CIO

CIO (Chief Information Officer)

Resources

RFD 1 Requests for Discussion - the approach to RFCs at Oxide Computer.
The Power of “Yes, if”: Iterating on our RFC Process
- common issues with RFC process:
  - designs don't get deep review and go into implementation phase
  - locally good decision that didn't fit into the broader scope
  - reviewers are not sure what to look for
  - distinguishing aside vs. blocker comments
  - missing process for saying "This looks good to me", often silence means compliance
  - no clear definition of when it is ok to start implementing
- solutions at squarespace
  - opinionated RFC template with approvers section
    - approvers have yes or not yet options
    - not yet means yes, if ...
  - state of the RFC is a freeform fields
    - one can tell what they expect at the current stage
    - e.g. State: first draft, please give me brutally honest feedback on the document structure
  - sections that are included in the template:
    - Alternatives Considered/Prior Art
    - Dependencies
    - Operational work
- Product Backend Council for RFCs discussion and reviews by the whole organization, once every 2 weeks
- Architecture Review, twice a week where most senior engineers review RFCs in depth
  - 1 hour dedicated to each RFCs
  - attendees are expected to read the RFC beforehand
  - last 10 minutes for decisions, yes, if ... or just yes
Companies Using RFCs or Design Docs and Examples of These
Software Engineering RFC and Design Doc Examples and Templates
A Tool for Discussion