RFC-RFCSTD-0003                                                   Section 3
Category: Standards Track                            Structure Definition

3. Structure Definition

3.1 Required Sections for Specification Kind

Section	File	Requirement	Purpose
Index	00-index.md	REQUIRED	Metadata, abstract, architecture reference
Prerequisites	01-prerequisites.md	REQUIRED	Required and optional dependencies
Phases	02-phases.md	REQUIRED	Phased implementation (task → test → iterate)
Resources	03-resources.md	REQUIRED	Resource tables (no YAML/JSON)
Validation	04-validation.md	REQUIRED	Deterministic verification criteria
Testing	05-testing.md	REQUIRED	Test categories and acceptance criteria
Risks	06-risks.md	REQUIRED	Features, caveats, loopholes, risks, mitigations
Glossary	appendix-a-glossary.md	REQUIRED	Terms
References	appendix-b-references.md	REQUIRED	Architecture RFC references

Level	Meaning	Omission Criteria
REQUIRED	Section MUST be present	Cannot be omitted

All Specification RFC sections are REQUIRED because:

The index MUST include:

Component	Requirement	Description
RFC Header	REQUIRED	Standard header block
Metadata Table	REQUIRED	All fields including `Kind: Specification`
Implements Field	REQUIRED	Reference to Architecture RFC
Abstract	REQUIRED	Implementation summary
Scope Boundaries	REQUIRED	What this spec covers and doesn't
Table of Contents	REQUIRED	Links to all sections

The prerequisites section MUST include:

Component	Requirement	Description
Infrastructure Prerequisites	REQUIRED	Platform requirements
Access Prerequisites	REQUIRED	Credentials and permissions
Knowledge Prerequisites	RECOMMENDED	Required understanding
Tooling Prerequisites	RECOMMENDED	Required tools

Each prerequisite MUST have:

Attribute	Description
Name	What is needed
Type	Required or Optional
Version	Minimum version (if applicable)
Verification	How to check if met

The phases section MUST include:

Component	Requirement	Description
Phase Overview	REQUIRED	Summary of all phases
Phase Definitions	REQUIRED	Detailed phase descriptions
Rollback Procedures	REQUIRED	How to undo each phase

Each phase MUST have:

Attribute	Description
Phase Number	Sequential identifier
Phase Name	Descriptive title
Tasks	What to do (not how—no commands)
Test	How to verify completion
Iterate	What to check before proceeding
Rollback	How to undo if needed

The resources section MUST include:

Component	Requirement	Description
Resource Overview	REQUIRED	Summary of all resources
Resource Tables	REQUIRED	Detailed resource definitions
Dependency Graph	RECOMMENDED	Resource creation order

Each resource MUST have:

Attribute	Description
Name	Resource identifier
Type	Resource kind (ConfigMap, Secret, etc.)
Purpose	Why this resource exists
Dependencies	What must exist first
Validation	How to verify correct creation

The validation section MUST include:

Component	Requirement	Description
Validation Overview	REQUIRED	What validation means for this spec
Validation Criteria	REQUIRED	Individual criteria
Validation Procedure	REQUIRED	How to perform validation

Each criterion MUST have:

The testing section MUST include:

Each test category MUST have:

The risks section MUST include:

Component	Requirement	Description
Features	REQUIRED	What the implementation provides
Caveats	REQUIRED	Known limitations
Loopholes	RECOMMENDED	Edge cases not covered
Risks	REQUIRED	What can go wrong
Mitigations	REQUIRED	How risks are addressed

Each risk MUST have:

End of Section 3 — RFC-RFCSTD-0003