I helped craft the current SPIP template <https://spark.apache.org/improvement-proposals.html> last year. I was recently (re-)introduced to the Heilmeier Catechism, a set of questions DARPA developed to evaluate proposals. The set of questions are:
- What are you trying to do? Articulate your objectives using absolutely no jargon. - How is it done today, and what are the limits of current practice? - What is new in your approach and why do you think it will be successful? - Who cares? If you are successful, what difference will it make? - What are the risks? - How much will it cost? - How long will it take? - What are the mid-term and final “exams” to check for success? When I read the above list, it resonates really well because they are almost always the same set of questions I ask myself and others before I decide whether something is worth doing. In some ways, our SPIP template tries to capture some of these (e.g. target persona), but are not as explicit and well articulated. What do people think about replacing the current SPIP template with the above? At a high level, I think the Heilmeier's Catechism emphasizes less about the "how", and more the "why" and "what", which is what I'd argue SPIPs should be about. The hows should be left in design docs for larger projects.
