diff --git a/papers/bcr-2026-008-lifecycle-roles.md b/papers/bcr-2026-008-lifecycle-roles.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..541e77f --- /dev/null +++ b/papers/bcr-2026-008-lifecycle-roles.md @@ -0,0 +1,325 @@ +# Lifecycle Role Predicates + +## BCR-2026-008 + +**© 2026 Blockchain Commons** + +Authors: Christopher Allen
+Date: February 2, 2026 + +--- + +## Abstract + +This document specifies Known Value predicates for lifecycle roles in Gordian Envelopes. These roles describe contributions that occur before or after the creative act itself — commissioning what should exist, distributing the finished work, and stewarding it over time. + +These lifecycle roles complement the creative contribution roles in [BCR-2026-007: CreativeWork Role Predicates](bcr-2026-007-creativework-roles.md), which focus on what happens *during* creation. + +## Status: Pre-Registration Proposal + +📙 **Research** — This BCR proposes new Known Values and is seeking community review. + +### Registration Intent + +We propose registering these predicates in the **Community Assigned (specification required)** range (1000-1999) as defined in [BCR-2023-002](https://github.com/BlockchainCommons/Research/blob/master/papers/bcr-2023-002-known-value.md). + +This range is currently unassigned. We are seeking **rough consensus** from the Gordian developer community before claiming these codepoints. If the community determines these predicates: +- Do not merit the 1000-1999 range, or +- Should use different codepoint assignments + +We will register in the **Community Assigned (first come-first served)** range (100000+) instead. + +### Request for Community Review + +We invite feedback on: +- Whether these lifecycle roles are distinct from creative roles +- Whether the 1000-1999 range is appropriate for this vocabulary +- Whether Commissioning belongs here or overlaps with ConceptOriginator +- Any missing lifecycle roles +- Suggested refinements to role definitions + +Please submit feedback via: +- [Gordian Developer Community Discussions](https://github.com/BlockchainCommons/Gordian-Developer-Community/discussions) +- Pull requests to this specification + +## Introduction + +### Problem Statement + +Creative contribution vocabularies (CRediT, the CreativeWork roles vocabulary) focus on what happens during creation — writing, editing, designing, reviewing. But creative works have lifecycles that extend beyond the creative act: + +- **Before**: Someone decides what should exist (commissioning) +- **After**: Someone makes it available (distribution) and cares for it over time (stewardship) + +These lifecycle roles are often conflated with creative roles or authority relationships, but they represent distinct contributions. + +### Solution + +This specification defines three lifecycle roles: + +1. **`Commissioner`** — Decided what should exist +2. **`Distributor`** — Makes the work available +3. **`Steward`** — Provides long-term care for the work and its ideas + +### Scope Boundary + +This BCR defines **lifecycle roles** — contributions before and after the creative act. + +**Not in scope:** +- Creative contribution roles (Author, Editor, etc.) — see [BCR-2026-007: CreativeWork Role Predicates](bcr-2026-007-creativework-roles.md) +- Authority relationships — see [BCR-2026-006: Principal Authority Predicates](bcr-2026-006-principal-authority.md) +- Social roles (community shepherding, facilitation) — see Roles Not Included + +### Relationship to Other BCRs + +| BCR | Focus | Lifecycle Phase | +|-----|-------|-----------------| +| BCR-2026-006 | Authority relationships | Overlays all phases | +| BCR-2026-007 | Creative contribution | During creation | +| **BCR-2026-008** | **Lifecycle roles** | **Before and after creation** | + +## Terminology + +**Lifecycle Role**: A type of contribution that occurs before or after the creative act itself. + +**Commissioning**: The decision that a work should exist, including scope and purpose. + +**Distribution**: Making a work available to its intended audience. + +**Stewardship**: Long-term care for a work, its ideas, and any community around it. + +**Known Value**: A registered predicate identifier in the Gordian Envelope system. See [BCR-2023-002](https://github.com/BlockchainCommons/Research/blob/master/papers/bcr-2023-002-known-value.md). + +## Proposed Known Value Assignments + +All proposed codepoints are in the **Community Assigned (specification required)** range (1000-1999). + +### Lifecycle Roles (1100-1102) + +--- + +#### 1100: `Commissioner` + +**Type**: role +**Definition**: Decided that the CreativeWork should exist and defined its scope or purpose. +**Phase**: Before creation +**Distinction from ConceptOriginator**: ConceptOriginator provides the core *idea*; Commissioner makes the *decision* to create and may define requirements without providing the concept. + +``` + Digest(commissioned-report) [ + 'schema:author': XID(researcher) + 'schema:contributor': { + XID(foundation) [ + 'schema:roleName': 'Commissioner' + ] + } + 'schema:contributor': { + XID(researcher) [ + 'schema:roleName': 'niso-credit:Conceptualization' + ] + } + ] +``` + +**Examples**: +- A foundation commissions a research report (Commissioner) while researchers develop the approach (Conceptualization) +- A client commissions software (Commissioner) while developers design the architecture (Architect) +- A publisher commissions a book on a topic (Commissioner) while the author provides the unique perspective (ConceptOriginator) + +**Notes**: +- Commissioner often overlaps with `principalAuthority` but they are distinct: Commissioner is a role (what they did), while `principalAuthority` is a relationship (who directs) +- A work may have no Commissioner (self-initiated) or multiple Commissioners (collaborative initiative) + +--- + +#### 1101: `Distributor` + +**Type**: role +**Definition**: Makes the CreativeWork available to its intended audience. +**Phase**: After creation +**Distinction from Publisher**: Traditional "publisher" conflates multiple roles (commissioning, editing, distribution, responsibility). Distributor isolates the distribution function. + +``` + Digest(open-source-project) [ + 'schema:author': XID(maintainer) + 'schema:contributor': { + XID(maintainer) [ + 'schema:roleName': 'Steward' + ] + } + 'schema:contributor': { + XID(package-registry) [ + 'schema:roleName': 'Distributor' + ] + } + ] +``` + +**Examples**: +- npm, PyPI, or crates.io distributing software packages +- Archive.org preserving and distributing digital works +- A bookstore or library making physical works available +- A website hosting and serving content + +**Notes**: +- Distribution without responsibility: A Distributor may make work available without taking responsibility for its content (see BCR-2026-005 for `principalAuthority`) +- Multiple distributors: A work may have many distributors across different channels + +--- + +#### 1102: `Steward` + +**Type**: role +**Definition**: Provides long-term care for the CreativeWork, its ideas, and any community around it. +**Phase**: After creation (ongoing) +**Distinction from Maintainer**: Maintainer (BCR-2026-004) focuses on technical updates; Steward encompasses broader care including ideas, community, and legacy. + +``` + Digest(community-project) [ + 'schema:author': XID(original-author) + 'schema:contributor': { + XID(original-author) [ + 'schema:roleName': 'niso-credit:Conceptualization' + ] + } + 'schema:contributor': { + XID(foundation) [ + 'schema:roleName': 'Steward' + ] + } + ] +``` + +**Examples**: +- A foundation stewarding an open-source project after the original author steps back +- An archive preserving and contextualizing historical works +- A standards body maintaining a specification and its community +- Ward Cunningham's stewardship of the wiki concept and community + +**Notes**: +- Stewardship may include but is not limited to: maintaining relevance, responding to community needs, preserving access, updating context, managing succession +- Steward implies ongoing relationship; for one-time care, Maintainer may be more appropriate + +--- + +## Usage Patterns + +### Commissioned Work + +``` + Digest(research-report) [ + 'principalAuthority': XID(foundation) + 'schema:author': XID(research-team) + 'schema:contributor': { + XID(foundation) [ + 'schema:roleName': 'Commissioner' + ] + } + 'schema:contributor': { + XID(research-team) [ + 'assertsDelegationFrom': XID(foundation) + ] + } + ] +``` + +### Full Lifecycle Attribution + +``` + Digest(open-standard) [ + 'schema:author': XID(working-group) + 'schema:contributor': { + XID(standards-body) [ + 'schema:roleName': 'Commissioner' + 'schema:roleName': 'Steward' + ] + } + 'schema:contributor': { + XID(working-group) [ + 'schema:roleName': 'niso-credit:Conceptualization' + ] + } + 'schema:contributor': { + XID(website) [ + 'schema:roleName': 'Distributor' + ] + } + ] +``` + +### Stewardship Succession + +``` + Digest(legacy-project) [ + 'schema:author': XID(original-creator) + 'schema:contributor': { + XID(original-creator) [ + 'schema:roleName': 'niso-credit:Conceptualization' + ] + } + 'schema:contributor': { + XID(new-foundation) [ + 'schema:roleName': 'Steward' + ] + } + 'processDisclosure': "Stewardship transferred to New Foundation in 2025." + ] +``` + +## Roles Not Included + +The following roles are intentionally excluded from this BCR: + +| Role | Reason | Notes | +|------|--------|-------| +| **Community Shepherding** | Social role, not lifecycle | Nurturing human relationships is valuable but distinct from work lifecycle | +| **Facilitator** | Social role, not lifecycle | Enabling collaboration is process, not lifecycle contribution | +| **Publisher** | Conflated term | Decomposes into Commissioner + Editor + Distributor + Steward | +| **Sponsor** | Financial role | Funding is important but distinct from lifecycle roles; may be added in future BCR | + +### Why Not Community Shepherding? + +Community shepherding — nurturing human relationships around a work — is valuable but operates on a different axis than lifecycle roles: + +- **Lifecycle roles** are about the work itself (commissioning, distributing, stewarding the work) +- **Community roles** are about people (facilitating discussion, resolving conflicts, welcoming newcomers) + +Community roles may warrant their own BCR focused on social/collaborative contributions, but they don't belong in a lifecycle vocabulary. + +## Security Considerations + +### Role Claims Are Assertions + +Lifecycle role attributions are claims by the asserter. Relying parties should evaluate: +- Who made the attribution +- Whether the claimed role is plausible +- Whether confirmation from the role-holder exists + +### Commissioner vs. Principal Authority + +Having the Commissioner role does not automatically confer `principalAuthority`. A Commissioner may: +- Initiate a work without directing its creation +- Define scope without taking responsibility for content +- Fund creation without editorial control + +Authority relationships should be expressed explicitly through BCR-2026-006. + +## References + +- [BCR-2023-002: Known Value Registry](https://github.com/BlockchainCommons/Research/blob/master/papers/bcr-2023-002-known-value.md) +- [BCR-2026-005: General Assertion Predicates](bcr-2026-005-general-assertions.md) +- [BCR-2026-006: Principal Authority Predicates](bcr-2026-006-principal-authority.md) +- [BCR-2026-007: CreativeWork Role Predicates](bcr-2026-007-creativework-roles.md) +- [Schema.org Known Values Registry](https://github.com/BlockchainCommons/Research/blob/master/known-value-assignments/markdown/10000_schema_registry.md) — `schema:contributor` (11227), `schema:roleName` (12151) +- [RAA Framework](https://github.com/peterkaminski/raa-framework) — Role analysis informing this BCR + +## Related BCRs + +- **BCR-2026-005: General Assertion Predicates** — Lifecycle management for assertions +- **BCR-2026-006: Principal Authority Predicates** — Authority relationships +- **BCR-2026-007: CreativeWork Role Predicates** — Creative contribution roles + +--- + +*BCR-2026-008: Lifecycle Role Predicates* +*Draft - February 2, 2026*