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Stable specificationOPEN SPECIFICATION / REM 1.1

Configurable software engineering process framework

Relata Engineering Methodology

An AI-native engineering method for building and operating software when humans, AI agents, and deterministic automation participate together in the delivery loop.

“Generating code has become cheaper. Understanding the problem, making sound decisions, verifying outcomes, and owning risk remain scarce.”
Read the specificationView on GitHub

Original revision: efcfeaf

Version
1.1.0
Status
Stable specification
Publication
Open specification
Normative language
Spanish
Licenses
CC BY 4.0 · Apache-2.0
Origin
RelataLabs

01 / WHY IT EXISTS

Less task administration. More intent and evidence.

REM assumes AI can drastically accelerate artifact production, but it does not remove the need to select work, control risk, make decisions, verify outcomes, and preserve human accountability.

●

Intent

Non-trivial work starts with an understandable objective and closure criterion.

●

Authority

Agents may investigate and build; residual risk and material decisions still have a human owner.

●

Evidence

A change is not done because the agent stopped typing. It is done when sufficient evidence exists.

●

Flow

Human attention is the scarce WIP. REM limits started work to favor actually finished work.

02 / KERNEL

A small loop that can run in minutes or sustain months of work.

Activities remain distinguishable even when they are not separate ceremonies. Process weight scales with risk, uncertainty, and decision permanence.

First, orient the work

  1. 01
    SELECT

    Select

    Choose what deserves attention now.

  2. 02
    PLAN

    Plan

    Make objective, scope, constraints, and closure explicit.

Then, produce evidence

  1. INV

    Investigate

    Reduce uncertainty with evidence.

    03
  2. DEC

    Decide

    Choose and record decisions that matter.

    04
  3. IMP

    Implement

    Build with humans, agents, and automation.

    05
  4. VER

    Verify

    Prove the system distinguishes correct from incorrect behavior.

    06
  5. OBS

    Observe

    Check the real outcome when production is part of the evidence.

    07

OBS applies when the outcome must be checked in a real environment.

03 / WHAT REM IS

Methodology as umbrella. Framework as structure. Process as adoption.

REM separates its normative method specification from each project's local rules. Architecture, branching, tooling, and approvals can vary without erasing the method kernel.

One standard. Many ways to execute it.

01 / 03

Method specification

METHOD.md defines the kernel, states, responsibilities, invariants, and conformance rules for REM 1.1.

02 / 03

Process framework

REM provides a configurable structure instead of one rigid universal sequence.

03 / 03

Configured process

Each project adopts REM through its Constitution and local policies while preserving the required kernel.

04 / WHAT IT GOVERNS

Constraints that protect the outcome

Enough to preserve coherence. Not enough to make process become the work.

  1. 01

    Intake and selection

    Where work comes from and how attention is allocated.

  2. 02

    WIP

    An explicit policy limits active and verifying work.

  3. 03

    Authority

    Separate responsibilities for humans, agents, and deterministic automation.

  4. 04

    Verification

    V0–V3 levels and evidence proportional to risk.

  5. 05

    Durable history

    DEC, ADR, ARCH, Megaplan, Plan, incidents, and audits only when they actually earn their cost.

  6. 06

    Metrics

    WIP, throughput, age, and cycle time instead of story points and visible activity.

REM does not require

  • Jira
  • sprints
  • dailies
  • story points
  • velocity
  • hour estimates
  • a specific architecture
  • a PR for every change

05 / ADOPTION

Install completely. Use what the risk calls for.

REM 1.1 can start in one project, but installation includes all document types, the Constitution, scripts, hooks, and CI. Day-to-day work uses only the artifacts justified by its risk and scope.

The checklist and rem-doctor check adoption structure and rules that can be automated. Product outcomes require their own evidence.

Open installation checklist
  1. 01

    Choose an adoption profile

    Decide between a multi-repo hub or one-repo installation, WIP, and policies with the human owner.

  2. 02

    Install the structure

    Copy the eight document types, templates, scripts, hooks, and CI without skipping components.

  3. 03

    Define the Constitution

    Record architecture, repositories, security, changelog, and local exceptions.

  4. 04

    Migrate and run the workflow

    Give existing documentation a home and open a Megaplan when objectives depend on each other.

  5. 05

    Verify adoption

    Run rem-doctor --adoption without errors; verify and observe the real outcome when needed.

06 / FOUNDATIONS AND EVALUATION

Study the method. Examine its application.

REM is a versioned engineering proposal combining established practices with RelataLabs' internal experience. Its effect on a project is evaluated using data from that context; sources, rules, and the evaluation approach are open to review.

Explicit foundations

Kanban, DORA, Shape Up, ADRs, and specification-driven development contribute distinct ideas. The documentation identifies what REM incorporates and how it adapts those ideas to work with agents.

Read the foundations and sources

Three areas of evaluation

Process conformance, product verification, and outcome evaluation address different questions. The guide proposes a baseline, flow metrics, and limits on interpreting change.

Read the evaluation guide

A complete walkthrough

An illustrative case connects the objective, research, decision, implementation, tests, and closure. Its data and outcomes are teaching examples, allowing readers to follow the method without presenting it as a real case study.

Explore the illustrative example

Evaluation status. The specification and its tools can be inspected and tested. Independent evaluation of its effectiveness remains open; internal experience informs its evolution.

07 / OPEN LICENSING

The specification is open to study, adapt, and reuse.

REM documentation and templates use CC BY 4.0. Executable tooling uses Apache-2.0. The licenses do not grant trademark rights or permission to present a modified variant as an official RelataLabs publication.

01

CC BY 4.0

METHOD.md, documentation, templates, and written material.

02

Apache-2.0

Scripts, workflows, and executable REM tooling.

Read the legal scope

08 / CANONICAL SOURCE

This page explains REM. The repository defines it.

The normative specification and its history remain on GitHub. This page is the public entry point, not a parallel copy of the standard.

File index / REM 1.1github.com / RelataLabs
Open repository