration research" subsection with researchN/ naming table, trace rule, iterations.yaml format (YAML block), coordinator lifecycle |
+35 |
| 3 | .tfw/workflows/research/base.md |
Step 0: iteration detection (iterations.yaml + researchN/ count + predecessor RES). Step 3: per-iteration subfolder creation + iter2+ briefing guidance. Step 6: per-iteration RES naming + Iteration Status block requirement + STOP message says "iteration {N}". Limits table: min_iterations row |
+21 |
| 4 | .tfw/workflows/plan.md |
Step 6 → 3 sub-steps: 6a (initial decision), 6b (create iterations.yaml), 6c (iteration gate with min_iterations enforcement). Gate logic: < min → MUST launch, ≥ min → coordinator decides |
+29 |
| 5 | .tfw/templates/RES.md |
Iteration Status block inserted before Conclusion. Contains: iteration N/M, hypotheses tested/deferred, gaps, superseded decisions, Open Threads table, Recommendation (SUFFICIENT/MORE NEEDED/BLOCKED) | +25 |
| 6 | .tfw/glossary.md |
3 new terms: Iteration (Research), iterations.yaml, min_iterations — with cross-references to conventions.md §4 and plan.md Step 6c | +9 |
Total LOC changed: ~120 (+additions, -removals). Within budget (max 1200).
2. Acceptance Criteria Verification¶
| # | Criterion | Status | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | tfw.research.min_iterations: 2 in PROJECT_CONFIG.yaml |
✅ | L48 |
| 2 | conventions.md §4 "Multi-iteration research" subsection with researchN/ table, trace rule, iterations.yaml YAML block | ✅ | L125-158 |
| 3 | research/base.md Step 0 detects iterations: checks iterations.yaml, counts researchN/ folders, reads predecessor RES | ✅ | L12-25 |
| 4 | research/base.md Step 3 creates researchN/ for iteration N>1 + iter2+ briefing guidance | ✅ | L39-49 |
| 5 | research/base.md Step 6 names RES files per iteration + requires Iteration Status block | ✅ | L83-93 |
| 6 | research/base.md Limits table has min_iterations row (default 2, Hard, config key) |
✅ | L127 |
| 7 | plan.md Step 6 has 3 sub-steps: 6a, 6b, 6c | ✅ | L65-103 |
| 8 | plan.md Step 6c gate logic: < min → MUST; ≥ min → coordinator decides |
✅ | L94-101 |
| 9 | plan.md Step 6c: update HL after each iteration, present diff, user confirms | ✅ | L89-92, L103 |
| 10 | RES template Iteration Status block with all required fields before Conclusion | ✅ | L84-107 (before L109 Conclusion) |
| 11 | glossary.md has "Iteration (Research)", "iterations.yaml", "min_iterations" with cross-refs | ✅ | L112-119 |
| 12 | STOP message in Step 6 says "iteration {N} complete" | ✅ | L93 |
All 12 criteria pass.
3. Test Results¶
- Build gate:
echo "configure your verify command"→ pass (stub). - Manual verification: all 6 files reviewed post-edit. Section ordering, cross-references, and content match TS exactly.
- Backwards compatibility: verified — if no
iterations.yamlexists, Step 0 falls back to single-iteration flow. All changes are additive.
4. Deviations from TS¶
None.
5. Observations (out-of-scope, not modified)¶
| # | File | Line(s) | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | .tfw/workflows/plan.md |
53 | style | Step 4 (Briefing Protocol) at L53 references research/briefing.md path — after Step 3 changes, iteration 2+ would use researchN/briefing.md. The wording is still technically correct (template reference), but could be clearer for multi-iteration context |
| 2 | .tfw/workflows/plan.md |
140 | style | plan.md grew from 108 to 140 lines (+30%). Still within attention budget but approaching the threshold mentioned in conventions.md §11 Design Rules ("workflow instructions ≤1200 words") |
| 3 | .tfw/conventions.md |
138 | naming | iterations.yaml is documented in §4 "Research subfolder" but not listed in the §4 naming table (L138-157 artifact naming table). The naming table only covers artifact files (HL, TS, RES, etc.), not control files. Consistent with current pattern (PROJECT_CONFIG.yaml also not in naming table) |
6. Fact Candidates¶
Cognitive mode: Pure reporting — record factual observations without interpretation or synthesis.
| # | Category | Candidate | Source | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FC1 | process | research/base.md Step 4 (Briefing Protocol) hardcodes research/briefing.md path — does not account for researchN/ in multi-iteration context. The step works because template copying handles file creation, but the path reference is iteration-unaware |
This execution, observation #1 | ★★☆ |
7. Strategic Insights (Execution)¶
No strategic insights. No human domain knowledge was provided during execution — all changes were mechanical TS application.
8. Diagrams¶
MULTI-ITERATION RESEARCH FLOW (as implemented):
plan.md Step 6a plan.md Step 6b research/base.md
┌─────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┐
│ RESEARCH │──approve──→│ Create │──STOP──→│ Step 0: Detect │
│ decision │ │ iterations.yaml│ │ iteration from │
└──────┬──────┘ └──────────────┘ │ YAML + folders │
│skip ├─────────────────┤
↓ │ Step 3: Create │
Step 7 (TS) │ researchN/ │
├─────────────────┤
│ Steps 4-5: │
│ Briefing+Stages│
├─────────────────┤
│ Step 6: Write │
│ RES + Iteration│
│ Status block │
└───────┬────────┘
│STOP
↓
plan.md Step 6c plan.md Step 6c
┌─────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┐
│ Read RES + │──< min──→│ MUST launch │──→ back to base.md
│ iterations.yaml │ │ next iteration │
│ Gate check │ └─────────────────┘
│ completed vs │
│ min_iterations │──≥ min──→ coordinator decides → Step 7 (TS)
└─────────────────┘
RF — TFW-32 / Phase C: Multi-Iteration Research Formalization | 2026-04-10