Bow Tie Kreative Writing System
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Rules / structure

STR-018 Heuristic layer: document

Separate reusable topics

IF a unit has one subject, independent value, and repeated reuse, THEN make it a standalone topic with links ELSE keep it in context.

Why the rule exists

Topic-level reuse reduces duplication and drift.

Condition

The rule fires when this evaluates true. Paths marked below must be present in the fact base; the engine reports the rest rather than guessing them.

  • ALL
    • content.single_subject eq true
    • content.independent_value eq true
    • content.reuse_frequency gte 2

Facts this rule reads

PathSource
content.single_subject You supply it
content.independent_value You supply it
content.reuse_frequency You supply it

Then

  1. extract — target content
  2. link — target original_locations

Else

  1. retain — target current_text, No triggering condition is present.

LAKA

Smallest sufficient intervention
Yes
Primary axes

Sources

  • DITA 1.3 Technical Content Specification — OASIS link
    Topic-based concept, task, reference, troubleshooting, and reuse architecture.
  • Technical Writing 101 — Alan Pringle; Sarah O’Keefe
    Real-world documentation and structured authoring.
  • Managing Your Documentation Projects — JoAnn T. Hackos
    Planning, resourcing, and managing documentation systems.
The raw rule record

Verbatim from 10-paragraph-document-rules.json. Also available at /v1/rules/STR-018.

{
  "id": "STR-018",
  "name": "Separate reusable topics",
  "domain": "structure",
  "layer": "document",
  "strength": "heuristic",
  "human_logic": "IF a unit has one subject, independent value, and repeated reuse, THEN make it a standalone topic with links ELSE keep it in context.",
  "when": {
    "all": [
      {
        "path": "content.single_subject",
        "operator": "eq",
        "value": true
      },
      {
        "path": "content.independent_value",
        "operator": "eq",
        "value": true
      },
      {
        "path": "content.reuse_frequency",
        "operator": "gte",
        "value": 2
      }
    ]
  },
  "then": [
    {
      "action": "extract",
      "target": "content",
      "to": "reusable_topic"
    },
    {
      "action": "link",
      "target": "original_locations",
      "to": "reusable_topic"
    }
  ],
  "else": [
    {
      "action": "retain",
      "target": "current_text",
      "reason": "No triggering condition is present."
    }
  ],
  "unless": [],
  "because": "Topic-level reuse reduces duplication and drift.",
  "diagnostics": [],
  "examples": {},
  "source_ids": [
    "WEB-008",
    "BK-023",
    "BK-027"
  ],
  "laka": {
    "smallest_sufficient_intervention": true,
    "primary_axes": [
      "scope",
      "depth",
      "magnitude",
      "reversibility"
    ]
  }
}

Other structure rules

  1. STR-001 One controlling move per paragraph IF a paragraph performs more than one unrelated rhetorical move, THEN split it at the move boundary ELSE retain. Context default
  2. STR-002 Expose the paragraph point IF the paragraph’s controlling point is absent or recoverable only after rereading, THEN state or move it to a strategic position ELSE retain an intentional delayed reveal. Heuristic
  3. STR-003 Support consequential claims IF a paragraph makes a consequential factual claim, THEN provide evidence, cite it, qualify it, or remove the claim ELSE retain. Hard constraint
  4. STR-004 Keep evidence beside the claim IF evidence is separated from the claim it supports by unrelated material, THEN move it closer or label the relation ELSE retain. Context default
  5. STR-005 Use transitions that name the relation IF adjacent paragraphs have a meaningful but unstated relation, THEN add a transition that expresses that relation ELSE retain. Context default
  6. STR-006 Delete orphan paragraphs IF a paragraph neither advances the purpose nor supports another necessary move, THEN delete or relocate it ELSE retain. Heuristic
  7. STR-007 Section answers one reader question IF a section answers multiple unrelated reader questions, THEN split and label them ELSE retain. Context default
  8. STR-008 Heading predicts content IF a heading does not accurately predict its section, THEN rename the heading or repair the section ELSE retain. Hard constraint