Principlev1
Document changes that have occurred before evaluating
Document changes that have occurred before evaluating whether they should be kept, preventing premature reversion while capturing the architecture as it actually runs.
Why This Is a Principle
Derives from Externalization Exposes Hidden Structure (externalization exposes gaps and assumptions) and Hindsight Bias and Calibration Necessity (memory reconstruction is unreliable). The principle prescribes separating observation from evaluation during maintenance. Actionable procedure for chain reviews.