Business Assistance System · v0.1.1 · Draft
A commitments framework
for real constraints.
BASICS is a practical standard for building business tools that operate across unstable conditions, constrained devices, mixed operator skill levels, and long product lifecycles.
It is not a branding layer and not optional philosophy. It is a commitments framework with testable obligations — grounded in ISO, IETF, and NIST guidance families.
Organizing Principles
5 principlesCommand and control belongs to the operator.
Tools must expose stable, documented command surfaces. The operator — not the platform — decides what happens.
Default network of one.
Core record operations work without network dependency. Connectivity is a bonus, not a prerequisite.
Interoperability accelerates innovation.
A shared contract reduces integration drag and enables independent tools to compose reliably.
Device-constrained deployment is foundational.
Designing for constrained hardware first produces decisions that remain correct at any tier.
Open governance with proposal and review.
The standard evolves through a 100-day proposal-to-ratification cycle with community input at every stage.
Most tool stacks assume the wrong things.
Most stacks optimize for stable broadband, modern hardware, large teams, and homogeneous deployment. Real operations frequently look different: intermittent connectivity, low-cost devices, mixed digital and paper workflows, fragmented vendors, and teams that need speed without sacrificing data durability.
Without a shared standard, teams repeatedly solve the same problems in incompatible ways. The result is integration drag, brittle migrations, and operator lock-in.
Organizations do not fail because they lack features. They fail when core records, commands, and workflows become unreliable, opaque, or non-portable across changing constraints.
Layered so you implement what you need.
BASICS uses a layered architecture. Products implement only what their system footprint requires while remaining compatible at the layers they do implement.
The Shared Core is universal: command surfaces, record operations, interoperability declarations, versioning, and governance. The Software, Hardware, and Firmware Profiles add profile-specific obligations for products that cross those boundaries. Operational Extensions are registered through formal deviation and conformance pathways.
03 — Evidence, Not ClaimsConformance is verifiable state, not narrative.
BASICS requires machine-checkable and human-auditable evidence: command and schema specs, ADR history, degraded-mode matrices, tier test outputs, and registered deviations with durable identifiers.
The conformance checklist uses a simple model: mandatory controls are pass/fail; optional controls use a maturity score (0–3). This enforces strict minimum guarantees while rewarding gradual hardening.
Conformance Tiers
Conformance is intentional and progressive. Each tier inherits all requirements from lower tiers and may not weaken them.
Baseline commitment
Command contract, local record operations, and interoperability declarations. The entry point for any BASICS-conformant product.
- Command contract published
- Event schema published
- Local create/edit without network
- Compatibility policy published
- Degraded-mode matrix published
Constrained operation proof
All Core controls plus evidence of constrained/degraded behavior and conflict/sync reliability. For tools deployed in real field conditions.
- All Core controls pass
- Degraded-mode test evidence
- Conflict comparison contract
- Sync/conflict status surface
- Constrained deployment validated
Security lifecycle rigor
All Field controls plus security lifecycle evidence, supply-chain transparency, and publishable conformance results reviewed by Babb.
- All Field controls pass
- Security lifecycle evidence
- Supply-chain evidence (SBOM)
- Publishable conformance results
- Babb / delegated partner review
Participate in the Standard
BASICS evolves through proposal, trial implementation, and community review — a targeted 100-day lifecycle from draft to ratification decision. Register deviations, submit proposals, or apply the standard to your product and publish conformance evidence.