Skip to main content

Portfolio Eligibility Criteria

Purpose​

Define clear rules for what belongs in the portfolio, what does not, and the minimum evidence required to keep reviewer trust high.

Scope​

In scope​

  • New projects, case studies, or major portfolio additions
  • Updates that materially change the portfolio narrative
  • Changes that affect evidence, governance, or operational claims

Out of scope​

  • Minor copy edits that do not change meaning
  • Routine maintenance (typos, formatting, link fixes)

Prereqs / Inputs​

  • Reviewer guide
  • Evidence audit checklist
  • Roadmap phase status

Procedure / Content​

Inclusion criteria (must meet all)​

  • Evidence-first: Claims are backed by dossier, ADR, runbook, or threat model evidence.
  • Public-safe: No secrets, internal endpoints, or sensitive operational detail.
  • Reviewer value: The item strengthens evaluation of senior-level engineering judgment.
  • Operational clarity: If the change introduces operational impact, a runbook exists.

Explicit exclusions (do not include)​

  • Speculative demos without evidence backing
  • Incomplete work without validation or clear constraints
  • High-risk domains without corresponding runbooks or threat models
  • Projects that cannot be maintained without breaking evidence links

Evidence minimums (baseline)​

  • Dossier entry or dossier update when the change is material
  • ADR when the change is a durable architectural or governance decision
  • Threat model update when trust boundaries or entry points change
  • Runbook when operational procedure is introduced or modified
  • Release note entry for any portfolio-wide governance change

Eligibility checklist (quick gate)​

  • Meets inclusion criteria and does not violate exclusions
  • Evidence minimums satisfied and linked
  • Reviewer path updated if the change is material
  • Release note planned or created (if required)

Validation / Expected outcomes​

  • Reviewer can trace each claim to evidence
  • Portfolio remains cohesive and does not accumulate noise
  • Evidence links remain current and build-safe

Failure modes / Troubleshooting​

  • Scope creep: enforce exclusions and require evidence minimums before merging
  • Weak evidence: pause inclusion until evidence artifacts are complete

References​