Handbook
Forge ceremonies → ceremony foundation
Purpose: Map Forge ceremonies to methodology-neutral intent types in Ceremony foundation (methodology-neutral).
Canonical Forge narrative: https://forgesdlc.com/methodology-overview.html · Prescriptive ceremonies
Ceremonies × intent types
| Forge ceremony | Foundation intents (primary → secondary) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Refinement (Ore → Ingot) | C1 Align → C2 Commit | Shape Ore into Ingots; discipline Versona sessions at decision points; Ember Log captures trade-offs. |
| Planning (Ingot → Sparks) | C2 Commit → C1 Align | Decompose Ingots into Sparks with phase prefixes; scope the iteration; sequence by risk reduction. |
| Daily sync (Charge) | C3 Sync | Confirm today's Charge; surface blockers; declare hat; Banking decisions. 15-minute timebox. |
| Review (evidence assessment) | C4 Inspect → C1 Align | Demonstrate increment; assess evidence; discipline Versona session; determine Assay Gate readiness. |
| Assay Gate (release readiness) | C6 Assure | Evidence-based release decision; per-work-type evidence requirements. Separate from Review. |
| Retro (learning) | C5 Improve | Metrics review, Ember Log review, Versona effectiveness, improvement experiments; learning feeds new Ore. |
Ore intake is continuous — not a scheduled ceremony. It feeds the Refinement pipeline.
What git-based tracking approximates vs what ceremonies need
| Ceremony | Git / commits approximate | You still need (human / AI) |
|---|---|---|
| Refinement | Linked work units, spec changes | Versona session, stakeholder input, Ember Log |
| Planning | Work decomposition in issues/tasks | Capacity, sequencing, phase assignment |
| Daily sync | Activity per contributor | Charge declaration, verbal blockers, hat declaration |
| Review | Merged work, test results | Stakeholder feedback, evidence assessment |
| Assay Gate | CI quality gates, test reports | Evidence package review, release decision |
| Retro | Throughput themes (weak) | Decision review, Versona tuning, improvement experiments |
Suggestions (Forge-specific)
| Ceremony | Suggestions |
|---|---|
| Refinement | Time-box Versona invocation; do not run a session on every Ore item. Focus on high-value, high-risk items. Write Ember Log entries during refinement, not after. |
| Planning | Verify every Spark has a phase prefix. Intentionally undercommit — leave margin in the Charge for interruption and learning. |
| Daily sync | Declare your hat for the day. Keep to 15 minutes; defer problem-solving to follow-up huddles. |
| Review | Show working software; Versona sessions should surface new concerns, not repeat known issues. Feed backlog changes visibly. |
| Assay Gate | Keep it strict and short. If evidence is missing, the answer is "not yet" — adjust scope, not standards. |
| Retro | Review the Ember Log for decision patterns. Assess which Versonas disciplines added value and which created noise. |
For cross-methodology blend tips (e.g. Forge + Kanban flow), see Methodology bridge — foundation intents ↔ named ceremonies.
For lean tenets (keeping Forge lightweight), see https://forgesdlc.com/methodology-overview.html § Lean tenets.
Agentic note
Human accountability for Ore acceptance, Spark quality, release decisions, and Ember Log integrity stays with the team. Versona agents assist challenge; they do not own delivery. See Agentic SDLC (cross-cutting).