Apply the Question Test
What You’ll Build
A sorted inventory of 10 project items placed into the correct triad leg. By the end, you’ll be able to instantly sort any new file into what/, how/, or who/ using the question test.
Prerequisites
Steps
Step 1: Learn the Test
The question test is one question with three answers:
“Is this about WHAT we know, HOW we work, or WHO is involved?”
| Answer | Triad Leg | It belongs here if… |
|---|---|---|
| WHAT we know | what/ | Its primary purpose is to capture knowledge |
| HOW we work | how/ | Its primary purpose is to drive action |
| WHO is involved | who/ | Its primary purpose is to describe people or relationships |
That’s it. One question. Three possible answers. Every file in the project gets exactly one.
Step 2: Sort 10 Items
Here are 10 items from a hypothetical biotech research project. For each, ask the question and write your answer:
| # | Item | Your Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A research summary on CRISPR gene editing | |
| 2 | A sprint plan for the next two weeks | |
| 3 | The team roster with roles and contact info | |
| 4 | A decision record choosing Python over R | |
| 5 | A template for writing experiment reports | |
| 6 | Notes from a meeting between the PI and the postdoc | |
| 7 | A context file on protein folding methods | |
| 8 | A mission plan to build the data pipeline | |
| 9 | The lab’s code of conduct | |
| 10 | A lattice YAML defining the analysis workflow |
Step 3: Check Your Answers
| # | Item | Question | Answer | Directory |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CRISPR research summary | WHAT do we know? | Knowledge | what/context/ |
| 2 | Sprint plan | HOW do we work? | Action | how/missions/ |
| 3 | Team roster | WHO is involved? | People | who/team/ |
| 4 | Decision record (Python vs. R) | WHAT do we know? | Knowledge | what/decisions/ |
| 5 | Experiment report template | HOW do we work? | Action | how/templates/ |
| 6 | Meeting coordination notes | WHO is involved? | People | who/coordination/ |
| 7 | Protein folding context file | WHAT do we know? | Knowledge | what/context/ |
| 8 | Data pipeline mission plan | HOW do we work? | Action | how/missions/ |
| 9 | Code of conduct | WHO is involved? | People | who/governance/ |
| 10 | Analysis workflow lattice | WHAT do we know? | Knowledge | what/lattices/ |
Common trip-ups:
- Item 4 (decision record): You might think “deciding is an action → HOW.” But the record captures knowledge about what was decided and why. The decision process was HOW; the record is WHAT.
- Item 6 (meeting notes): Could feel like “knowledge from the meeting → WHAT.” But coordination notes describe people communicating — WHO is involved in this conversation.
- Item 9 (code of conduct): Could feel like “a rule → HOW we work.” But it governs people’s behavior and relationships — WHO is involved and what standards they follow.
Step 4: Apply to Your Own Project
List 5 files from a real project you’re working on. Apply the question test to each:
| File | Question | Triad Leg |
|---|---|---|
If any item feels like it belongs in two legs, it’s trying to do two things. Split it. A “team sprint plan” is two files: the team roster (WHO) and the sprint plan (HOW).
What You Learned
- The question test always produces exactly one answer
- Edge cases usually involve files trying to serve two purposes — split them
- The test works for any content type: documents, code, data, configs
- Consistent sorting makes the vault navigable for both humans and agents
Next Steps
- Extend the Ontology — add custom entity types to the triad
- Ontology — understand the entity types within each leg
- Base/Extension — how to add types without breaking the core