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Changelog

[Unreleased]

[1.4.0] - 2026-03-07

Added

  • New practice area: FDE Operating Models (04-fde-operating-models.md)
  • Team structure and sizing guidance
  • Customer deployment lifecycle phases
  • Capacity planning and rotation strategies
  • Feedback loop mechanisms (weekly reports, upstream contributions, quarterly syncs)
  • Career development tracks and burnout prevention
  • Metrics and success criteria at function, customer, and individual levels
  • FDE Operating Model Canvas template (resources/operations/operating-model-canvas.md)
  • One-page template for defining FDE operating model
  • Covers team structure, deployment model, customer tiers, capacity planning, feedback loops, escalation paths, career development, and success metrics
  • Platypus Technologies callout at top of homepage

Changed

  • Updated client references in "About the Author" section
  • Added Comand AI with case study link
  • Added Northslope Technologies with case study link
  • Removed Fractal Analytics and Object Edge
  • Added note about confidential engagements
  • Updated navigation to include new practice area and operations resources
  • Updated "Getting Started by Challenge" section with operating models entry

[1.3.2] - 2026-02-07

Changed

  • Updated SVG figures for layout and readability
  • Archetypes bridge text repositioned
  • Engagement lifecycle label contrast improved
  • Interview process tracks grouped with brace + HM alignment
  • Ownership boundaries overlap widened

[1.3.1] - 2026-01-16

Added

  • Automated release preparation workflow via GitHub Actions
  • One-click release process through GitHub UI (Actions > Prepare Release)
  • Automatic version bumping (major/minor/patch/custom)
  • Automatic file updates across 5 version files
  • Automatic CHANGELOG update with release notes
  • Automatic git commit, tag creation, and GitHub Release creation

Changed

  • Release process reduced from ~5 minutes (manual) to ~1 minute (automated)
  • Eliminated manual version editing across multiple files

[1.3.0] - 2026-01-16

Added

  • FDE Metrics & Performance section in startup kit (00-fde-startup-kit.md)
  • Organizational metrics table: 5 key metrics with "Watch Out For" warnings
  • Individual FDE performance philosophy: Explains why subjective evaluation is intentional
  • Anti-patterns table: 4 metrics that seem reasonable but damage effectiveness
  • Customer-centric indicators: Leading signals for FDE impact
  • Incorporates insights from Palantir's evaluation model

Changed

  • Consolidated and replaced "Key Metrics (For Reference)" section with comprehensive metrics guidance
  • Repositioned metrics content earlier in startup kit (after "Who Does What") for better flow

Removed

  • Simplified "Key Metrics (For Reference)" section (replaced by comprehensive Metrics & Performance section)

[1.2.0] - 2026-01-16

Added

  • FDE Archetypes section in startup kit (00-fde-startup-kit.md)
  • Defined two archetypes: business-facing vs product-facing FDEs
  • Clear comparison table showing focus areas and responsibilities
  • Guidance on when to hire each archetype based on deployment maturity
  • Mapping of existing roles (solutions engineers, platform engineers, technical consultants) to FDE archetypes
  • Strategy for scaling: start with product-facing FDEs (0-10 deployments), add business-facing at scale (10+)

Changed

  • Updated startup kit structure to include archetype guidance before diving into hiring details

[1.1.0] - 2026-01-15

Added

  • Further Reading sections to all three practice area documents (01, 02, 03) linking to blog posts
  • New hiring thesis template (resources/people/hiring-thesis-template.md)
  • FDE Mindset Indicators section in interview scorecard based on FDE Manifesto principles
  • Scaling Note callout in hiring document to provide context for different hiring volumes

Changed

  • Generalized time references throughout documentation (removed specific dates like "Feb 2025" in favor of "target timeline")
  • Updated mkdocs.yml navigation to include new hiring thesis template
  • Interview scorecard enhanced with tactical evaluation criteria from FDE Manifesto

[1.0.0] - 2026-01-06

Major Transformation

Restructured from comprehensive 17-practice-area framework to focused MVP with 3 priority areas.

Deleted

  • All thematic folders (people/, product/, commercial/, operations/) containing 14 non-MVP practice areas
  • framework.md (comprehensive navigation hub)
  • CROSS-REFERENCE-MAP.md (referenced deleted content)
  • CONTRIBUTING.md (described comprehensive framework contribution)
  • Non-MVP templates (commercial/, operations/, shared/)

Changed

  • README.md: Rewritten to emphasize MVP scope, points to startup kit as entry point
  • 00-fde-startup-kit.md: Updated resources section to remove references to deleted files
  • mvp-priorities.md: Marked as "implemented", added "What We Did" section
  • CLAUDE.md: Completely rewritten to reflect MVP structure

Kept

  • 00-fde-startup-kit.md (181 lines) - Primary entry point
  • 01-hiring-talent-strategy.md (333 lines) - Hiring guidance
  • 02-product-fde-interface.md (406 lines) - Product-FDE interface patterns
  • 03-technical-enablement.md (423 lines) - Technical standards
  • 4 MVP-relevant templates (people/3, product/1)

Rationale

Based on actual field engagement (the organization Nov-Dec 2024), MVP focuses on burning problems: - Need to hire initial FDE cohort within target timeline - Product teams not delivering what FDEs need - No documentation, scattered repos, FDEs can't work

Everything else deferred to future phases after real deployment data.

Previous Versions

This MVP-focused repository is a transformation from a comprehensive framework. Previous version history was archived during the MVP transformation (2026-01-06).