stemedb/applications/aphoria/docs/archive/gap-analysis-institutional-knowledge-2026-02.md

# Gap Analysis: Institutional Knowledge Vision

**Date:** 2026-02-06
**Status:** Roadmap Planning
**Vision:** Self-learning institutional knowledge that compounds with every commit

---

## Executive Summary

Aphoria has **strong foundations** for pattern discovery and learning (Phases 7-9), but **critical gaps** exist for the institutional knowledge vision. The missing components center on **authority, governance, scoping, and lifecycle management**.

### Current State vs. Vision

| Capability | Current State | Vision State | Gap |
|------------|---------------|--------------|-----|
| Pattern discovery | ✅ Strong | ✅ Strong | None |
| Security scanning | ✅ 24 extractors | ✅ Comprehensive | None |
| Learning/promotion | ✅ Shadow mode works | ✅ Works | None |
| **Authority model** | ❌ Binary (human/auto) | Evidence-based (merit, not titles) | **CRITICAL** |
| **Scope hierarchy** | ❌ Flat team_id | Org → Team → Project | **CRITICAL** |
| **Knowledge lifecycle** | ❌ No deprecation | Active/Deprecated/Superseded | **CRITICAL** |
| **Governance** | ❌ Manual or 0.95 threshold | Evidence-aware approval | **HIGH** |
| **External integration** | ❌ None | ADR/Spec/Standard linking | **HIGH** |

---

## Phase 10: Evidence-Based Authority Model (CRITICAL)

**Problem:** All patterns treated equally. A random commit carries same weight as a pattern backed by RFC research and product specs.

**Principle:** Authority comes from **evidence**, not titles. We go by merit.

**Required Components:**

### 10.1 Evidence Levels

```rust
pub enum EvidenceLevel {
    /// Just a commit, no supporting context
    Commit,
    /// Commit + research, ADR, or documentation
    Research,
    /// Pattern references RFC, OWASP, or external standard
    Standard,
    /// Pattern linked to product spec, task file, or explicit decision
    ProductSpec,
}

impl EvidenceLevel {
    pub fn authority_weight(&self) -> f32 {
        match self {
            EvidenceLevel::Commit => 0.40,
            EvidenceLevel::Research => 0.70,
            EvidenceLevel::Standard => 0.85,
            EvidenceLevel::ProductSpec => 0.95,
        }
    }
}
```

### 10.2 Evidence Detection

```rust
pub struct PatternEvidence {
    pub level: EvidenceLevel,
    pub sources: Vec<EvidenceSource>,
}

pub enum EvidenceSource {
    /// Just the commit itself
    Commit { hash: String, author: String },

    /// ADR or documentation in repo
    Adr { path: String, title: String },

    /// Research notes or investigation
    Research { path: String, summary: String },

    /// External standard reference
    Standard {
        standard_type: StandardType,  // RFC, OWASP, NIST, Vendor
        reference: String,            // e.g., "RFC 7519 Section 4.1.3"
    },

    /// Product spec or task file
    ProductSpec {
        path: String,                 // e.g., "specs/auth-flow.md"
        requirement_id: Option<String>, // e.g., "REQ-AUTH-001"
    },
}

pub enum StandardType {
    Rfc,
    Owasp,
    Nist,
    Vendor,
    Internal,  // Internal policy document
}
```

### 10.3 Evidence Detection Logic

```rust
impl PatternEvidence {
    pub fn detect(commit: &Commit, pattern: &Pattern) -> Self {
        let mut sources = vec![EvidenceSource::Commit {
            hash: commit.hash.clone(),
            author: commit.author.clone(),
        }];

        // Check commit message for RFC/standard references
        if let Some(std) = extract_standard_reference(&commit.message) {
            sources.push(EvidenceSource::Standard {
                standard_type: std.std_type,
                reference: std.reference,
            });
        }

        // Check for linked ADR in same commit
        if let Some(adr) = find_linked_adr(commit) {
            sources.push(EvidenceSource::Adr {
                path: adr.path,
                title: adr.title,
            });
        }

        // Check for product spec reference
        if let Some(spec) = find_linked_spec(commit) {
            sources.push(EvidenceSource::ProductSpec {
                path: spec.path,
                requirement_id: spec.requirement_id,
            });
        }

        let level = sources.iter()
            .map(|s| s.evidence_level())
            .max()
            .unwrap_or(EvidenceLevel::Commit);

        Self { level, sources }
    }
}
```

### 10.4 Graduation by Evidence

| Evidence Level | Usages for Convention | Usages for Org Policy |
|----------------|----------------------|----------------------|
| ProductSpec | 1 | 3 (multi-team) |
| Standard | 3 | 5 (multi-team) |
| Research | 5 | 10 (multi-team) |
| Commit | 10 | 25 (multi-team) |

**A single product spec reference can graduate a pattern immediately.**

### 10.5 Display with Evidence

```bash
$ aphoria patterns show "api-versioning"

Pattern: API Versioning (/api/v{major}/{resource})
Authority: 0.95 (ProductSpec)
Evidence:
  • specs/api-design.md → REQ-API-001
  • ADR-042: API Versioning Strategy
  • RFC 7231: HTTP Semantics

Usages: 25 across 3 teams
Status: Org Convention
```

### 10.6 Files to Create/Modify

| File | Change |
|------|--------|
| `src/evidence/mod.rs` | New module |
| `src/evidence/levels.rs` | EvidenceLevel enum |
| `src/evidence/sources.rs` | EvidenceSource types |
| `src/evidence/detection.rs` | Auto-detection from commits |
| `src/learning/types.rs` | Add evidence to LearnedPattern |
| `src/promotion/pipeline.rs` | Evidence-aware graduation |
| `src/handlers/patterns.rs` | Include evidence in responses |

---

## Phase 11: Knowledge Scope Hierarchy (CRITICAL)

**Problem:** All knowledge exists at one flat level. No way to say "this applies org-wide" vs "this is just our team's preference."

**Required Components:**

### 11.1 Scope Levels

```rust
pub enum ScopeLevel {
    Organization,  // Applies to all teams
    Team,          // Applies to team's projects
    Project,       // Single project only
}

pub struct ScopedKnowledge {
    pub scope_level: ScopeLevel,
    pub scope_id: String,  // org_id, team_id, or project_id
    pub knowledge: Knowledge,
    pub inherited_from: Option<Box<ScopedKnowledge>>,
}
```

### 11.2 Scope Inheritance

```
Organization: "TLS 1.3 required" (BLOCK)
    └── Team A: (inherits automatically)
    └── Team B: "TLS 1.2 allowed for legacy" (OVERRIDE with justification)
        └── Project B1: (inherits Team B override)
        └── Project B2: (inherits Team B override)
```

**Default behavior:**
- Security policies (TLS, auth, secrets): Auto-apply org → team → project
- Conventions (API patterns, error formats): Auto-apply, teams can override with justification
- Observations: Never inherited, team-specific only

**Resolution rules:**
1. Project-level override wins (if exists with justification)
2. Else team-level (if exists)
3. Else org-level
4. Else external authority (RFC/OWASP)

**Override requirements:**
- Must provide justification
- Must link to evidence (spec, ADR, or ticket)
- Auditable in SOC 2 reports

### 11.3 Scope Configuration

```toml
# .aphoria.toml
[scope]
organization = "acme"
team = "platform"
project = "payment-service"

[scope.inheritance]
inherit_org = true
inherit_team = true
allow_project_overrides = true  # false = strict mode
```

### 11.4 Cross-Scope Queries

```bash
# What patterns does the org enforce?
aphoria patterns --scope org

# What has my team added on top?
aphoria patterns --scope team --exclude-inherited

# What's unique to this project?
aphoria patterns --scope project --only-local
```

### 11.5 Files to Create/Modify

| File | Change |
|------|--------|
| `src/scope/mod.rs` | New module |
| `src/scope/levels.rs` | ScopeLevel enum and hierarchy |
| `src/scope/resolution.rs` | Inheritance resolution |
| `src/config/types/scope.rs` | ScopeConfig |
| `src/episteme/local/queries.rs` | Scope-aware queries |
| `src/handlers/patterns.rs` | --scope flag handling |

---

## Phase 12: Knowledge Lifecycle Management (CRITICAL)

**Problem:** Knowledge exists forever. No way to deprecate patterns or track evolution.

**Required Components:**

### 12.1 Knowledge Status

```rust
pub enum KnowledgeStatus {
    Active,
    Deprecated {
        deprecated_at: u64,
        reason: String,
        superseded_by: Option<String>,
    },
    Archived {
        archived_at: u64,
        reason: String,
    },
}

pub struct KnowledgeLifecycle {
    pub knowledge_id: String,
    pub current_status: KnowledgeStatus,
    pub status_history: Vec<StatusChange>,
    pub expires_at: Option<u64>,
}
```

### 12.2 Deprecation Flow

```bash
# Mark pattern as deprecated
aphoria deprecate "use-requests-lib" \
    --reason "Migrating to httpx for async" \
    --superseded-by "use-httpx-lib" \
    --sunset-date 2026-06-01

# What happens on scan:
# Old pattern usage → FLAG with migration guidance
# New pattern usage → No flag
```

### 12.3 Knowledge Versioning

```rust
pub struct KnowledgeVersion {
    pub version: u32,
    pub content_hash: String,  // BLAKE3 of knowledge content
    pub created_at: u64,
    pub created_by: String,
    pub changelog: String,
}
```

**Use cases:**
- "When did this pattern change?"
- "What was the previous version?"
- "Who made the last update?"

### 12.4 Expiry and Refresh

```rust
pub struct KnowledgeExpiry {
    pub expires_at: u64,
    pub reminder_at: u64,       // 30 days before expiry
    pub auto_archive: bool,     // Archive on expiry?
    pub requires_revalidation: bool,  // Must be re-approved?
}
```

**Use cases:**
- Temporary exceptions expire automatically
- Annual security review required for certain patterns
- Stale knowledge gets flagged for review

### 12.5 Files to Create/Modify

| File | Change |
|------|--------|
| `src/lifecycle/mod.rs` | New module |
| `src/lifecycle/status.rs` | Status enum and transitions |
| `src/lifecycle/versioning.rs` | Version tracking |
| `src/lifecycle/expiry.rs` | Expiry and refresh logic |
| `src/handlers/deprecate.rs` | Deprecation command handler |
| `src/cli.rs` | Add `deprecate` command |

---

## Phase 13: Governance Workflows (HIGH)

**Problem:** Governance is binary: manual review or >0.95 auto-promote. No approval workflows, SLAs, or role-based gates.

**Required Components:**

### 13.1 Approval Workflow Definition

```rust
pub struct ApprovalWorkflow {
    pub name: String,
    pub applies_to: WorkflowScope,
    pub stages: Vec<ApprovalStage>,
    pub timeout: Duration,
    pub escalation: EscalationPolicy,
}

pub struct ApprovalStage {
    pub name: String,
    pub required_approvers: u32,
    pub approver_roles: Vec<ContributorRole>,
    pub auto_approve_threshold: Option<f32>,
}
```

**Example:**
```toml
[[governance.workflows]]
name = "pattern-promotion"
applies_to = "conventions"

[[governance.workflows.stages]]
name = "team-review"
required_approvers = 1
approver_roles = ["SeniorEngineer", "Architect"]
auto_approve_threshold = 0.95

[[governance.workflows.stages]]
name = "security-review"
required_approvers = 1
approver_roles = ["SecurityReviewer"]
# No auto-approve for security-sensitive patterns
```

### 13.2 Approval State Machine

```
PENDING → STAGE_1_PENDING → STAGE_1_APPROVED → STAGE_2_PENDING → APPROVED
              ↓                    ↓                   ↓
           REJECTED            REJECTED            REJECTED
              ↓                    ↓                   ↓
          ARCHIVED             ARCHIVED            ARCHIVED
```

### 13.3 Approval CLI

```bash
# List pending approvals
aphoria governance pending

# Approve a pattern promotion
aphoria governance approve <pattern-id> --comment "LGTM"

# Reject with reason
aphoria governance reject <pattern-id> --reason "Too specific to one project"

# Escalate to next stage
aphoria governance escalate <pattern-id>
```

### 13.4 Files to Create/Modify

| File | Change |
|------|--------|
| `src/governance/mod.rs` | New module |
| `src/governance/workflow.rs` | Workflow definitions |
| `src/governance/approval.rs` | Approval state machine |
| `src/governance/store.rs` | Persistence |
| `src/handlers/governance.rs` | CLI handlers |
| `src/cli.rs` | Add `governance` subcommand |

---

## Phase 14: Evidence Source Integration (HIGH)

**Problem:** Evidence sources (ADRs, specs, standards) aren't automatically linked. Developers must manually reference them.

**Required Components:**

### 14.1 ADR Auto-Detection

```rust
pub struct AdrDetector {
    pub patterns: Vec<String>,  // e.g., ["docs/adr/*.md", "adr/*.md", "decisions/*.md"]
}

impl AdrDetector {
    pub fn find_linked_adr(&self, commit: &Commit) -> Option<AdrReference> {
        // Check commit message for ADR-XXX pattern
        // Check modified files for ADR documents
        // Parse ADR content for related patterns
    }
}
```

### 14.2 Spec File Detection

```rust
pub struct SpecDetector {
    pub patterns: Vec<String>,  // e.g., ["specs/*.md", "*.spec.md", "requirements/*.md"]
}

impl SpecDetector {
    pub fn find_linked_spec(&self, commit: &Commit) -> Option<SpecReference> {
        // Check for spec file modifications in same commit
        // Parse spec for requirement IDs (REQ-XXX)
        // Link pattern to requirement
    }
}
```

### 14.3 Standard Reference Extraction

```rust
pub fn extract_standard_reference(text: &str) -> Option<StandardReference> {
    // Match patterns like:
    // - "RFC 7519" → Standard(Rfc, "7519")
    // - "OWASP A03:2021" → Standard(Owasp, "A03:2021")
    // - "NIST SP 800-53" → Standard(Nist, "SP 800-53")
}
```

### 14.4 Evidence Display

```bash
$ aphoria patterns show "api-versioning"

Pattern: API Versioning (/api/v{major}/{resource})
Status: Active (Convention)
Scope: Team (Platform)
Authority: 0.95 (ProductSpec)

Evidence Chain:
  1. ProductSpec: specs/api-design.md → REQ-API-001
  2. Research: docs/adr/ADR-042-api-versioning.md
  3. Standard: RFC 7231 Section 5.1

First seen: 2024-03-15 in payment-service
Usages: 25 across 3 teams
Adoption: 89% of team projects (8/9)
```

### 14.5 Files to Create/Modify

| File | Change |
|------|--------|
| `src/attribution/mod.rs` | New module |
| `src/attribution/git.rs` | Git extraction |
| `src/attribution/directory.rs` | LDAP/SSO integration |
| `src/attribution/display.rs` | Human-readable output |
| `src/handlers/patterns.rs` | Include attribution |

---

## Phase 15: External Knowledge Integration (MEDIUM)

**Problem:** Internal documentation (ADRs, Confluence) not integrated. Teams maintain knowledge in two places.

**Required Components:**

### 15.1 ADR Importer

```bash
# Import ADRs as authoritative sources
aphoria import adr ./docs/adr/

# ADR-042: API Versioning
# Status: Accepted
# → Imports as Tier 1 policy for the project
```

### 15.2 Confluence Connector (Future)

```toml
[integration.confluence]
url = "https://acme.atlassian.net/wiki"
space = "PLATFORM"
label = "aphoria-policy"  # Only import pages with this label
```

### 15.3 Jira Integration (Future)

```toml
[integration.jira]
url = "https://acme.atlassian.net"
project = "PLAT"
conflict_link = true  # Link conflicts to Jira issues
```

### 15.4 Files to Create/Modify

| File | Change |
|------|--------|
| `src/integration/mod.rs` | New module |
| `src/integration/adr.rs` | ADR parser |
| `src/integration/confluence.rs` | Confluence API client |
| `src/integration/jira.rs` | Jira API client |
| `src/handlers/import.rs` | Import command handlers |

---

## Implementation Priority

### Must Have for Enterprise Pilot (Phases 10-12)

| Phase | Feature | Effort | Why Critical |
|-------|---------|--------|--------------|
| **10** | Evidence-based authority | 2 weeks | "Why trust this pattern?" - merit, not titles |
| **11** | Scope hierarchy | 2 weeks | "Does this apply to my team?" |
| **12** | Knowledge lifecycle | 1 week | "Is this still current?" |

### Should Have for Production (Phases 13-15)

| Phase | Feature | Effort | Why Important |
|-------|---------|--------|---------------|
| **13** | Governance workflows | 2 weeks | SOC 2 compliance |
| **14** | Evidence source integration | 1 week | Auto-detect ADRs, specs, standards |
| **15** | External integration | 2 weeks | Confluence, Jira linking |

---

## Success Metrics

### Enterprise Pilot (90 days)

| Metric | Target | Measurement |
|--------|--------|-------------|
| Patterns captured | 100+ observations | Count in knowledge graph |
| Patterns promoted | 10+ conventions | Count with status=Active |
| Cross-team adoption | 2+ teams connected | Unique team_ids |
| New hire guidance | 5+ accepted suggestions | Accept rate tracking |
| False positive rate | <10% | FP feedback / total flags |

### Production Ready (180 days)

| Metric | Target | Measurement |
|--------|--------|-------------|
| Knowledge retention | 0 lost patterns on departures | Audit log |
| Onboarding velocity | 50% faster ramp | Time to first PR |
| Convention adoption | 80% across org | Compliance rate |
| SOC 2 evidence | Audit pass | External validation |

---

## Next Steps

1. **Finalize Phase 10-12 specs** - Detailed API design
2. **Create enterprise simulation UAT** - Multi-month scenario
3. **Build Phase 10** - Authority model is foundational
4. **Pilot with internal team** - Eat our own dog food
5. **External pilot** - First enterprise customer