Requirements Altitude
People taking discovery usually cannot tell what altitude a piece of information is at. They chase configuration-level detail with no filter, collect goals and process notes that never become anything scopeable, or force premature confirmations. The missing piece is almost always the mid-level: a specific, technology-agnostic statement of what the system must do.
This is the written guide. Eighteen modules, three appendices. Same altitude as theFour Laws — a standing reference, not a brochure. A paid course can sit on top of this later. The writing is the product until then.
The four altitudes
| Level | Name | What it captures | Test |
|---|---|---|---|
| L0 | Business Outcome | Goal, pain, success criteria — no system named. | True regardless of system used. |
| L1 | Process / Capability | Workflow, actors, sequence — still system-agnostic. | Diagrammable with no system named. |
| L2 | Functional Requirement | Specific, scopeable capability. The missing middle. | Two engineers would agree on scope. |
| L3 | Detail / Configuration | Fields, APIs, exact rules, edge cases. | Resolvable without further client input. |
The core discipline: no L3 question on a topic thread until an L2 bridge statement exists for it. L2 is authored by the practitioner. It is not transcribed from the client.
Every statement also has a source. Tagging altitude without tagging who said it averages together people who do not actually agree. Start atthe model, keepthe field card visible on calls, or read the problem statement that opens the guide.
The public essays The Missing Middle andThe Reset Is the Project are the short versions of modules 1 and 12. This section is the full argument.
The guide
The model
- Module 1: The Problem — Why Smart People Still Miss the MiddleWhy discovery can sound competent and still produce unusable requirements.
- Module 2: The Altitude ModelL0 through L3: what each level commits to, who authors it, and how to tell them apart.
- Module 3: The Diagnostic — Classifying Statements in Real TimeA ladder you can run live: note the speaker, then classify altitude without stopping the call.
- Module 4: The Three Failure Modes, In DepthDetail spelunking, altitude blindness, and bridge overuse — and why all three feel like progress.
- Module 5: The L2 Bridge RuleHow to construct the missing-middle sentence, when to deploy it, and the overuse guardrail.
- Module 6: The Advisory Layer — When a Correct Requirement Is the Wrong RequirementVertical traceability: a confirmed L2 can still fail the L0 it is supposed to serve.
- Module 7: Multi-Stakeholder Altitude MappingEvery statement has an altitude and a source. Conflict is not the same as a gap.
In the field
- Module 8: Practice DrillsTagging, translation, live-fire, and conflict-mapping drills with worked transcripts.
- Module 9: Applying It in Discovery CallsBefore, during, and after the call: how the framework sits in a real discovery motion.
- Module 13: CapstoneOne end-to-end pass: tag, bridge, map stakeholders, trace vertically, write the document.
- Appendix A: The Field CardOne-page call card: speaker, ladder, bridge, three tells, vertical check.
After the call
- Module 10: From Tagged Notes to the Requirements DocumentHow tagged, sourced statements become a document a scoping team can actually use.
- Module 11: The Four Levels of Design — Deliverables Mapped to AltitudeWishlist, process map, functional spec, and configuration design — each at its altitude.
- Module 12: Requirements Drift in DeliveryWhat happens after discovery when new statements arrive and L2 is treated as optional.
- Module 16: Recovery — Closing Gaps After the FactWhat to do when you notice a missing L2 after discovery is already supposed to be over.
Reference
- Module 14: Common Frameworks Mapped to AltitudeJTBD, user stories, epics, impact maps, and use cases read against L0–L3.
- Module 15: Applying the Framework to Written and Asynchronous SourcesThe same diagnostic on decks, tickets, Slack threads, and recorded walkthroughs.
- Module 17: Special ConditionsEdge cases that change how the ladder runs without changing the altitudes themselves.
- Module 18: Assessment and the Proficiency ModelFive proficiency levels and a capstone rubric for the written guide and any later course.
- Appendix B: Facilitator GuideSequencing, drill debriefs, and the resistance point that shows up in every cohort.
- Appendix C: Gold-Standard Worked ExamplePlaceholder for a single real transcript run through all eighteen modules.