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| schema: foundry-doc-v1 | |
| title: "Style guide — memo" | |
| slug: style-guide-memo | |
| category: reference | |
| type: topic | |
| quality: complete | |
| short_description: "Editorial standards for internal memoranda (PROSE-MEMO genre) in the platform: header discipline, section order, the recommendation-first convention, and when a memo is the right artifact." | |
| status: active | |
| bcsc_class: public-disclosure-safe | |
| last_edited: 2026-05-24 | |
| editor: pointsav-engineering | |
| cites: [] | |
| paired_with: style-guide-memo.es.md | |
| --- | |
| > A memo records a decision, analysis, or recommendation addressed to a named audience. It is complete when the reader knows what was decided and what happens next — without reading anything else. | |
| A **memo** (PROSE-MEMO genre) is an internal document addressed to a specific recipient for a specific decision or recommendation. It is not a status update, not a design document, and not a policy. A memo closes open questions; it does not catalogue them. This article describes the human-facing standard; the machine-readable counterpart lives in `service-disclosure/templates/memo.toml`. | |
| ## When to use this template | |
| Use a memo when: | |
| - A decision has been reached and needs to be communicated with the analysis that led to it. | |
| - A recommendation is ready for a named decision-maker and the recommendation cannot be delivered in a single paragraph. | |
| - A complex cross-functional question is settled and the settlement needs to be on record. | |
| Do not use a memo for ongoing discussion, for project status, or for questions that remain open. An open question belongs in an inbox message, a NEXT.md item, or a brief. | |
| ## Structure | |
| The template requires a header block and five sections: | |
| **Header block** (before any heading): | |
| ``` | |
| To: <recipient name or role> | |
| From: <author name or role> | |
| Date: <YYYY-MM-DD> | |
| Re: <one-line subject — specific, actionable> | |
| ``` | |
| | Section | Purpose | | |
| |---|---| | |
| | **Summary** | The conclusion, stated first. One to three sentences: what was decided or recommended and the key constraint. The reader who reads only this section must be able to act on it. | | |
| | **Context** | What precipitated the memo. The facts a recipient needs to evaluate the recommendation. Not the full history — only what is load-bearing. | | |
| | **Analysis** | The reasoning. Structured as numbered points or short paragraphs. Acknowledges the strongest counterargument and explains why it was not decisive. | | |
| | **Recommendation** | The specific action requested, with owner and timeline. A memo with no recommendation is a brief; restructure it accordingly. | | |
| | **Next steps** | Concrete follow-on actions, owners, and dates. This is the section that gets executed. | | |
| ## Register and tone | |
| Formal but plain. The register is professional prose, not legalese. State the recommendation before the analysis — readers at the recipient level do not need to reconstruct the conclusion from the evidence. The Subject (`Re:`) line must be specific: "Approve Q3 content freeze — 2026-08-15" rather than "Content freeze update." | |
| Sentence-length budget: mean around twenty-two words, maximum forty. Active voice throughout the body. The Analysis section may use numbered points; the Recommendation and Next steps use imperative sentences. | |
| The banned-vocabulary list applies. No `"leverage"`, `"facilitate"`, or `"synergize"` in professional correspondence — state the specific action directly. | |
| ## See also | |
| - [[style-guide-topic|Style Guide — TOPIC]] | |
| - [[style-guide-guide|Style Guide — GUIDE]] | |
| - [[language-protocol-substrate|Language Protocol Substrate]] |