Analysis Manual for Design as Decision Closure Under Uncertainty: Operational Protocol (v6.4)

This manual operationalises a theoretical framework on design as decision closure under conditions of uncertainty. It provides a structured, ten-step analytical protocol for tracing how design decisions evolve, how their underlying reductions of complexity resurface as externalisations after closure, and how responsibility and sustainability distribute across stakeholders and time. The framework is grounded in three irreducible domains: Ontological, Epistemological, and Phenomenological; and is designed for use in two modes: Diagnostic (empirical analysis of existing/realised systems) and Prognostic (inferred analysis of planned systems). The manual is written as a sequence of self-contained analytical steps and can be used in three ways: (1) applied manually by a human analyst, (2) fed step-by-step into an AI platform, or (3) given in full to an AI agent. See the "How to Use the Manual" and "A Note on Register" sections inside the document for details on this dual human/AI-operational design.