Storage Templates

# Lifecycle Stages

Maturity progression patterns, promotion criteria, and lifecycle management for structured content.

## Maturity Model

```
┌──────────┐    ┌──────────┐    ┌───────────┐    ┌─────────┐
│ Seedling │───▶│ Growing  │───▶│ Evergreen │───▶│ Archive │
└──────────┘    └──────────┘    └───────────┘    └─────────┘
     ↓               ↓                ↓                ↓
  1-2 weeks      1-3 months       Permanent       Deprecated
```

## Stage Definitions

### Seedling

**Purpose**: Capture early ideas without commitment

**Characteristics**:
- Minimal structure
- Date-prefixed filename
- Short review cycle (1-2 weeks)
- Low investment

**Typical Content**:
- Quick observations
- Links to research
- Rough ideas
- Experimental notes

**File Pattern**: `YYYY-MM-DD-topic.md`

**Frontmatter**:
```yaml
maturity: seedling
review_after: [2 weeks from created]
```

**Exit Paths**:
- → Growing (validated, expanded)
- → Archive (not valuable)
- → Stay Seedling (needs more time)

### Growing

**Purpose**: Active development and validation

**Characteristics**:
- Structured content
- Regular updates
- Connected to other content
- Medium investment

**Typical Content**:
- Draft specifications
- Evolving patterns
- Active research
- Under-review documentation

**File Pattern**: `topic-name.md`

**Frontmatter**:
```yaml
maturity: growing
review_date: [quarterly]
updated: [YYYY-MM-DD]
```

**Exit Paths**:
- → Evergreen (stable, proven)
- → Seedling (needs rework)
- → Archive (invalidated)

### Evergreen

**Purpose**: Stable, long-term reference material

**Characteristics**:
- Proven value over time
- Rarely modified
- Well-connected
- High investment

**Typical Content**:
- Core patterns
- Established processes
- Reference documentation
- Canonical guides

**File Pattern**: `topic-name.md`

**Frontmatter**:
```yaml
maturity: evergreen
updated: [YYYY-MM-DD]
```

**Exit Paths**:
- → Archive (superseded, deprecated)
- → Growing (significant changes needed)

### Reference

**Purpose**: Version-specific or tool documentation

**Characteristics**:
- External source
- Version-bound
- Time-limited value
- Attribution required

**Typical Content**:
- Tool documentation
- API references
- Version-specific features
- Third-party guides

**File Pattern**: `tool-version.md`

**Frontmatter**:
```yaml
maturity: reference
version: [version number]
expires: [YYYY-MM-DD]
source: [URL]
```

**Exit Paths**:
- → Archive (version deprecated)
- → Reference (update to new version)

### Archive

**Purpose**: Preserve deprecated or superseded content

**Characteristics**:
- Read-only
- Clearly marked as deprecated
- Redirect to replacement
- Historical value

**Typical Content**:
- Deprecated patterns
- Superseded documentation
- Outdated tools
- Failed experiments

**File Pattern**: Move to `archive/YYYY-MM-DD-topic.md`

**Frontmatter**:
```yaml
maturity: archive
deprecated: [YYYY-MM-DD]
reason: [why archived]
superseded_by: [replacement path]
```

## Promotion Criteria

### Seedling → Growing

**Quantitative**:
- Accessed 2+ times
- Connected to 1+ other entries
- Expanded beyond initial capture

**Qualitative**:
- Insight validated through use
- Pattern emerging
- Worth structured development

**Actions Required**:
1. Remove date prefix from filename
2. Update maturity to growing
3. Add structured sections
4. Set quarterly review date
5. Connect to related content

### Growing → Evergreen

**Quantitative**:
- Stable for 3+ months
- Minimal edits in last month
- Connected to 3+ other entries
- Used in 5+ instances

**Qualitative**:
- Proven valuable over time
- Pattern well-understood
- Not likely to change
- Widely applicable

**Actions Required**:
1. Final content review
2. Upda