Default Approval Protocol

Decision ID: GOV-APPROVAL-001 Status: APPROVED Effective Date: 2025-12-06

Purpose

This protocol gives Stella Ops contributors and maintainers a default decision-making framework for tasks blocked on approvals, sign-offs, staffing decisions, or owner assignments. It keeps autonomous work moving while preserving an auditable trail of who decided what, when, and why.

Audience: Project Managers, Product Managers, and implementers who hit an approval gate while delivering against a sprint.

Use it when a documented request for a decision has gone unanswered and the work cannot proceed without one. Do not use it for the security-critical and legal categories listed under Exclusions.

48-Hour Silence Rule

Principle: Silence within 48 hours of a documented request constitutes implicit approval.

Scope

This rule applies to:

• Schema approvals pending guild review
• Design document sign-offs
• Staffing/owner assignment requests
• Contract freeze decisions
• Migration approval gates

Exclusions

This rule does NOT apply to:

• Security-critical decisions (key rotation, credential issuance)
• Production deployment approvals
• Customer-facing contract changes
• License or legal decisions

Decision Artifact Pattern

When a decision is needed, create a Decision Contract document:

# <Topic> Decision Contract

**Decision ID:** DECISION-<ID>
**Status:** PENDING-APPROVAL (48h window starts: <timestamp>)
**Deadline:** <timestamp + 48h>
**Notify:** <guild-leads@stella-ops.org>

## Proposed Decision
<What is being decided>

## Rationale
<Why this is the recommended default>

## Impact
- Tasks unblocked: <count>
- Sprint files affected: <list>

## Reversibility
<How to override if the default is not acceptable>

After 48 hours without objection:

1. Update Status: to DEFAULT-APPROVED
2. Update dependent sprint files
3. Record the decision in the relevant sprint file execution log (docs/implplan/SPRINT_*.md)

Owner Manifest Pattern

When a task is blocked on staffing/ownership:

# <Component> Owner Manifest

**Decision ID:** OWNER-<ID>
**Status:** ASSIGNED
**Effective Date:** <date>

## Assignment
<Component> is owned by <Guild/Team> for implementation purposes.

## Rationale
<Why this assignment makes sense>

## Scope
<What this owner is responsible for>

## Escalation Path
<Who to escalate to if blocked>

## Authority Granted
This manifest grants implementation authority to proceed with tasks
blocked on staffing.

Governance Log

All decisions made via this protocol MUST be recorded in an append-only governance log and in the relevant sprint file execution logs:

• The append-only governance decisions log for the affected area (for example, EU-compliance decisions are logged in docs/europe/decisions-log.md).
• The execution log of each affected sprint file under docs/implplan/SPRINT_*.md.

Escalation

If a decision is contested after default approval:

1. Raise in next daily standup
2. Escalate to steering committee if unresolved in 24h
3. Decision may be reversed but work already done is preserved

References

• Exceptions API — exceptions API entry point.
• Exception governance migration guide.