ZAIXOS Engineering Platform — Product Definition Index
Version: 1.2 · Phase: 12-4B
Status: Permanent product authority index
Parent: PLATFORM_INDEX.md
Purpose
This index is the entry point for product-level specifications of ZAIXOS Engineering Platform (ZEP). Architecture authority remains in PLATFORM_CONSTITUTION.md and related 12-1A documents. Product definition answers what ZEP is as a product — not implementation plans.
Start here
| Question | Document |
|---|---|
| What is ZEP? | PRODUCT_VISION.md |
| How is ZEP positioned architecturally? | PRODUCT_POSITIONING.md |
| Who should use it? | TARGET_USERS.md |
| Why adopt it? | VALUE_PROPOSITION.md |
| What is in / out of scope? | PRODUCT_SCOPE.md |
Product definition suite (Phase 12-2)
| # | Document | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PRODUCT_VISION.md | Vision, mission, philosophy, identity |
| 2 | PRODUCT_POSITIONING.md | Architectural positioning vs comparables |
| 3 | TARGET_USERS.md | Personas, goals, responsibilities |
| 4 | VALUE_PROPOSITION.md | Primary, secondary, long-term value |
| 5 | PRODUCT_SCOPE.md | Included / Not / Never / Future |
| 6 | PRODUCT_CAPABILITIES.md | Capability map with owners and stability |
| 7 | PRODUCT_EDITIONS.md | Edition decision (single Core v1) |
| 8 | PACKAGING_STRATEGY.md | Distribution strategies and criteria |
| 9 | RELEASE_STRATEGY.md | v1–v3 lifecycle and compatibility |
| 10 | SUCCESS_METRICS.md | Engineering KPIs |
| 11 | ADOPTION_MODEL.md | Lifecycle and role responsibilities |
| 12 | PRODUCT_ROADMAP.md | Long-term product themes |
Relationship to architecture docs (12-1A)
| Layer | Authority |
|---|---|
| Platform architecture | Constitution, Boundaries, Public API, ADRs |
| Product definition | This directory — complements, does not override |
| Technical architecture | technical/TECHNICAL_INDEX.md — how ZEP works internally |
| Embedded ERP (transitional) | docs/developer-guide.md — Consumer #1 integrated at Phase 12-7 GA (phase-12-9-platform-ga-report.md) |
Platform phase roadmap (approved — Phase 12-2A)
Aligned with PLATFORM_INDEX.md. Product themes (PRODUCT_ROADMAP.md) map to these engineering phases.
| Phase | Title | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 12-1 | Platform Architecture | Complete |
| 12-1A | Architecture Hardening | Complete |
| 12-2 | Product Definition | Complete |
| 12-2A | Platform Roadmap Realignment | Complete |
| 12-3 | Platform Technical Architecture | Complete — technical/TECHNICAL_INDEX.md |
| 12-4 | Repository Extraction Planning | Complete — planning/PLANNING_INDEX.md |
| 12-4A | Repository Consistency Audit | Complete — read-only audit; no file changes |
| 12-4B | Repository Canonicalization | Complete — documentation normalization |
| 12-4C | ZEP Architecture Baseline | Complete — ZEP_ARCHITECTURE_BASELINE.md |
| 12-5 | Repository Scaffold | Complete |
| 12-6 | Platform Extraction | Complete — W1–W8 per EXTRACTION_SEQUENCE.md |
| 12-7 | Consumer Migration | Complete — Consumer #1 Composer integration |
| 12-8 | Platform Validation | Complete — parity · consumer · compatibility |
| 12-9 | Platform GA Freeze | Complete — Platform v1.0.0 GA (phase-12-9-platform-ga-report.md) |
Quick answers (acceptance checklist)
| Question | Answer location |
|---|---|
| What is ZEP? | Product-independent engineering foundation: methodology + contracts + adapters + validation |
| Why does it exist? | PRODUCT_VISION.md · ADR-001 |
| Who should use it? | TARGET_USERS.md |
| Who should not? | TARGET_USERS.md § Who Should Not Use ZEP |
| What problems does it solve? | VALUE_PROPOSITION.md |
| What does it avoid? | PRODUCT_SCOPE.md § Never Included |
| How will it evolve? | RELEASE_STRATEGY.md · PRODUCT_ROADMAP.md |
Product Index v1.2 — synchronized with PLATFORM_INDEX.md v1.6 (Phase 12-4C).