Signal watches API updates, Slack channels, schema diffs, incidents, PRs, support notes, and reviewer exceptions before they become hidden process debt.
- Source
- Owner
- Affected system
- Reason to review
Signal
The inbox for updates that should not surprise reviewers.
Signal follows the places where work changes, turns those updates into reviewable context, and attaches each source to Map, Decision, and Proof.
Map connects the incoming Signal to the workflow, documentation path, reviewer queue, and downstream Proof record.
- Composition: signal-decision-proof
- Hub: Map
Signal operating boundary
One surface. Three questions.
See what the surface owns, inspect its production contract, then continue through the connected governance loop.
01 / 03 See the boundary
Signal owns the inbox.
Signal captures the incoming change, source, owner, affected system, and reason it matters.
Signal
API updates, Slack posts, PRs, incidents, and exceptions enter the inbox.
Decision
The queue decides whether the update changes docs, reviewer policy, or product behavior.
Map
The map shows which systems and owners are affected before action moves downstream.
Proof
The proof graph records the source, decision, action, receipt, and rollback note.
Evidence
- Signal: API updates, Slack posts, PRs, incidents, and exceptions enter the inbox.
- Decision: The queue decides whether the update changes docs, reviewer policy, or product behavior.
- Map: The map shows which systems and owners are affected before action moves downstream.
- Proof: The proof graph records the source, decision, action, receipt, and rollback note.
Receipts
Surface: inbox4 connected states
02 / 03 Inspect ownership
The boundary stays small enough for operators to inspect.
In production, Signal is required because it owns source event, account owner, affected system, urgency and authority context.
Signal owns the source event, account owner, affected system, urgency, authority context, and why the update matters.
A good Signal produces a Decision requirement instead of silently changing documentation, API review, or front-end behavior.
Signal gives Proof the starting evidence: who said what changed, where it came from, and what the workflow believed at intake.
Evidence
- Source context
- A review requirement
- A proof seed
Receipts
source eventaccount owneraffected systemurgency and authority context
03 / 03 Continue with context
Atlas connects this surface to the rest of the governance loop.
Production workflows need Map, Signal, Decision, and Proof attached to the same operating boundary.
Evidence
- Map
- Decision
- Proof
Receipts
MapDecision queueProof graphProduct overview
Signal implementation
Attach this surface to a real workflow.
Start with one live workflow, connect the source signal, name the decision owner, and decide which proof record must survive the action.
- Owner
- Signal operator
- Authority
- Signal production contract
- Proof
- Connected workflow receipt
- State
- review
- 01 / Source Name the first watched channel
Start with the Slack channel, API feed, PR path, or data source reviewers keep missing.
- 02 / Decision Choose the review queue
Route the update to docs, product review, policy review, or an owner approval.
- 03 / Proof Define the receipt
Decide what evidence should be saved after the update is reviewed.