# docs/governance

## Purpose

Contains institutional governance artifacts that describe how Project Garuda is governed between
engineering sprints. These documents record institutional direction and lifecycle models. They do not
authorize engineering work.

## Authority

Governance documents in this directory are **descriptive only** unless explicitly ratified as
constitutional law elsewhere. They never supersede GAR constitutions, ADRs, or approved sprint
specifications.

## Governance Vocabulary

| Term | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| **Decision** | What the Founder has concluded |
| **Recommendation** | What institutional assessment proposes |
| **Authorization** | Permission to begin work |
| **Ratification** | Approval of a completed governance artifact |

## Documents

| Document | Role |
| --- | --- |
| [INSTITUTIONAL-STRATEGIC-LIFECYCLE-v1.0.md](INSTITUTIONAL-STRATEGIC-LIFECYCLE-v1.0.md) | Three-layer institutional lifecycle (Layer 0–2) |
| [GAR-ROADMAP.md](GAR-ROADMAP.md) | Descriptive institutional roadmap at governance baselines |
| [ARCHITECTURE-5-FOUNDER-DECISION.md](ARCHITECTURE-5-FOUNDER-DECISION.md) | Founder Decision record closing Architecture 5 |
| [GOVERNANCE-CYCLE-6-FOUNDER-DECISION.md](GOVERNANCE-CYCLE-6-FOUNDER-DECISION.md) | Governance Cycle 6 — Gate A complete |
| [GOVERNANCE-CYCLE-6-GATE-B-AUTHORIZATION.md](GOVERNANCE-CYCLE-6-GATE-B-AUTHORIZATION.md) | Gate B — GAR-0020 drafting authorized |
| [GAR-0020-FOUNDER-RATIFICATION.md](GAR-0020-FOUNDER-RATIFICATION.md) | GAR-0020 Founder ratification — epoch pause |
| [GOVERNANCE-CYCLE-6-CLOSURE.md](GOVERNANCE-CYCLE-6-CLOSURE.md) | Governance Cycle 6 closure |
| [CONSTITUTIONAL-BASELINE-v1.0.md](CONSTITUTIONAL-BASELINE-v1.0.md) | Canonical institutional reference — post–Cycle 6 baseline |

## Related Documents

- [Architecture 5 Review](../architecture/ARCHITECTURE-5-repository-strategic-review.md)
- [BOOTSTRAP.md](../../BOOTSTRAP.md)
- [GARUDA_CONTEXT.md](../../GARUDA_CONTEXT.md)
- [GAR-REFERENCE-0001.md](../../GAR-REFERENCE-0001.md)

## Maintenance

Update governance artifacts only at governance baselines or when a Founder Decision adopts new
institutional models. Do not update mid-sprint or mid-mission.