---
type: process
project: fidelity
status: active
updated: 2026-04-17
tags:
  - process
  - fidelity
---
# Communication Rules

## Goal

Make technical communication precise enough for manager updates, Jira notes, standups, and cross-team messages.

---

## Required Structure

When the format fits, prefer:

1. Context
2. Observation
3. Action

---

## Fidelity-Specific Rules

- Always clarify authenticated vs non-authenticated when behavior depends on it.
- Always separate external issues from regressions.
- Always state reproducibility and scope.
- Fidelity Teams consistently displays names in surname-first order.
- Mattermost is a separate internal communication context; most people visible in Teams are not the same people David interacts with in Mattermost, with Jeff as the main exception.
- Jeff is the main bridge into the Fidelity-side Teams context.
- David works on the All-Win Software side and mainly helps advance the work Jeff needs to report on the Fidelity side.
- Do not write updates as if David is directly embedded in the Fidelity Teams collaboration loop unless the context explicitly says so.
- For standups, report the previous workday context, not blindly the prior calendar day.
- On Mondays, use Friday's work context unless a later prior day has Mattermost activity.
- If the previous calendar day has no project activity because of weekend, holiday, or OOO, use the latest prior day with Mattermost activity.
- For standups, when a Jira item has multiple concrete updates, use one top-level `JIRA-ID - Title` bullet and indented markdown sub-bullets instead of repeating the same Jira line.
- When a flow/page shorthand could be ambiguous, prefer the real flow identifier and page name from `vault/03-context/workstreams/flow-page-references.md`.
- For standups that may also be sent to Teams, prefer plain audience-friendly wording over internal implementation shorthand; avoid terms like `fallback` unless the audience already has the necessary context.
- When a release is waiting on approvals or pipeline movement, make the concurrent work explicit so the update does not imply idle waiting.
- Avoid vague phrasing such as:
  - "same behavior"
  - "looks fixed"
  - "working as expected"

---

## Historical Signals From Slack

- Jeff repeatedly requested polished, explicit wording for PR descriptions, story descriptions, and cross-team messages.
- Historical Slack threads show that message quality changed how quickly stories were approved or understood.
- Explicit language mattered most when communicating root cause, ownership boundaries, or whether a report was a confirmed regression.